The music of John Holm is very dear to
my heart. Writing about him is more than anything something private.
His darkness touch on a personal darkness I don't necessarily want to
be reminded of. But that's also his strength. He sees when I do not
dare to see for myself. But for the same reason, his music is also a
consolation, a spell to cast at the unconsolable. How do you measure
something like that? How do you turn that into a simple post to a
blog? How do you put that to word without bargaining with your integrity?
I, for one, don't. I, for one, can't. But maybe it
doesn't matter.
Sordin (Metronome, 1972)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **
International relevance: **
After releasing an album with
The Underground Failure and two marvellous solo singles for small label
Tibet -46, John Holm scored a contract with Metronome thanks to
producer Anders Burman's reliable ear for unique talent and original
voices. John Holm had both. David Bowie's description of Bob Dylan's
voice, ”like sand and glue” fits John Holm even better. His voice
isn't exactly nasal, but peculiarly thin and raspy deep at the same
time. It's a voice of experience, the voice of the incurable soul. It
adds an imperative truth to the dark and riveting lyrics, may they be
of longing spurred by loss, or the icy loneliness of someone dying in
a hospital bed.
”Sordin” is dimly lit, like a
single candle in a room caught by the night. You're allowed to pass
through, like a hardly visible ghost. Perhaps you'll find yourself
trapped there.
Lagt kort ligger (Metronome, 1974)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **
International relevance: **
Ranked #7 on the blog's Top 25
”Sordin” is softer around the edges
whereas ”Lagt kort ligger” is heavier. More desperate. The lyrics
are even bleaker than before, cutting through the heart like a
surgical knife. ”To pity the child with the entire life ahead”
(my translation) to mention just one line, from ”Min mening”.
Then there's the five minute rebuke of the Christ John Holm doesn't
believe in, ”Frågor bland många”. Holm asks questions, knowing
there are no answers, just more or less fruitless attempts at
enduring.
Most people seem to prefer his debut
album to ”Lagt kort ligger” but the latter is the John Holm album
that I have no way whatsoever to defend myself against, even if I
wanted to. ”Sordin” grabs me by the heart, but ”Lagt kort
ligger” grabs me by the heart and throat.
Veckans affärer (Metronome, 1976)
International relevance: **
Swedish vocals
John Holm is said to have been
infuriatingly hard to work with, always seeking impossible
perfection. He had several fallouts with Anders Burman over sound and
arrangements – Holm was so much of a nitpicker that he even
impressed Frank Zappa with his live sound when he supported Zappa in
the 70's.
Somehow this excessive attention to
details got the best of Holm on ”Veckans affärer”. Everything
here is so perfect, every sound so impeccable that it makes the album cold. I'm sorry to admit it, but ”Veckans affärer” fails to
touch me, fails to move me. I want to love it, but Holm doesn't leave
anything for me to be part of. ”Veckans affär” exists without
really caring if I'm there or not.
A cancelled tour made John Holm put off
music until 1988 when he made comeback album ”Verklighetens afton”,
a very bad album so caught up in a seriously terrible 80's production
that it's simply unlistenable. Then it took him another eleven years
before releasing the country inspired ”Vägen till Californien”,
a much better album than its predecessor, but nowhere near the albums
of Holm's heyday in the 70's. Box set ”Främmande natt”
includes all his original albums up until ”Verklighetens afton”
plus a number of rarities and previously unreleased recordings. A
great concert for Tonkraft is featured in ”Progglådan”. In 2017,
2CD set ”Kuriosa” was released with previously unreleased demos,
live tapes and early mixes from 1971 to 1999.
Svarte kungen/Nalen blås (1971)
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