Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Karmakanic
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2011
Length: 58:10
Rating: 3.5/5
Swedish prog rock revivalists Karmakanic, who grew from a side project into a band with a real soul under the leadership of The Flower Kings bassist Jonas Reingold, are without a doubt one of the more interesting acts of their kind. Their previous record, “Who’s the Boss in The Factory”, was even one of the most interesting progressive rock albums to come out in 2008. Hardly anyone will be surprised that “In a Perfect World” also follows the expected, well-worn symphonic prog rock formula of complex arrangements, melodramatic melodies and epic choruses, just the way most of their followers like it. Most of the songs come wrapped in a distinctly positive vibe, one they picked up from the legendary Yes, much like The Flower Kings did. Maybe the main flaw of these Swedish ‘happy campers’ is precisely the lack of any real variety in mood, since you can barely find any darker shades in their music.
Despite all that cheerfulness, you can’t accuse them of excessive lyrical naivety. The lyrics for the more than 14-minute symphonic prog epic “1969” draw on the frustration of the aging flower generation, especially the events surrounding the Woodstock festival, when the youth of 1969, under the influence of all sorts of intoxicating substances, naively believed they could change the world for the better overnight, only, ironically, to achieve the exact opposite and, in later years, help create the vampiric corporate capitalism that rules the world today. The lyrics mostly ask where they miscalculated and why it all went wrong.
Reingold and his instrumental partners in crime are of course younger than the generation in question, but just like with The Flower Kings, Karmakanic sympathize with the positive sides of hippie philosophy, especially its revolutionary spirit, the idea that the world can be ‘fixed for the better’. It’s worth mentioning that 1969 was also the year of a thorough musical revolution, as debut albums from all sorts of progressive rock pioneers were raining down, the ones that had a key influence on bands like Karmakanic, and the newborn genre was undergoing an incredible boom. Musically, “1969” is exactly what prog rock ‘traditionalists’ want: majestic symphonic arrangements, complex bass lines, twittering guitar phrases, jazz-tinged drum fills and excellent vocals from the ever-convincing and versatile Göran Edman, whom fans of classic/hard rock know mostly as the former singer for guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen, which in the end bears the desired fruit and helps build an epic atmosphere.
The much more commercially minded, yet still interesting “Turn it Up” is closer to art rock than symphonic prog, since you can also pick out some pop elements in it. It’s slightly reminiscent of Yes in their pop phase with Trevor Rabin. If they trimmed the complex bass lines, reined in the high-flying keyboard passages and changed the production, it could even become an excellent art-pop rock tune. It’s no surprise that its radio edit shows up as a bonus track on the special limited edition. The ultra-melodic “The World Is Caving In” boasts an extremely catchy chorus that stands out nicely from the otherwise heavily emphasized complexity of the rhythmic improvisations and the virtuoso solos of the individual instrumentalists, providing a thrilling contrast. On the remaining tracks, too, they allow themselves plenty of free experimentation within the expected symphonic prog frame, with mixed results. On the intro to “Can’t Take It With You”, for example, they play around with Caribbean Latin rhythms and jazz piano, then unexpectedly switch into a heavy metal section with distorted guitars, creating a nonchalant mix of playfulness and brutality. You can’t decide whether to cross yourself or applaud.
“There’s Nothing Wrong With the World” is again a much more classic symphonic prog rock epic with melodramatic transitions, plenty of time signature twists, majestic keyboard arrangements and a gripping chorus that deepens the pompous atmosphere even further. “Bite the Grit” is another one of the more interesting pieces, as besides the symphonic stuff they also experiment a lot with (prog) metal and jazz fusion, so for a change, on top of the usual Genesis and Yes influences, you can also feel a touch of King Crimson’s improvisational madness.
The closing ballad “When Fear Came to Town”, needlessly stretched out, is a rather unfortunate bout of weepiness on acoustic guitar. Edman’s vocal approach, backed by a slow rhythm and a sleepy acoustic guitar melody, is completely different here, almost sickly-sweet and unrecognizable. Luckily, this rather pathetic creation gets a makeshift rescue later on from Reingold’s tasteful bass soloing and an ambient finale with majestic orchestral arrangements on mellotron and a weeping slide guitar solo. It comes close to leaving prog fans high and dry at the end of an otherwise very solid album.
On their latest studio outing, Karmakanic once again stick faithfully to the tried-and-tested recipe that spells out exactly what goes into a 21st-century symphonic prog rock album. The Swedish masters of prog rock revivalism don’t offer anything particularly outstanding this time, but all their followers will be satisfied regardless, since “In a Perfect World” ranks among the better albums from Reingold’s crew and successfully keeps up the high standards of songwriting and musicianship you’d expect from this group of exceptional musical talents.
Line-up
Jonas Reingold – bass guitar, backing vocals
Marcus Liliequist – drums
Göran Edman – vocals
Lalle Larsson – keyboards, backing vocals
Nils Erikson – vocals, keyboards
Krister Jonsson – guitar
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Inger Ohlen – backing vocals (1,3)
Production
Jonas Reingold
Tracklist
1. 1969 (14:14)
2. Turn It Up (6:55)
3. The World Is Caving In (9:00)
4. Can’t Take It With You (5:44)
5. There’s Nothing Wrong With The World (7:23)
6. Bite The Grit (4:59)
7. When Fear Came To Town (9:55)
