Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***
The story goes that trio Stenblomma's
main woman Hélène Bohman
(now Hélène Bohman
Blomqvist)
quit playing after getting a bad review in the music movement's
periodical Musikens Makt. (And in case you wonder, it was not some
kind of patriarchal slag off – the review was written by Mia Gerdin
who later hosted feminist radio show Spinnrock on Swedish Radio.)
Bohman has since taken up playing again, and ”Alla träd har samma
rot” has earned a greater appreciation over time, which might have
something to do with the Träd, Gräs & Stenar connection;
Torbjörn Abelli, Thomas Mera Gartz and Jakob Sjöholm all appear on
it. The use of tablas and sitar on some tracks probably helps its
reputation too.
But it's most of all down to this being a great album, with a loose and slightly stoned
feel emphasized by Gregory Johnson-King's bubbly wah wah guitar
slithering its way through several songs. (Johnson-King was also in
Folk Blues, Inc.) The songwriting's fine and while Bohman is only a
so-so singer, she's a hundred times more enjoyable than Turid, a
parallell not entirely off the mark. But the great Lena Ekman is probably
an even better comparison.
The
track that usually gets the most praise is the nine minute ”Skeppet”
which indeed is the album's high point with its slow burning
melancholy enhanced by Johan Runeberg's recorder, like a haunting
wind on the dark open sea. But there are more great stuff here –
actually, the only two inferior tracks are Ӂh pappa, ormarna
ringlar” and the annoyingly shouty ”Christiana”.
It's a
real shame this has yet to be reissued. It deserves it, a lot more than many other albums reissued over and over again.
Full album playlist
Full album playlist
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