Izvajalec: Steensland, Simon
Založba: Altrock
Izid: year
Ocena: 4.4/5
Simon Steensland je najbolj znan zaradi svojega albuma The Zombie Hunter, katerega je posnel leta 1996 in od koder je dobil svoj vzdevek (the zombie hunter). Že kar nekaj časa je odsoten iz glasbene scene, a zadnjih pet let je pridno delal na novem izdelku, ki je luč sveta končno ugledal letos. Ta album se imenuje Fat Again.
Najprej moram priznati, da pred tem albumom nisem slišal nič od tega skladatelja, a takoj me je prepričal z udarnostjo te veličastne glasbe. Menim, da je Steensland izjemen skladatelj, z odličnim občutkom za dramatičnost, kompleksnost in melodijo, še posebej, če pomislim, da njegovo glasbo dostikrat označujejo za avantgardno.
Prva in zadnja skladba sta res podobni Univers Zero, približno iz obdobja Heatwave. Nekateri deli na harmoniju me celo spominjajo na Ceux du Dehors. Zdi se kot da vsi instrumenti posnemajo Univers Zero – bas, kitara, klaviature, bobni, klarinet. To je bil očitno Steenslandov največji vpliv. Zame to sploh ni težava, saj je dosedaj bil posnet le en Heatwave in do zdaj še nič ni bilo prav podobno, in če se je Steensland odločil pokloniti temu čudovitemu albumu, se mi to zdi lepo, še posebej, ker to stori zelo dobro. Vmesne skladbe so bolj izvirne. Še posebej so mi všeč vokalni deli, ki včasih zvenijo kot da bi jih peli duhovi. Tukaj se sliši veliko skandinavskih folklornih vplivov, kar me včasih tudi spominja na Sigur Ros. Lahko bi tudi rekli, da so vokalni deli na nek način podobni Magmi. V tem srednjem delu lahko slišimo tudi nekaj lepih instrumentalnih delov. Edinokrat, ko se Steensland na tem delu albuma spet zateče k Univers Zero vplivom je med Hide & Seek, a ni tako očitno kot na prvi in zadnji kompoziciji.
Verjetno je največja šibkost albuma tudi njegova največja vrlina. Prva in zadnja skladba kažeta očitne vplive Univers Zero, a sta dobro zasnovani, aranžirani in odigrani. To je eden najboljših avantgardnih albumov, kar sem jih zadnje čase slišal. Resda ni najbolj izviren, a inovativnost več kot nadomestijo zamotane skladbe.
Album je res dovršeno narejen, o tem sploh ni dvoma. Album se mi zdi kar težak za poslušati. Veliko je kompleksnih struktur in ritmov. Osebno me ne moti vpliv Univers Zero, na album gledam iz striktno glasbenega vidika, ki je izjemen. Glasba je lepa, težka in agresivna. Podobno bi lahko rekli tudi za Univers Zero v času albuma Heatwave. Čeprav je Steenslandova glasba nekoliko podobna, se mi zdi, da je še vedno dovolj izviren. Vse skladbe so čisto njegove in opravi odlično delo.
Na albumu je tudi veliko pomembnih gostov, med drugim tudi Morgan Agren (Kaipa, Mats & Morgan, med ostalimi) in to vsekakor pripomore k boljšemu zvoku. Agrenovo bobnanje je posebej dobro, podobno pa lahko trdim tudi za lepe vokalne aranžmaje.
Zame je Fat Again eden najboljših albumov izdanih v zadnjih letih. Resda si veliko izposoja od Univers Zero, a slišal sem že mnogo bolj očitne kopije. Zdi se mi, kot da Steensland še vedno želi narediti nekaj novega, s čimer bi obogatil svojo ljubezen do Univers Zero. Mislim, da mu je uspelo ustvariti imeniten album, ki je zame eden najboljših albumov leta 2009.
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Simon Steensland is best known for his album The Zombie Hunter, which he recorded in 1996 and got his nickname from. He has been absent from the musical scene for quite some time, but for the last five years, he has been working diligently on composing and recording his new album, which saw the light of day in 2009. The album is called Fat Again.
First of all, I have to say that I haven’t heard a single note of his music until this product, but I was swept off my feet by the sheer impact of this great music. I think Steensland is a wonderful composer with a great sense of drama, complexity and melody, especially if you consider that his music is often labelled as avant-garde.
The first and last compositions of the album are, admittedly, very similar to Universe Zero, circa the time of Heatwave. Some of the harmonium passages even remind me of Ceux du Dehors. It seems that every instrument mimics Univers Zero – the bass, guitar, keyboards, drums, clarinet. This was obviously Steensland’s main influence. I for one don’t really consider this to be a problem because there has really only been one Heatwave made, nothing else sounds quite the same, and if Steensland wants to pay tribute to that wonderful album, I salute him, even more so because he does it extremely well. The pieces in between are a bit more original. I especially like the vocal pieces, with the ghostly voices. On here we can notice a lot of Scandinavian folklore influences, which occasionally even remind me of Sigur Ros. One could also say that some of the vocal parts are similar to Magma in some way as well. There are also some very nice instrumental segments in this middle part of the album. The only time Steensland returns to his Univers Zero influences in this part of the album is during Hide & Seek, but it’s not as blatantly obvious as before.
I suppose the biggest flaw of the album is also its biggest attribute. The first and final piece may show clear Univers Zero influences, but the pieces are very well constructed, arranged and played. This is some of the best new avant-garde music I’ve heard lately. Sure, it’s not the most original, but the lack of inventiveness is more than made up for with the intricate compositions.
The album is extremely well done, there’s no doubt about that. I find it to also be a very challenging listen, with complex structures and rhythms. I’m not troubled by the obvious nods to Univers Zero, I just take this album as it is. The music is beautiful, complex and aggressive. Much of this was also true of Univers Zero during the period of Heatwave. Even though Steensland’s music bears a certain resemblance, I still feel there’s plenty of originality left and it’s not as if Steensland used a direct Univers Zero quote. All the compositions are his own and he does a fine job too.
The album also features several prominent guests, including Morgan Agren (Kaipa, Mats & Morgan, among others) and this definitely contributes to the better sound of the album. Agren’s drumming is particularly good, as are the beautifully arranged vocals.
For me, Fat Again is one of the best albums to be released in the last few years. It might be a bit derivative, but I’ve heard much more derivative things. I feel as if Steensland is still trying to do something new, to add to his Univers Zero love. I think he succeeded in creating a fine work of art here and one of the best albums of 2009.
Zasedba
Simon Steensland – bas, klaviature, kitara, zvončki, harmonij, violončelo, banjo, vokal
Robert Elovsson – klaviature, klarinet
Arvid Pettersson – Fender Rhodes, harmonika
Einar Baldursson – kitara
Morgan Ågren – bobni
Aurelia Le Huche – vokal
Eva Rexed – vokal
Produkcija
Simon Steensland
Seznam skladb
1. Der Klang Von “Musik” 16.13
2. Lost In The Ark 02.00
3. Merde! 00.25
4. Memories Of Jan Jösta 2.27
5. Loch Ness 2.20
6. Hide & Seek 08.26
7. Fräls Oss Ifrån Ondo 02.05
8. The Queen Of Sweden 01.52
9. Petite Merde 00.26
10. The Lion Tamer 20.23
