THOMAS MERA GARTZ – Luftsånger = Cloudsongs (Silence. 1984; rec. 1978-82)

Instrumental, wordless vocals
International relevance: ***

Those expecting anything like Träd Gräs & Stenar or Thomas Mera Gartz's solo album ”Sånger” will possibly be disappointed and definitely surprised by ”Luftsånger” (or, if you prefer its English subtitle, ”Cloudsongs”). Mixed and constructed in 1983 and released the following year through Silence Records, it was recorded during the course of four years just prior to that. It's much more of a kaleidoscopic mood piece than a song oriented collection. Not divided into separate tracks, the two untitled album sides combine field recordings, ambient sections, chunks of percussion of unknown origin, humming drones... From the liner notes: ”You can hear stormwinds, sheet-metal tub with water, happy birds in a forest glade, wooden gardenchair, grass being eaten by sheep, wheel-barrow, crickets (both normal and speeded down), a dead pine-stem, the circular sawblade of a firewood cutter, tubes rolling at the floor, kerosene tank, 'play-it-yourself' music festivals, the sound of a cigarette being rolled, the song of retarded Lasse, the vast sky in which an airplane is disappearing and much more”. There's only one segment that resembles music in the traditional sense, a kraut-like section fading in (or rather, coming out of the storm) halfway through side 1, sounding like an unusually energetic Popol Vuh rehearsal.

”Luftsånger” is one of those albums that, much like Joakim Skogsberg's ”Jola Rota”, is so set apart from everything else that it's pointless to even try measuring it by any good/bad scales. It's an entity of its own, not music of harmonics, melodies or metres but more like a state of mind. Some parts are indeed enjoyable, others (particularly the percussion bits) are terribly annoying, but they're all part of the uncategorizable whole. If you take one bit out of it, it won't be the same anymore and there's a certain strength in that. Make what you will of it, but it's certainly worth hearing at least once.

Full album

ARBETE & FRITID – Se upp för livet (MNW, 1977) / Håll andan (MNW, 1979)

Se upp för livet (MNW, 1977)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

 

One of Arbete & Fritid's weakest. Roland Keijser had left the band at this point, taking most of the jazz with him, and leaving the leadership to cellist Ove Karlsson under whose direction the band took a step closer to rock, or at least rock related music.

The music on ”Se upp för livet” is pretty diverse though, ranging from the plain bizarre (”Knoga och knega” and ”Avdelning - indelning” ) to the downright spooky (”Jag är inte som andra”), from the eerie opening drone of ”Födelsemusik” to the hard rock of ”Lev hårt - dö ung” (sounding like a crossbreed of Nationalteatern and Gudibrallan). A lot of the album sounds like a Thomas Mera Gartz solo album on one hand and a Träd, Gräs & Stenar album on the other (Gartz and Torbjörn Abelli appear on ”Se upp för livet”). The atypicalities of the album might be explained by the fact the music were made for an exhibition at Kulturhuset in Stockholm 1976, and probably had to fit in with the exposition's concept. It would probably have been a better album had it been trimmed down to a single disc, but it's still worth having for the good bits.

Håll andan (MNW, 1979)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals

International relevamce: ***

The last album to be released by Arbete & Fritid is still stylistically sprawling but nevertheless a more cohesive effort than ”Se upp för livet”. Here you find the almost-punk burst of ”Jag föddes en dag”, the dreamy ”Dorisk dron”, the elevated jamming of ”Thulcandra”, and the experimental and slightly creepy ”Kalvdans”. I've always had a soft spot for this album and although it's not really comparable to the early Arbete & Fritid albums, it's certainly a recommended effort.

The ”1969-1979” CD comp, later retitled ”Deep Woods”, features three good and otherwise unavailable tracks from 1978. There's also a unique (albeit not very good) and still unreleased Tonkraft show from December 1979 worth snooping around for by Arbete & Fritid and Archimedes Badkar joining forces.

