First Impressions: Dungen - Tio Bitar

Dungen - Tio Bitar (Kemado Records)
Release Date: 5/1

Tracklisting:

1. Intro
2. Familj
3. Gör Det Nu
4. C Visar Vägen
5. Du Ska Inte Tro Att Det Ordnar Sig
6. Mon Amour
7. Så Blev Det Bestämt
8. Ett Skäl Att Trivas
9. Svart Är Himlen
10. En Gång

First Impressions:

• Whereas Ta Det Lugnt was anthemic, Tio Bitar is airy, with sprawling ambient sections that sound like they come from Brian Eno’s trippy doppelganger.
• “Intro” is the hardest, most rocking track, most reminiscent of Ta Det Lugnt and the back catalogue.
• You’ll still want to sit around with glazy-eyed friends under the blacklight and get high to this, but you might be doing less air drumming and more ambient space-outing (particularly to inner-space).
• We still can't understand a goddamn word singer Gustav Ejstes is saying but really, who cares?
• Given stereotypes of Nordic culture, the lyrics are most likely about mystical sheets of ice, full of fogs and bogs and gnomes too. Pass the j, please.
• Ejstes plays almost all the instruments and does so like the Renaissance man/rock champion he is.
• It has a very ‘60s vibe without sounding contrived (or like middle-aged dads in a Caravan cover band), as if Dungen's Sweden is a genuinely archaic land that time has forgotten.

Key Tracks:

• “Intro”
• “Familj”
• “Mon Amour”

Prediction:

• With few modern bands being able to pull off the guitar acrobatics of the psychedelic yesteryear, Dungen ought to be able to assuage fans and dabblers alike.

Comments

[sam]

I can't wait to hear this one

[zitoun]

A few tracks are available at
http://obscuresound.com/?p=771

[Scott R.]

I thought it impossible, but Ejstes manages to surpass Ta Det Lugnt with this one. This album is easily a contender for album of the year.

[Emil]

Ha, ha... in fact most of their lyrics are not about nature or gnomes, but really down-to-earth, everyday topics, mostly about love and relations - but they are brilliant, I feel sorry for you non-Swedes who fail to appreciate the intelligence of these lyrics! :)

[zitoun]

One more track !!

http://www.stereogum.com/archives/004671.html