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Lonely Kamel: Blues for the Dead (2010)
Norwegian quartet LONELY KAMEL was formed back in 2005 if my sources are correct, and seek to blend the members love and appreciation for 70's hard rock, blues, psychedelic rock and doom metal. So far this has resulted in two full length efforts. "Blues for the Dead" is the most recent of these, and was released by Swedish label Transubstans Records in October 2010.
Musically we're dealing with a band exploring a territory not too many have ventured into prior to them. I could imagine that Robin Trower might have come up with similar material back in his heyday. If heavily on acid that is. And while covering Black Sabbath. The references to the latter are numerous, the bass guitar arguably the most constant and consistent of these. Along with the steady drums this crafts a heavy hitting, solid foundation for the proceedings, be it melodic, slow blues passages with fragile guitar notes harmonically resonating in the archetypical melancholy manner of that genre or the opposite part of this band's stylistic expression: Massive, dark, twisted and distorted riffs in the shape of drawn out notes resonating dark and twisted or surging patterns of the kind doom metal bands typically enjoy to torture out of their instruments.
Most times Lonely Kamel explores the middle ground between the extremes of blues and metal though, the guitar typically taking on a defined hard rock rather than metal type delivery and frequently utilized to provide the final ingredient to this mix, namely psychedelic textures. These guys know their heavy psychedelic rock quite nicely thank you, and sneak it in as subtle details or dominating traits. And while not always hitting the mark head on the material is astounding when they manage to get the perfect blend, and in the case of "Blues for the Dead" I'd pull out Stick With Your Plan as a good example of that. I really hope they do too, and that the song in question has a central place in it. Their plan that is.
While placing this band quite nicely into one of the numerous genre boxes many music nerds invent by the truckload is a hard ting to do, I guess stoner rock is the closest match. Arguably. Personally I try to avoid such categorization myself if possible. In this case I'd think that those who enjoy early 70's Black Sabbath, Robin Trower's first solo efforts and in addition find 70's psychedelic rock to be an interesting genre in general should have a field day with this production. And as they are an active live unit, they'll probably be just as enjoyable in that setting as on your home stereo, if not even more so.
Crystal Caravan: Against the Rising Tide (2010)From their formation back in 2002 Swedish ensemble CRYSTAL CARAVAN have made a good job of perfecting their take on the good old fashioned in your face and at your throat, good old fashioned rock and roll style of music, and when they eventually issued their self-titled debut album in 2009 it made quite an impression.
Follow up effort "Against the Rising Tide" was ready towards the end of October 2010, and doesn't quite manage to reach the same heights as it's predecessors. We're still very much talking about late 60's and early 70's hard rock, with Steppenwolf, The Who and The Doors as likely influences, with something of an emphasis on the first to this time around. Powerful lead vocals John Kay style, staccato dramatic guitar and organ surges and a few nice details topping it all off in the shape of dampened 70's funky guitar licks and sophisticated percussion adding something of a fusion flavour to the proceedings. While most of the tracks are high energy performances through and through the band also find the time to explore slightly more fragile territories in the shape of Apple Hotel, while Focus and to some extent final effort Wrecking Ball feature a darker and slightly more laidback expression that should please fans of Jim Morrison & Co quite nicely. The latter ending on a rather different note however, as the band shift toward a Uriah Heep sounding galloping hard rock escapade in the final two or so minutes of that creation. Perhaps heralding a new stylistic twist to be explored further at a later time? Time will have to tell.
Crystal Caravan comes across as fine purveyors of classic hard rock from the time when this phrase first was coined, and is a band well worth seeking out by those who enjoy acts such as Steppenwolf, The Who and The Doors. In particular by those who have a soft spot for richly arranged varieties of that sound, as we're dealing with a band consisting of seven musicians who all contribute towards the creation of a rich and detailed sound.
My rating: 75/100
Track list:
1. We'll Always Lose
2. Love and Direction
3. Apple Hotel
4. I'm a Stone
5. Focus
6. Blue Blues
7. Take What's Yours
8. Wrecking Ball
Swedish composer and vocalist YANA MANGI has been active in the music business since the late 90's, at first as a member of various bands and then later as a solo artist. Her forte has been representation concerts, the blend of traditional Sami yoik with contemporary pop/rock music being a sought after item for Swedish firms that have desired to showcase something exotic yet uniquely Nordic that also resonates positively in an international setting. "Earth Shadow" is her first solo album, and was issued by Sakuntala Records in the spring of 2010.
With the above description, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the material offered on this disc is mainstream oriented material. The yoik is the red thread of this effort, all the compositions are based around this vocal tradition to a lesser or greater extent. An additional trait frequently utilized are energetic, tribal-inspired rhythms, which does add a world music dimension when featured. The compositions themselves represent a rather great variety of stylistic expressions - from the mellow, Beatles-inspired The Sun, the hard rock-tinged landscapes explored in Nåjden, symphonic backdrops and art pop tendencies can be found in opening effort Sökare, while spacey drones and vocals in a more sparse setting close this disc in final track Promises. These as four examples that to some extent represent the outer boundaries of the diversity represented.
