Saturday, June 7, 2025

LOLLO ASPLUND – Äppelmelodier & lurendrejerier (MNW, 1983; rec. 1982)


Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Lollo Asplund's first album ”Eldsjäl” is reviewed here, and this is his second. Although it wasn't released until 1983 which is technically one year too late for this blog's time span, it was recorded in 1982.

”Äppelmelodier & lurendrejerier” is a children's record that retains the spirit of 70s children's progg. It's done with the honest intent to make music for kids with the same care as if it was made for grown-ups. You can of course tell right away that it's aimed at kids; the singing is more tongue-in-cheek and cheerful than on ”Eldsjäl”, and the overall performances don't have the same degree of seriousness. But the songwriting itself is as thorough as before, and Asplund even sneaks in a remake of his radio hit ”Råckenroll till frukost” from his debut album, here in a more acoustic sounding rendition. There are also more children singing along here than on ”Eldsjäl” which of obviously gives away the album's intent. And if you're familiar with the Swedish language, the lyrics are telling enough.

The overall feeling will likely not attract a post-childhood audience, but as a reminder of the spirit of the previous decade when children's music was considered something just as important as any other music deserving of acknowledged musicians such as Sten Källman (Text & Musik, Skrotbandet) and Tomas Gabrielsson (Förklädd Gud), then ”Äppelmelodier & lurendrejerier” works just fine. In the end, it stands out as one of the finer children's albums of its age.

Full album playlist 

No comments:

Post a Comment