Å - "Ånyo" (2017)

My brother has a nice tradition, to give me records with local Uppsala bands as gifts on birthdays. This was the latest one. The band is a trio consisting of Joel Öhlund, Milovan Fredriksson and Erik Wallin. Also participating on the album on flute, is Roland Keijser, a Swedish progressive music legend. Released on their own label, and recorded in the mythic Silence Studio. Is that a hint of the 70's I smell?

This is the band's second LP, and released in only 200 or 300 copies (details vary online). Owning such a limited edition album is always extra fun in my world. There is no doubt that the music should be awarded the epithet progressive music, with a very clear touch of the 70s. Think bands like King Crimson, Gentle Giant, etc. And a song as Satan På Gatan could have been performed by Caravan, if they had sung in Swedish. Jazzy, melodic prog.

It's a groovy album. On Side A, the music is somewhat more lightweight, with a nice cover of the old Swedish traditional song Uti Vår Hage as the closing number (although some parts of the opening song En Orm can be experienced as anything but lightweight, for sure). Side B is generally heavier, with more distorted guitars and parts consisting of almost prog metal. In the long run it could have been too much, but it's nicely mixed up with some calmer parts as balance. As usual with progressive music, you can hear beats that are not the usual four-beat, with songs of up to 12 minutes. All singing is in Swedish. Many songs wind their way along roads that are a bit more winding that what you hear on the radio's top-10 list. Put all this together and you'll get a fun and interesting album. If you like qualitative 70's progressive music, with a slightly more modern sound, the album can definitely be recommended.


Tracklist

Side A
1. En Orm
2. Satan På Gatan
3. Uti Vår Hage

Side B
1. Följer Du Med Mig?
2. Rustem