THOMAS AHLSÉN BAND – Fåtölj... (Knäpp, 1979)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

With Borås situated only a couple of miles outside Gothenburg, it might not come as a surprise that Borås locals Thomas Ahlsén Band reveal some traces of Ensamma Hjärtan and Huntington Band. But there's more to the curiously entitled ”Fåtölj...” (”armchair”) than that. Thomas Ahlsén himself sometimes sings with a Stig Vig (of Dag Vag) inspired drawl, and the album is rather diverse, spanning from the melancholy opening track and album highlight ”Fåtöljen” with it's biting guitar work, to the vaguely reggae influenced ”Gud bevare kungen”, ”Jag har inte hört nå't” that draws heavily on Samla Mammas Manna, and the moody afterhours semi jazz of album closer ”Vägarna leder dig tillbaks” that moves somewhere in the region of later Blå Tåget and Stockholm Norra. Actually, the album has a peculiar overall nightly underground feel, even on the loudest track ”Bly” which borrows more than a little from The Velvet Underground's ”Sweet Jane”.

”Fåtölj...” isn't an essential album but it has a few things going for it. It's pleasant, and it definitely is more interesting than most of what Gothenburg had to offer in 1979.

Ahlsén originally worked as a nurse and was a relatively unexperienced singer when he recorded ”Fåtölj...”. Guitarist/sax player Stefan Sandberg on the other hand had previously been in Modern Music Band, while drummer Rikard Olson used to be in Combo 8, Skrotbandet and, along with keyboard player Örjan Hill, in Lars Aldman & Haffsorkestern.
 

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