FEATURED CD: Kultivator - Barndomens Stigar

[ashratom]

As a global "all including" approach to progressive rock, Kultivator's Barndomens Stigar is the equivalent of what is Dun's Eros for France.

Perfectly stated.

[Pr33t]

I *DIG* that one. One of the most bizarre "garage bands" of all time to reach an official release.

Myrornas Krig is criminally underrated. It's almost as if you took many of the original RIO bands and locked them in a garage until they recorded this. Some angularity from Cow, punkish energy of Etron Fou and the zany Swedish side of Samla. One of my other favorites from Scandinavia.

[moecurlythanu]

Not much of a fan of the Myrbein. Or Agamon, for that matter. Not that they're all that similar, but they come from the quirkier side of the Scandinavian musical palette.

[Pr33t]

Not much of a fan of the Myrbein. Or Agamon, for that matter. Not that they're all that similar, but they come from the quirkier side of the Scandinavian musical palette.

I'm not familiar with Agamon, I'll have to give it a listen. For those of you who do like Kultivator or Myrbein, I'd highly recommend Psynkopat ‎– Har Vi Någon Stil. More on the Jazz rock/fusion side of things, but with the same experimental and wacky edge.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I'm not familiar with Agamon, I'll have to give it a listen. For those of you who do like Kultivator or Myrbein, I'd highly recommend Psynkopat ‎– Har Vi Någon Stil. More on the Jazz rock/fusion side of things, but with the same experimental and wacky edge.

Agamon was an early band of Mats Öberg, if I'm not mistaken. Psynkopat were great, although as with their contemporaries Archimedes Badkar their stuff was sometimes a bit fragmented.

I agree about the Myrbein being very underrated; there's some truly tricky parts executed with the energy of juvenile commitment which probably souldn't ahve worked if they had been more of a 'professional' unit. The rawness of their album is not only a "charming" faccet, IMO - it's essentially its main virtue. Some of it even sounds like premature math-rock or indeed "brutal prog" (check Cheer-Accident, Shellac, Star Period Star etc.).

[spacefreak]

Not much of a fan of the Myrbein. Or Agamon, for that matter. .

Agree for Agamon. I was extremely disappointed when I blindly purchased their album Open Up Your Eyes... upon release and returned it next day. Typical example that the presence of mellotron can't save from the lack of ideas.

[alanterrill]

I *DIG* that one. One of the most bizarre "garage bands" of all time to reach an official release.

As for Ur Kaos, their conceptual game was completely different from that of Kultivator. They were never supposed to be "proggy-prog". Ur Kaos (as the name would somewhat imply) were a 'first principle' musical project dedicated to finding inner voices of immediate ideas and impulses, having lyrics and moods emannate all levels of the sonic creation rather than trying to distract them from or add them to the sound. They were attemptinf to make songs that would neutralize the weight and metre of the moment.

I've had the J.Lachen and lach'n Jonsson albums for years, but only recently bought the first Ur Kaos album which I like, but not as much as those two - I wonder if you've heard their other albums and what you think of them? I can't buy 'A Terrible Beauty' other than on vinyl but 'Av Sprucket ut ar ett Inutti' is available on CD so I might take a chance. I can't find any samples of either of them.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ Av Sprucket is not only their best album, but possibly on my top-25 records of the past 15 years (I believe it was issued in 2001). This is where their 'first principle' approach reaches true fulfillment and release, simply transcending everything 'known' of rock music as such. Whereas their earlier stuff was arguably indebted to the likes of This Heat, Virgin Prunes, Swans, Cabaret Voltaire, Magazine and Joy Division, Av Sprucket pretty much leaves terra firma and heads for the inner sphere of things. Eerie yet supremely unique stuff, and GREATLY rewarding for those who read Swedish.

[alanterrill]

^ Av Sprucket is not only their best album, but possibly on my top-25 records of the past 15 years (I believe it was issued in 2001). This is where their 'first principle' approach reaches true fulfillment and release, simply transcending everything 'known' of rock music as such. Whereas their earlier stuff was arguably indebted to the likes of This Heat, Virgin Prunes, Swans, Cabaret Voltaire, Magazine and Joy Division, Av Sprucket pretty much leaves terra firma and heads for the inner sphere of things. Eerie yet supremely unique stuff, and GREATLY rewarding for those who read Swedish.

Many thanks - ReR have it in stock, so I'll treat myself.

[freakCha]

where did you find it????? the first edition on APM is long gone, and the double-CD reissue on MELLOTRONEN also disappeared quite fast!!!

[TheH]

^^

Hallo Charly,

CD is not really hard to find at moderate Prices (20 EUR should buy you a mint copy).

The LP was rereleased by Transubstans Records this year.

[Scrotum Scissor]

The LP was rereleased by Transubstans Records this year.

True. And - again - as with Dün's Eros this is a *gorgeous* sleeve!

I came too late for the vinyl reissue of Eros, something I regret quite harshly.

[miamiscot]

Kultivator was one of the few bright spots during a bleak decade. Love that record!!!

[Trane]

^^

Hallo Charly,

CD is not really hard to find at moderate Prices (20 EUR should buy you a mint copy).

The LP was rereleased by Transubstans Records this year.

I think I'm going to have to hunt it down.... Whatever I'd saved on my CD-r is not going to fill my needs anymore after this reassessment

Thanks to PE

[Scrotum Scissor]

Kultivator was one of the few bright spots during a bleak decade.