All the tracks comes across as mainstream oriented affairs though, as they are relatively short, there's a substantial amount of repetition of themes and motifs, and at least on this occasion Yana Mangi doesn't utilize the unique nature of the Sami music tradition in a manner that can be described as unique or even adventurous, at least as seen from the perspective of a progressive rock reviewer. Indeed, my main impression as that the artist aims to bring her cultural heritage to the masses with this production, and perhaps has a desire to modernize it as well. Taking it out from the museum and into the real world, stage and FM radio if you like.
Personally I find this material to be a bit too mainstream oriented to truly fascinate. A few exceptions aside I find this CD to consist of radio friendly, catchy material. In a perfect world she should have been able to harvest a few top 10 singles out of this album, as there are quite a few songs here with what was once described as hit potential. Besides a mainstream oriented audience, I'd guess that fans of artists like Kate Bush might take a liking to this production. Not because of stylistic similarities, as these are vastly different artists, but due to the common denominator they both share: The dreamlike, slightly otherworldly moods and atmospheres they both create, each in their own way.
My rating: 67/100
Magnolia: Steg för Steg (2010)
1. Alla undrar 4:18
2. Tid att fara 3:26
3. En ny dag 3:50
4. Nu får det vara nog 6:08
5. Arbetar i solsken 3:13
6. Ingen kommer undan 4:01
7. En tanke 3:07
8. Mantra 4:51
9. Jag vandrar 4:07
10. Vad skall jag göra? 4:07
Total time 41:08
Swedish band MAGNOLIA, initially a solo endeavour by composer and multi-instrumentalist Ronny Eriksson, made it's first tentative steps with his home recordings back in 1994. As time passed by this solo vehicle ended up as a regular band, and in 2006 they released their first album. A follow-up saw the light in 2008, and come 2010 and it's time for their third effort: Steg för Steg.
Magnolia apparently pulled their band name from an old Blue Cheer piece, and that band is one of many named as inspirations for Magnolia alongside acts such as Mountain, Free and Black Sabbath. And on this occasion the tracks on the album is almost as varied in expression as the band's listed inspirations, where the common denominator is that anything that sounds like it was made after 1975 or so probably is to contemporary sounding for these musicians. The sound of the late 60's and early 70's is what's extensively explored, ranging from psychedelic hard rock to early doom metal in stylistic expression.
The latter is the type least explored on this disc, with third track En Ny Dag the main representative of the more metal-tinged efforts, while the more distinctly psychedelic flavoured compositions dominating the proceedings. From the uplifting, positive vibes presented on the instrumental Arbetar i Solskin to the darker and more sophisticated territories visited on the disc's second instrumental effort Mantra, the lighter side of the psychedelic hard rock universe is the one given an extended visit. At times with some subtle jazz-tinged flavouring that should appeal to those with a taste for music of a more progressive variety.
The songs tend to be of the shorter variety, and the compositional structure of choice is of the simplistic variety. Finesse, sophistication and variety comes first and foremost in the shape of guitar sound and arrangements, where Hammond, Rhodes, violin and even a trombone is utilized whenever Magnolia has a desire for arrangements that calls for some degree of sophistication.
The end result is a very good album, well thought out and well performed throughout. Perhaps slightly repetitive at times, but as that is a feature of the stylistic expression they have chosen to take on that more or less comes with the territory. Recommended to those who generally enjoy early 70's psychedelic hard rock, and I suspect this is a production that should appeal to those with a soft spot for stoner rock too.
My rating: 82/100
Based in Oslo, Norway, Swedish/Norwegian collaboration BRUTUS have existed for a few years now, and caused quite a stir when they sent out their first demo back in 2008. With overwhelming positive responses from many notable music lovers and critics backing them the band hit the studio again in 2009 to record their official debut album, which was released by Swedish label Transubstans Records in the spring of 2010.
Musically this band can be added to whatever list you may have of retro bands from Scandinavia. Heavy blues rock with psychedelic tinges and vintage first generation hard rock covers pretty much the stylistic territory explored on this initial effort, with bands such as Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath as two likely major influences.
Beefy, repetitive riff constructions in the verse segments and more free flowing patterns and drawn out riffs for the chorus parts are central elements throughout, with the powerful lead vocals of Jokke soaring above in a manner and style reminding of good old Ozzy Osbourne as he was way back when. Solid drums and an often thundering bass provides momentum and energy, and take more of a subservient role in the proceedings. The dual guitars of the band come to their right in the instrumental passages, where a dual psychedelic-tinged attack is something of a common denominator.
The compositions are rather simplistic and repetitive in construction though, and while Brutus often manage to get a good groove going momentum and energy are the most vital ingredients on this disc. At least on this occasion the main rule seems to be of the "Keep It Simple Stupid" variety, the more sophisticated features of early metal and psychedelic hard rock that evolved after 1970 isn't common features. Indeed, even compared to the bands active in 1970 this is on the simplistic side of things.
Musically Black Sabbath is the band that comes first to mind when listening to this disc, albeit a lighter and pacier version of the style Iommi and his compatriots explored early on. Brutus does adds in some directly blues inspired features as well, with final number Swamp City Blues the best example. But it is grooving vintage hard rock that is the main feature on this production, and those who love bands like the aforementioned influences should most likely find this disc to be highly interesting as well.
My rating: 65/100
