Monday, August 19, 2024

KAIPA – Händer (Polar, 1980) / Nattdjurstid (Piglet, 1982)


Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: */*

Few albums have represented such a sharp turn in style as these. When guitarist Roine Stolt left the band in 1979, he took the original Kaipa style with him and left the band with something that's closer to a poppish, synth inflicted post punk with very, very little left of what characterized Kaipa's first three albums. Only instrumentals ”Regn” and ”Elgrandi” on ”Händer” show traces of their past, but those traces are so small they almost don't count.

I've never been a Kaipa fan but these albums are definitely inferior to anything they originally became known for. The early albums had a vision whereas these two sound like a band lost. Especially ”Händer” sounds exactly like it is, a band struggling to come up with something after one important member left. I almost feel sorry for them clutching for the weakest straws; stiff playing, ill-fitting production, and worst of all: bad songwriting.

”Händer” was released on ABBA:s label Polar and they were obviously not pleased, so for the next album ”Nattdjurstid” 1982, Kaipa geared down to Uppsala imprint Piglet. Maybe the decreased production values were to their advantage, since ”Nattdjurstid” is a slightly better album. Kaipa seems to have a better comprehension of their new style, the songs are tighter and more effective, and the smaller sound suits the new material better. The band simply sounds more self-assured. There are even moments of true inspiration, as on ”Zepapo” where Stolt replacement Max Åhman goes into full Robert Fripp mode. It's still not a good album though, and they probably realized that going further down this path that really wasn't theirs would only lead to further humiliation. By the end of the year, Kaipa disbanded.

Händer full album

Nattdjurstid full album

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