 

Se upp för livet full album playlist

Håll andan full album playlist

MECKI MARK MEN – Complete albums 1967-1979

Mecki Mark Men are among the most important early Swedish underground bands and a transition between what was and what would be. Led by singer Mecki Bodemark, the band featured such luminaries as Kenny Håkansson, Pelle Ekman, Bella Linnarsson (all previously in Baby Grandmothers, all later in Kebnekajse), and Thomas Mera Gartz (later to join Träd, Gräs Och Stenar). Heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix (supporting him on his 1967 Swedish tour by his request), Mecki Mark Men were one of the true contemporary psychedelic bands in Sweden.

Mecki Mark Men (Philips, 1967)

English vocals, instrumental

International relevance: ***

After non-album 45 ”Midnight Land”, Mecki Mark Men made their full length debut with this eponymous album featuring sitars, tablas, organs, horns and anything that could emphasize the drugged-out feel of it. And that's the problem with the album – the atmosphere is stronger than the songs, and Mecki Bodemark's vocal Hendrix complex is silly bordering on the ridiculous. There's a lot of empty gestures riddling the album, but if you ignore the superficiality, the album can still be oddly alluring.

Above the American Limelight Records release with different cover.

Running in the Summer Night (Limelight, 1969)

English vocals, instrumental
International relevance: ***

Their second album was only released by U.S. label Limelight that had already released their debut stateside. The album was remixed for the American market, with the Swedish mix not made public before Mellotronen's CD edition in 2004. The Swedish version is a tad better but it doesn't really matter because Bodemark's Hendrixisms still annoy and the heaviness is still there to conceal that the songs are rather empty. The best track part three of the ”Life Cycle” suite, a new version of Baby Grandmothers' moody ”Being Is More Than Life”.

Marathon (Sonet, 1971)

English lyrics, instrumental

International relevance: ***

 

Recorded on holy blues ground in the Chess studios in Chicago in 1970 and released the following year, this time in Sweden only. Still a mess of contemporary heavy rock mannerisms, it does feature the acoustic two part ”Ragathon” with acoustic guitar, sitar and a stoned-out-of-his-mind Bodemark giggling into his flute. The songs are somewhat more distinct, making this their best regular effort, although far from an essential one.

Stonehorse (Vesper, 2010; recorded 1971)

Lars Johan Werle & Mecki Mark Men

 Instrumental

International relevance **

 

Ballet music written by modernist composer Lars Johan Werle and performed by Mecki Mark Men. Needless to say, it's very different to the band's regular albums, and it also went unreleased until Vesper Records released the whole session on CD in 2010. 'The whole session' meaning you also get quite a lot of directionless jamming apart from centrepiece, Werle's 20 minute ”Stonehorse” suite. That one's quite good, much more experimental and satisfying than anything Mecki Mark Men did on their own.

Flying High (Kompass, 1979)
English vocals

International relevance: **

 

Not a reunion but a completely different incarnation with entirely difference musicians including noted jazz saxophonist Tommy Koverhult on horns and flute, and Kebnekajse's Mats Glenngård on violin among others. ”Flying High” is lesser known than Mecki Mark Men's three original albums and rightly so. This is lame jazz rock with AOR touches. If you see a copy of it, toss it into the abyss.

New Mecki Mark Men recordings appeared on Vesper in 2007, "Livingroom". A couple of poor sounding audience tapes from Stockholm 1970 also circulate.

Mecki Mark Men full album playlist with bonus tracks

Running In The Summer Night full album playlist with bonus tracks
Marathon full album playlist with bonus track

Stonehorse full album playlist
Flying High full album playlist

BENGT BERGER – Bitter Funeral Beer (ECM, 1982)

Instrumental

International relevance: ***

It's impossible to imagine the 1970's music movement/progg/jazz scene without Bengt Berger, the drummer and percussionist who has added his magic touch to more albums than anyone can count (possibly including himself). He plays as if he has the whole world by his drum sticks and well, in a way he does. I doubt there's anything from anywhere that he can't play, or at least learn to play just by listening in. Much like saxophonist Roland Keijser, his name is a hallmark of quality. If Berger's name's on an album, it's something worth listening to.

