22 October 2024: Ragnarok; Cousin Silas and Jonathan Ewald (litmus0001)

 

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Ragnarök is a Swedish prog-rock band, founded in Kalmar in 1972, by Peter Bryngelsson, Henrik Strindberg and Staffan Strindberg. Their first album was released 1976 by Silence Records. 

 

Ragnarök biography
Formed in Kalmar, Sweden in 1972 - Recording hiatus from 1992 to 2007 - Reformed in 2003

These Swedes managed four albums on Silence Record and some more (not listed here) in the early 90's. They are a typical example of atmospheric and melancholic prog like only Sweden can produce them. Their first album is a real classic known as a minor classic among progheads and they will participate to another group (KUNG TUNG - much harder) before doing their second album where those influences from that group will leave a mark. It is reputed to be as good as their debut. The later albums listed here remain of a good standard. Among the non-listed albums is "Well"(91) and is rather new age and sometimes industrial - not much to do with the earlier works.

: : : Hugues Chantraine, BELGIUM : : :

NOTE: Not to be confused with the New Zealand symphonic prog group from those very same years (also HERE on PA) or the Heavy Metal unit from the 80-90's.  

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

RAGNORÖK has been one of Sweden's longest running progressive acts engaging in both progressive rock and progressive folk since its formation in Kalmar in 1972. Founded by Peter Bryngelsson (guitar, bass, vocals), Henrik Strindberg (guitar, flute) and Staffan Strindberg (bass), throughout the band's existence it has seen more than 25 members come and go. Despite this long existence the band has only released a total of six studio albums which all began with this 1976 self-titled debut. While mostly active during the 70s and 80s, the band took a hiatus and then reformed in 2002 but has only released one album "Path" since.

While RAGNORÖK would take a turn towards progressive jazz rock on its sophomore album "Fjärilar i magen," on this eponymous debut the band delivers a lush pastoral form of progressive folk that belies the band name that refers to the great event in Norse mythology that includes a great battle. On the contrary, RAGNORÖK's first album is one of the most mellow and dreamy styles of prog you could possibly experience with slow moving guitar and flute, piano arpeggios and a controlled drum and bass section. Hints of the jazz direction are dropped in some of the percussion moves but otherwise this sounds more like a mix of Bo Hanssen and Camel without any true points where the band rocks out.

A veritable mix of folk, classical guitar, semi-jazzy interludes and the pastoral aspects of prog ranging from Genesis to Anthony Phillips (sans vocals). The music also includes some interesting Swedish folk flavors including a bit of that famous circus music feel on the short "Fjottot" but mostly this is an acoustic guitar, piano and flute dominated album that takes you into prog placidity. While mellow prog such as this can often fall into tedium, RAGNORÖK keeps the album interesting by crafting an excellent instrumental interplay that keeps you in the zone. Too often folky albums will unnecessarily attempt to rock out at inappropriate moments and while that can be effective if done well, often it falls flat. In this case the band simply stays on mellow mode for the entire ride which makes it a beautifully compelling listen. Of course this would all amount to nought if not for the beautiful melodies crafted.

Another strength is the use of varying styles of folk music with even Celtic folk sounds being implemented on "Stiltje-uppbrott." Personally i find these low key prog albums hit or miss but occasionally a band nails it perfectly. This is something like Sweden's equivalent to Italy's Celeste who also went against the grain and delivered a rock-free slice of piano-based mellowness. To my ears this sounds like the prog equivalent of cool jazz and if Miles Davis was Swedish and took on the world of prog folk then perhaps this is the kind of album he would've produced. Any way you slice it, RAGNORÖK's debut is a one of those pleasant surprises that works because of its high quality and consistency throughout its run. The mix of instrumentation is family unique and the album doesn't sound like much else. A nice late to the game addition to the world of prog folk in 1976. 

 

Thanks to Litmus for his contribution.

litmus0001.bandcamp.com

 

This is the second Cousin Silas/litmus0001 collaboration to be featured on FreeForm Radio 

credits

released October 4, 2024

Thanks to Thomas Mathie for the cover design 

 

ambient electronic experimental guitar sound alchemy soundscapes United Kingdom

 

02 May 2023: Jethro Tull; Daniel Biro; jarguna

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I also host the Rural Electric (Mostly) Country Music show Tuesday from 7-9 pm ADT

 

From Hugh Fielder:

From Christianity to paganism - the Jethro Tull revival continues. Just as it seemed that Tull were fizzling out amid a welter of live albums, orchestral albums and anniversary reissues, not to mention lan Anderson solo albums (confusingly using the same musicians) that picked at the bones of Tull's past, the band have been reborn as a viable contemporary outfit.

Their 2022 album The Zealot Gene, themed around verses from the Bible, restored Jethro Tull to the UK Top 10 album chart for the first time since Thick As A Brick back in '72. Now, just over a year later, Tull are back with RökFlöte which has forsaken the Bible in favour of the paganism of Norse mythology, a more popular rock'n'roll inspiration that has given rise to a whole musical genre.

But anyone expecting a death metal album from Jethro Tull is going to be disappointed. Ian Anderson is more interested in the characters and the cruelty that proliferate amid the myths and sagas of the Norse lands than in the comic-book manifestations that the subtlety-free death metal bands suck up so eagerly.

What's surprising is that Anderson can kick up more menace with his flute than any number of hoarse roaring voices and thrashing guitars. Rökflöte opens – and closes –with some metal-sounding flute feedback that makes for a chilling atmosphere. On the opening Voluspo, that's followed by a ponderous theme to underscore the portentous implications of the prophecy that lies at the heart of Norse mythology.

