More Swedish gems that I have stocked when I can get them

Hills - MASTER SLEEPS (Transubstans TRANS075) CD 36m

Last Audion I made a point of reviewing the debut by this top new Swedish band. So, no reason to not sneak this one in ahead of queue! The reason? It's great, of course, and quite a different beast to the debut. In the debut review I quoted: Ozric Tentacles, Pink Floyd, Ash Ra Tempel, adding many a Kraftwerk and Neu! reference. There's some of those influences here as well, but they've gone for less of the homage factor here.
The opening track Rise Again adds vocals and sounds very much like Sun Dial circa their classic OTHER WAY OUT, heavy groovy neo/retro defined in 7 minutes. Next it's
freak-out time with Bring Me Sand sounding like a mad hybrid of Black Sun Ensemble and Hazchem, or is that Tangle Edge meets Saddar Bazaar? Whatever, there's lots of ethnic flavour here, in a land where Turkish, Indian and Mexican cultures meet! Maybe they thought a whole album at that intensity would be too much, so with Claras Vaggvisa we get a reflective Bo Hansson like passage before the high-flying The Vessel and the Krautrocky Master Sleeps itself, in which they seem to distilled the essence of Can, Neu! and early Kraftwerk into hypnotic groove that's all and none. Finally Death Shall Come takes a time-trip back to the early days of Swedish psych-prog - well at least to me it does as I'm reminded of International Harvester for sure.
An extraordinarily good second album, with lots of new ideas, some that I hope they'll take further in the future. The only it could have been it better is if it was it longer.



Kama Loka - KAMA LOKA
(Kommun 2 K2-22) LP 33m
(Transubstans TRANS118) CD 33m

Some cultures are so distinctive, and very often it's that culture that makes something so special. Sweden is no exception. Bo Hansson's music, for instance, would not have had such a unique character. Of course back in the early 1970's such concoctions were new, and then came along a plethora of other bands doing their own adaptations of the Ganglats and Polkas of Swedish folklore. The last band I knew of in this genre was Grovjobb, an excellent but very obscure outfit that released three great albums, and there's the one-time 1970's masters Kebnekajse who came back recently with two more such albums bringing the old sound into the 21st Century.
Add to the list this new group Kama Loka. A short album, but quite a gem. It doesn't start so distinctly Swedish. Yet Skovsøen does feel a little Landberk like. Elements too many to mention get mixed into Øjesten a lilting ballad with many a quirk and charm to it. Trold I Bakke reminds me of the great Kvartetten Som Sprängde with shades of Kebnekajse and/or Flasket Brinner and a Pink Floyd touch at one point. Quite obviously a traditional adaptation Ganglåt Till Floalt takes us closer to the aforementioned Bo Hansson, and bolted on top of the rich organ is a majestic groove, wah-wah and sizzling lead guitar, and an amassing array of sonic fizz, returning to whence it came. Finally När Lingonen Mognar gets closer to the legendary Älgarnas Trädgård, adding chanting vocals - ah, who let International Harvester in?
Classic stuff indeed. And sometimes 33 minutes is enough!.

Two reviews from Audion #58 (from 2013)

web update: Hills have released more excellent material, and Kama Loka kind of transmuted into the also excellent Agusa