”Bitter Funeral Beer” is different insofar Berger's not actually the drummer here, the equally exceptional Bo Skoglund is. Berger plays the Ghanaian xylophone ko-gyil, an instrument he first used on Archimedes Badkar/Afro 70's ”Bado Kidogo” from 1978. The music on ”Bitter Funeral Beer”, recorded in 1981, is based on actual Ghanaian funeral music and sounds like a natural extension of what Archimedes Badkar did. Several ex-Archimedes members also appear, such as Christer Bothén, Sigge Krantz, Tommy Adolfsson, and Jörgen Adolfsson. Plus Thomas Mera Gartz, Anita Livstrand, and the formidable Don Cherry who was living in Sweden at the time. The music is vibrating with beautiful vitality, it's a marvellous album, quite possibly the best on the ECM label post their most interesting early 70's period. This album is truly the work of masters.

There are several albums released as Bitter Funeral Beer Band. From 1987, there's the fabulous ”Praise Drumming” on Dragon (reissued on CD in 2017). In recent years, Bengt Berger has put out some Bitter Funeral Beer Band live recordings from the 80's on his Country & Eastern imprint. ”Live in Frankfurt 82” features several pieces from the ”Bitter Funeral Beer” album but very different in sound and mood with help from Indian sarod player Krishnamurti Sridhar. Also of interest in ”Live in Nürnberg 84”, a fine sounding concert originally recorded by Bavarian radio. Everything by Bitter Funeral Beer Band is essential listening, especially to fans of Archimedes Badkar and Bolon Bata.

Bitter Funeral Beer
Blekete
Chetu

Tongsi

Darafo/Funeral Dance (Dar Kpee) 

STENBLOMMA – Alla träd har samma rot (Silence, 1973)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

The story goes that trio Stenblomma's main woman Hélène Bohman (now Hélène Bohman Blomqvist) quit playing after getting a bad review in the music movement's periodical Musikens Makt. (And in case you wonder, it was not some kind of patriarchal slag off – the review was written by Mia Gerdin who later hosted feminist radio show Spinnrock on Swedish Radio.) Bohman has since taken up playing again, and ”Alla träd har samma rot” has earned a greater appreciation over time, which might have something to do with the Träd, Gräs & Stenar connection; Torbjörn Abelli, Thomas Mera Gartz and Jakob Sjöholm all appear on it. The use of tablas and sitar on some tracks probably helps its reputation too.

But it's most of all down to this being a great album, with a loose and slightly stoned feel emphasized by Gregory Johnson-King's bubbly wah wah guitar slithering its way through several songs. (Johnson-King was also in Folk Blues, Inc.) The songwriting's fine and while Bohman is only a so-so singer, she's a hundred times more enjoyable than Turid, a parallell not entirely off the mark. But the great Lena Ekman is probably an even better comparison.

The track that usually gets the most praise is the nine minute ”Skeppet” which indeed is the album's high point with its slow burning melancholy enhanced by Johan Runeberg's recorder, like a haunting wind on the dark open sea. But there are more great stuff here – actually, the only two inferior tracks are ”Åh pappa, ormarna ringlar” and the annoyingly shouty ”Christiana”.

It's a real shame this has yet to be reissued. It deserves it, a lot more than many other albums reissued over and over again.

Full album playlist

THOMAS MERA GARTZ – Sånger (Silence, 1976)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

 

As with Thomas Tidholm, Thomas Mera Gartz was much better when he was in charge of his own album and not only a part of Träd, Gräs Och Stenar. Only two Träd, Gräs Och Stenar members appear prominently on ”Sånger”, guitarist Jakob Sjöholm and bassist Torbjörn Abelli. Instead, Gartz wisely opted for a set of musicians with a good instrumental grasp; Bo Skoglund, Roland Keijser, Bengt Berger, Anita Livstrand and Nikke Ström to name most of the participants.

Gartz may not have been the world's greatest singer, but ”Sånger's” intimacy, melancholy and the musicians' interplay are so much more important to the outcome. The entire album has a tender delicacy to it, it's both fragile and frail, heartfelt and sincere, with an openendedness inviting the listener to come closer and closer until you can't help embracing the music. The stellar cast of performers helps immensely of course. They listen with in the songs and within themselves, enter musical openings, bring elusive spiritual overtones to the songs, move the music and their fellow players forward. Gartz leads but ”Sånger” is a collective effort, an example of what might happen if vision and skills meet.

Full album playlist