Swedish vocals
International relevance: **
This is very much a beast of its own. Bostonvärk were more of an experiment than a proper band even though they existed for about two years during which they went through three line-ups. They came from Lund in the Swedish south, and recorded this one album that marks the birth of Bakhåll, a book publisher that has since become something of an institution for both international and domestic off-pist literature. But yes, it all started with this peculiar vinyl record in June 1980.
”Bostonvärk” documents the band's first line-up and most notably included Bakhåll's founder and Bostonvärk stahlwart Örjan Gerhardsson. His role was not the singer's but the reciter, reading self-written bizarre, half surrealist pieces to the primitive mangling drone of the four musicians behind him. The words are the focal point here, with the music being turned down when Gerhardsson's voice enters the music. It's equally annoying and fascinating because the music (sans the voice) is for the most part really good. The acoustic portions are less interesting, but when the full band roars ahead it's wonderfully abrasive cult-like rock (think Americans Ya Ho Wa 13 or Zendik Farm Orchestra with a dasb of Sogmusobil).
To coincide with the album's 25th anniversary, it was reissued on CD in a cardboard sleeve and three bonus tracks, one from 1981 and two from the band's final year 1982. One of them, the 7+ minute live take of ”Motorvägen” (available in a shorter version on the proper album) is the best thing on the entire disc, a menacing variation on ”Wild Thing” with wailing guitars somewhere in the region Rävjunk's stoned moments on ”Uppsala Stadshotell Brinner”.
It's hard to give this an unconditional recommendation given the sort of double nature of the album, but it's certainly interesting. It's better than Psynkopat, not as good or out there as Imp.Ink, but it takes a certain mood to appreciate it. If you don't feel like it, it's nerve-grating but if you don't feel like it, but if you're up for it, it's confusingly mesmerizing.
No comments:
Post a Comment