The 80s were a bonafide golden decade for more advanced and experimental progressive rock, not least in France, Switz and the Benelux, but also Eastern Europe, Mexico, Quebec and the US. Marcoeur, Potemkine, Orthotonics, Eskaton, Debile Ménthol, Hellebore, MCH Band, Decibel, Wondeur Brass, Biota, Present, Motor Totemist Guild, Dull Schicksal, Virgule 4, Miriodor, Shub-Niggurath, Thinking Plague, Uz Jsme Doma, L'Ensemble Rayé, Proof of Utah, Nazca, 5UU's, Peter Frohmader, La 1919, Art Moulu Trefin, Look Debouk - the list continues. There's a genuine *LOT* to be (re)discovered there, and not only some but most of those names gratefully created music that went far beyond the confinements of the 70s.

And oh boy, did this thread sink like a stone once it fell from its post.

[alanterrill]

[QUOTE=Scrotum Scissor;589048]The 80s were a bonafide golden decade for more advanced and experimental progressive rock, not least in France, Switz and the Benelux, but also Eastern Europe, Mexico, Quebec and the US. Marcoeur, Potemkine, Orthotonics, Eskaton, Debile Ménthol, Hellebore, MCH Band, Decibel, Wondeur Brass, Biota, Present, Motor Totemist Guild, Dull Schicksal, Virgule 4, Miriodor, Shub-Niggurath, Thinking Plague, Uz Jsme Doma, L'Ensemble Rayé, Proof of Utah, Nazca, 5UU's, Peter Frohmader, La 1919, Art Moulu Trefin, Look Debouk - the list continues. There's a genuine *LOT* to be (re)discovered there, and not only some but most of those names gratefully created music that went far beyond the confinements of the 70s.
/QUOTE]
I quite agree!

[Zeuhlmate]

^^^
Nice list
+ UZ, AZ

[Pr33t]

And oh boy, did this thread sink like a stone once it fell from its post.

Count me among the few who prefer these threads. Sadly, they mostly seem to die after a few people who already know the music chime in, and are few and far between to begin with. There no longer seems to be an audience for these out of the mainstream prog gems that myself, and most of those who I know through prog have always championed.

I think they rode a strong wave for about a decade from when they started being issued on CD in the mid 90s and began to tail off in the mid 2000s. Since then, the prog audience seems mostly to want to buy the fifth remaster of the big groups, or something modern that sounds exactly like it. Unfortunately that overlooks the golden age of when this music was actually created. There is a real depth to where this music went, but most are unwilling to scratch more than the surface.

At least I'm glad to see we changed Hugues' mind on this one, though

[ashratom]

Count me among the few who prefer these threads. Sadly, they mostly seem to die after a few people who already know the music chime in, and are few and far between to begin with. There no longer seems to be an audience for these out of the mainstream prog gems that myself, and most of those who I know through prog have always championed.

I think they rode a strong wave for about a decade from when they started being issued on CD in the mid 90s and began to tail off in the mid 2000s. Since then, the prog audience seems mostly to want to buy the fifth remaster of the big groups, or something modern that sounds exactly like it. Unfortunately that overlooks the golden age of when this music was actually created. There is a real depth to where this music went, but most are unwilling to scratch more than the surface.

At least I'm glad to see we changed Hugues' mind on this one, though

[Sputnik]

Count me among the few who prefer these threads. Sadly, they mostly seem to die after a few people who already know the music chime in, and are few and far between to begin with. There no longer seems to be an audience for these out of the mainstream prog gems that myself, and most of those who I know through prog have always championed.

I think they rode a strong wave for about a decade from when they started being issued on CD in the mid 90s and began to tail off in the mid 2000s. Since then, the prog audience seems mostly to want to buy the fifth remaster of the big groups, or something modern that sounds exactly like it. Unfortunately that overlooks the golden age of when this music was actually created. There is a real depth to where this music went, but most are unwilling to scratch more than the surface.

At least I'm glad to see we changed Hugues' mind on this one, though

I totally agree with you, though in fairness there was a fairly recent thread (referenced above) that covered a lot of this ground. And at a certain point, there's only so much you can say about a band that hasn't released an album in 25-30 years.

What's really sad to me is bands today that are releasing music that is in the vein, and often the quality of groups like Kultivator, but get little to no attention. But since there's really no consensus on what it is we're talking about here, it's a free-for-all, and the most popular stuff (i.e. stuff with the broadest appeal, but often the least relation to the classic stuff like Kultvator) gets the most attention.

But, so it ever was, and so shall it likely ever be.

Bill

[moecurlythanu]

Count me among the few who prefer these threads. Sadly, they mostly seem to die after a few people who already know the music chime in, and are few and far between to begin with. There no longer seems to be an audience for these out of the mainstream prog gems that myself, and most of those who I know through prog have always championed.

I think they rode a strong wave for about a decade from when they started being issued on CD in the mid 90s and began to tail off in the mid 2000s. Since then, the prog audience seems mostly to want to buy the fifth remaster of the big groups, or something modern that sounds exactly like it. Unfortunately that overlooks the golden age of when this music was actually created. There is a real depth to where this music went, but most are unwilling to scratch more than the surface.

Man, ain't that the truth!

[Trane]

well, It's already quite an achievement that tis album got past page 1... and could start a third page, by the looks of the length of this one

[Trane]

Is the Mellotronen CD reissue still vailable, BTW??

[Smörgåsbord]

Yes.

http://www.mellotronen.com

http://www.mellotronen.com/asp/recor...4418&tempCat=5

[Trane]

thx