Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Anekdoten
Label: Import
Release: 2015
Duration: 46:20
Rating: 4.5/5
Swedish prog revivalists Anekdoten belong to the third wave of progressive rock, which kicked off on Scandinavian and American soil in the early nineties. Anekdoten made a name for themselves with their early efforts, »Vemod« (1993), »Nucleus« (1995) and »From Within« (1999), which put them right alongside fellow countrymen Anglagard among the most important representatives of the third wave of progressive rock and won them cult status among prog gourmets.
Their output slowed down a bit with the arrival of the 21st century. Between 2000 and 2010 they released just two studio albums, and »Until All the Ghosts Are Gone«, the follow-up to the splendid »A Time of Day« (2007), took a full eight years to arrive. Anekdoten, who have always been sonically tied tightly to the prog rock tradition of the seventies, with heavy use of the mellotron, ‘traditional’ keyboards and dark ambient veils (which led plenty of people to link them with King Crimson), take their sweet time putting new compositions together, and it usually more than pays off.
Such patient crafting of new material paid off wonderfully on »Until All the Ghosts Are Gone« too. It’s a thoroughly representative Anekdoten album with all the signature sonic trappings, led by the melancholic mellotron plains courtesy of keyboardist/violinist Anne Sofi Dahlberg and guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Nicklas Barker, who’s also known for his side projects Morte Macabre and My Brother The Wind.
Always fairly gloomy and fatalistic, Anekdoten have forever reminded people a bit of classic King Crimson from the late sixties/early seventies. The arrival of flautist Gunnar Bergsten on »A Time of Day«, who clearly took Mel Collins as his role model, deepened that impression even more, and you can pick up on it in some of the new compositions too. This time, instead of Bergsten on flute and saxophone, they brought in none other than the cult figure Theo Travis as a guest musician, who got quite into all sorts of dark-leaning projects after working with Steven Wilson. Teaming up with one of the most in-demand woodwind players in modern prog naturally gave certain tracks an extra sonic polish, and most of the results are downright fantastic.
Still, Barker’s vocals and the backing vocals of bassist Jan Erik Lijeström, whose thick bass lines have always been a key part of this cult band’s sound, are distinctive enough that the aforementioned sonic kinship with the giants of progressive rock isn’t overblown. On top of that, the new Anekdoten record has plenty of that specific Scandinavian melos, which is totally different from the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic kind that marked early King Crimson.
The melancholic arrangements are incredibly beautiful and moving, especially in the middle of the longer instrumental sections, where they’re joined by Barker’s inconsolable guitar variations, while the ambient darkness lacks the uncompromising, hellish nature typical of King Crimson or Van Der Graaf Generator. On »Until All the Ghosts Are Gone« too, Anekdoten often give in to various psychedelic freak-outs, which in their hands still come out quite melodic, since (unlike their great British role models, who always kept the scales balanced in this department) they’ve usually put melodic elements ahead of technically intricate improvising.
That means »Until All the Ghosts Are Gone« is a very listenable album even for those who aren’t always in the mood for assorted avant-garde detours and unpredictable improvising, as the epic opener »Shooting Star« already proves. You can hear a few Opeth influences in it too, which isn’t all that strange given the guest appearance of Per Wiberg, former keyboardist of the aforementioned prog metal sensation. »Get Out Alive« is a track full of unpredictable ambient twists, ethereal singing and gorgeous symphonic arrangements, while the triumph of mellotron plains backed by pastoral passages is somewhat reminiscent of the King Crimson masterpiece »In The Wake of Poseidon«, which will surely delight every nostalgic out there.
The romantic »If It All Comes Down On You« opens with piercing passages on guitar and flute, while the mellotron backdrop and Barker’s psychedelic-tinged singing create an exceptionally pleasant atmosphere that will lull many a listener into blissful reverie. »Writing on the Wall« is a proper mellotron drama, reinforced by venomous bass lines and melancholic guitar passages, which Barker’s ethereal singing ramps up even further, and with the solo variations in between it reaches epic dimensions.
The title-track masterpiece, which sounds like it was made in the early seventies, is marked by hypnotic flute and psychedelic-leaning vocals that keep a magical, pastoral melody going. The only piece on the album where Anekdoten cut loose with a wealth of wild, hard-hitting improvisation, the kind more typical of their early work, is the closing instrumental »Our Days Are Numbered«. Muffled, semitone guitar riffs and snarling bass lines summon the spirit of the King Crimson classic »Red« (1974), with Travis’s ever witty and sly sax improvisations playing an important role too.
With »Until All the Ghosts Are Gone«, Anekdoten have made an excellent album that ranks among the best of their output so far and is built entirely to the taste of longtime fans, so the long wait for a new studio effort was more than worth it. Over the years the Swedish masters have matured into even better composers and arrangers than before, which is most audible in the longer instrumental sections. Besides a just-right mix of experimentation and melody, there’s more daring and spontaneity here than in the past, while Travis’s flute is often one of the few rays of positivity amid the reign of dark ambient plains. For all those who have been waiting far too long for a studio return of King Crimson, the new Anekdoten with »Until All the Ghosts Are Gone« will surely hit the spot.
Line-up
Nicklas Barker – vocals, guitar, mellotron, keyboards
Anna Sofi Dahlberg – mellotron, violin, synthesizer, backing vocals
Jan Erik Liljeström – bass guitar, backing vocals
Peter Nordins – drums, percussion
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Per Wiberg (ex-Opeth) – keyboards
Theo Travis (Steven Wilson) – saxophone, flute
Marty Wilson-Piper (The Church, All About Eve) – guitar
Production
Anekdoten
Track list
1. Shooting Star (10:10)
2. Get Out Alive (7:32)
3. If It All Comes Down to You (5:52)
4. Writing on the Wall (9:03)
5. Until All the Ghosts Are Gone (5:07)
6. Our Days Are Numbered (8:36)
