Search - Dungen :: Stadsvandringar

Through the Stadsvandringar

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 07/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dungen's third album "Ta Det Lugnt" became an underground hit as soon as people heard the sparkling, weird psych-folk pop. People like Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips were singing Gustav Ejstes' praises.



So his second album got rushed into US stores to help meet the demand -- "Stadsvandringar," another collection of bright, unique psych-folk that is nearly as good as the latest work. This brilliant little album proves that "Ta Det Lugnt" was definitely no fluke -- it was just sheer talent.



It's a little surprising when you first hear the opening title track, which sounds kind of... country-western. Fortunately by the time Ejstes starts crooning, the song has evened out into a steady, swirling little psych-pop song. It gets echoed abruptly in the middle of the album, in the a capella "Stadsvandring Del 2."



Estjes spends the rest of the album dabbling in all sorts of different styles, sometimes with more than one style per song. There's strummy folk with tambourines, a shimmering folk-prog song, delicate psychedelica, upbeat epics, sparkly little folk tunes, an ethereal instrumental with birds chirping in the background, and what sounds like dance music for hobbits in "Stock och sten."



Dungen is the sort of band that deserves its cult following -- not only does it make interesting music, but music that is delicious, complex and still very fun and catchy. A few songs on here don't quite fit -- "Vem vaktar lejonen?" is a bit too dark and rock-y -- but the overall effect is that of wild, colourful, childlike beauty.



And one of the best things about Dungen is the instrumentation. There's loads of it -- more acoustic guitar than fuzz, and kept relatively simple musically. To dress up the folky tunes, there's plenty of tambourines, sitar, flute, lute, violin, and big sweeps of Hammond. The guitars can ride out the tunes, while the drums can smash rock'n'roll style, or sink back to do tribal beats.



I don't speak a word of Swedish, and many of Dungen's American listeners don't either. But words aren't really needed here, with Estjes singing. His voice is pleasantly ordinary, but still able to jabber, sway and croon, and even sound a bit like John Lennon. And no matter how overwhelming the music, he manages to rise above it.



If this is the sort of music that comes out of Sweden, then other countries are missing a lot. "Stadsvandringar" is colourful and catchy, another delightful album by the talented Estjes."

4 and 1/2 stars.

fluffy, the human being. | forest lake, mn | 08/06/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"i hate people with talent. they make me realize what a worm i am. listening to this disc was sickening. there's talent talent and more talent all over the thing. talent and creative genius. by the time that i was done with it i was brimming with self-hatred. great stuff, though. there's no denying that."