MERSMAK – Liten groda i stor damm (Frog, 1978)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

An unexciting predominantly mellow folk rock Kalmar outfit with a slight British vibe. Several singers, with the female vocals reminding me The Incredible String Band's Licorice McKechnie and Rose Simpson, That is not meant as praise.

But at least the soft folk rock of limited suffiency is easier to accept than Mersmak's very annoying habit of tossing rock pastiches and mock blues into the mix, sometimes in the middle of a song of a completely different nature. That's when I want to throw my hifi system out of the window. A pity, because ”Liten groda i stor damm” does have some pleasant features such as the occasional use of cello and a sometimes promising atmosphere. But promises are worth zilch unless they're fulfilled, and Mersmak repeteadly fails to fulfill them.

They also had a non-album 1978 single out on their private Frog label. Guitarist Dan Jonsson joined Ragnarök in the 80's and has appeared in different constellations since.

Full album