Anderson introduces the family of Nordic gods-including the one-eyed Odin and his son Thor whose murderous exploits make up the various sagas-with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of themes and melodies that are every bit as descriptive as his lyrics. And his flute playing has reached a maturity that enables him to capture the complexity he uncovers in Thor's character, on Hammer On Hammer, while also making a lyrical allusion to Putin. Likewise the howl he produces on his flute at the beginning of Wolf Unchained is more effective than the real thing, hinting at the carnal power that makes the image of the wolf so disturbing,

The music lightens up when Anderson moves on to the sagas themselves, but the intricacies remain. As do the idiosyncratic allusions - such as the Mae West flotation jackets worn by the pilots who protected Britain during World War Two that crop up in Guardian's Watch, a song about those who protect the gods.

Daniel Biro (born 1963 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a London-based keyboard composer, keyboard player, improvisor, and producer. Stylistically, Biro's music is a combination of his early influences (70s jazz-rock, Berlin-style cosmic synths, ECM label-style jazz, Motown soul and West-coast rock) with more experimental ambient electronic minimalism. As an improvisor, Biro specializes in exploring the sonic depths of the Rhodes piano and vintage analog synthesizers, with which he performs regularly.

 Daniel Biro:    Synthrospections are improvised solo keyboard performances. No music is prepared in advance and nothing is pre-programmed apart from the initial sound of each keyboard. It’s all about capturing ‘in the moment’ ideas, warts and all, and retaining the original structural flow of the event.

Once recorded, I slightly edit some of the too obvious ‘warts’ and give the ensemble a decent mix. No other instrument layers are added, even though that would sometimes enhance the music, and every idea is kept in the chronological order in which it appeared during the improvisation.

My aim is to play. Not press ‘Play’. To play my keyboards in real time without any constraints. To allow myself to find, as opposed to look for, musical ‘objects’ and explore them for a while until the next idea comes along. An instant composition creating itself.

I have no pre-conceived idea of which musical genre to inhabit. Categories are irrelevant. Things can go from very melodic tunes to experimental atonality, from groove-based jazziness to ambient soundscapes. All the music that is inside me is given an equal opportunity to emerge.

My keyboards are an eclectic mix of vintage and new. Each instrument has its strengths and character (which sometimes includes not working properly…). The unpredictability of tweaking synths in real time is part of the fun. For these recordings I don’t use any computer-based instruments or plug-ins. No mouse-clicking. Pedal loopers are used to ‘freeze’ some ideas into spur-of-moment backdrops on which I can build.

Improvising is a fine balance between being in control and giving up that control. Being a composer and being an interpreter. Trying and not trying. Thinking and not thinking. Obviously this can be risky as one can get stuck in a place where nothing very interesting is happening. Or have playing mistakes ruin a good bit (that’s where the editing comes in…). But using mistakes as sparks for new ideas is inherent in the quick-thinking improvisational process. It’s a dangerous path. But that’s the challenge: to jump off the cliff and hope you’ll levitate. 

credits

released May 25, 2021; complimentary copy provided by Daniel Biro
All music written, recorded and produced by Daniel Biro

Recorded live for Soundcellar livestream concert on May 6th 2021 at the DB Studio, London.

alternative jazz fusion progressive rock ambient electronic electronic experimental electronic synth synthesisers London

 

In the words of jarguna

I’ve been wanting to make an album like this for some time. The sound searches for pure drones, introspective textures, absent from time and space, recall when I was looking for these sounds with my first synthesizer (Korg M1), around 1993. The biggest evolution has certainly been the experience during many productions, this is the 48th, but over the years I have also enriched my instrumentation, and since 2014 I have started assembling my modular synthesizer. These sounds come above all from this instrument, research but also spontaneity, a free flow of introspective energy, textures that try to make me enter a cathartic, meditative mood, at times light, suspended, floating, at other times, abysmal, material, dark and restless.

Some tracks of the album make a clear reference to some psycho-active substances, more romantically called entheogens. It is a story almost as old as man, to the point that some cultures have developed behind some of these substances, even becoming sacred for some cults, transforming the perception of reality and hypothesizing structures or entity of other dimensions. The deception of the senses has always been one of my favourite themes, an impudent art that seeks by all means to make people understand that man interfaces with the world only and thanks to his sense organs, but what if these organs were altered, like a radio picking up other frequencies?

Explorations of the Unconscious on Bandcamp.

credits

released April 13, 2023
Our thanks to Raffaele Pezzella for the complimentary copy of this release.

REVIEWS

Avant Music News
avantmusicnews.com/2023/04/16/amn-reviews-jarguna-explorations-of-the-unconscious-2023-reverse-alignment/



Marco Billi, aka jarguna, born in Florence (1973), is a constant traveller. He visited Nepal, China, India, Indonesia, and in 2001, took a trip of research along the Amazon. He meets the local people and engages in a study of their music-symbolic rituals and shamanic medicine, studies the characteristics and performs direct and indirect experiences through rituals and meditations. Going through all these experiences, he understands how the simplest sounds as well as complex music structures, may play a beneficial and therapeutic role. Agreements and frequencies, may intervene by acting on the entire body, involving mind and body, and also acting on the subtler planes. The relationship between music and the environment remains focused in the soul of jarguna.



Published by Reverse Alignment
Music by jarguna
Mastering by Raffaele Pezzella
Cover Design by jarguna
© 2023. All rights reserved

ambient dark dark ambient drone ambient industrial post-industrial Sweden