Swedish vocals
Avid blog readers might remember I have a certain weakness for bands straddling the fence between progg and punk. Something interesting happens when the twain meet, when traceable remnants get energized by a new attitude. Sometimes the results are excellent like Kräldjursanstalten, sometimes they're just... Boojwah Kids. You can't always win.
From Hudiksvall, Dagens Ungdom stormed the stage in 1980 with the four track EP ”Den sanningssökande hunden” (”the truth-seeking dog”) on Mistlur, a label that like Dagens Ungdom walked the thin line between progg and new wave/punk. The EP is more a lot more punk and reggae than their subsequent full length album – the best was yet to come.
Dagens Ungdom stayed with Mistlur, and
in 1982, their first and only album appeared on the label. It's a
more accomplished work than their EP, rich with angular rhythms and
sudden changes, sometimes reminiscent of a less bombastic, more
skeletal Cardiacs. Some tracks are a bit contrived but their
compositional grasp had tightened a lot overall in the two years
that had passed since their somewhat trying debut EP. It's hard to
single out any particular track – ”Pick-nick på bilparkering”
works best as a whole despite a slight inconsistency due to a couple of less than potent pastiches. It's not as exciting as Kräldjursanstalten,
but if you too are interested in the progg/punk borderline style,
it's well worth hearing.
Full album playlist
Full EP
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