Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **
Åke Parmerud was previously keyboard player in Skrotbandet prior to their two albums, while Björn Vickhoff was a lyricist and guitar player for Göteborgs Visgrupp. Vickhoff's solo debut came with the rather peculiar ”Fiskdikt och fågelsång” on YTF in 1977. Parmerud eventually became an award-winning electroacoustic composer, and this was his first released foray into that field. Unfortunately, a lot of his works are superficial, a popcorn version of EAM, and that goes for ”Kosmiskt eko” (=”cosmic echo”), released on Swedish Radio's imprint, as well.
Vickhoff's leftfield observations and Parmerud's sonic excursions are an odd combination that makes for a fragmented listen. Despite the overarching theme of space and environmental concerns, ”Kosmiskt eko” lacks focus. If there's a storyline, it's hard to follow and it's more like it exists for the sole reason of existing. It doesn't help either that Parmerud's shallowness and Vickhoff's pretentious delivery create a negative juxtaposition. A couple of tracks (”Magellanska strömmen”, ”Historiens sista dagar”) have a more distinct song-based format, but I'm not sure if more of that would have made ”Kosmiskt eko” any better as they too appear contrived.
Sometimes celebrated as a pioneering work, ”Kosmiskt eko” remains an unsatisfactory listen. The elements refuse to gel, and while it sometimes conjure up a certain mood, it's overall too disparate, a series of scattered ambitions and half-baked ideas.
Full album playlist (Spotify)
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