Anekdoten
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Origin | Sweden |
| Genre(s) | Progressive rock, Art rock |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Nicklas Barker Jan Erik Liljeström Anna Sofi Dahlberg Peter Nordins |
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Anekdoten is a Swedish progressive rock band, composed of guitarist/vocalist Nicklas Barker, cellist Anna Sofi Dahlberg, bassist/vocalist Jan Erik Liljeström and drummer Peter Nordins. They are notable for the use of the mellotron and the heavy and trippy sound, dominated by a pounding bass guitar. Their music is associated with the tradition of 1970s progressive rock music, especially the one of King Crimson, but they have also covered songs by Van Der Graaf Generator and Magma on their live performances.
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[edit] History
The confluence in Borlänge, Sweden, that led to the formation of Anekdoten began as two different tributaries. The first involved Nicklas Berg and Peter Nordins. Together, the guitarist and drummer played in a heavy metal band in the early 1980s. By 1990, they would be part of the Manson Family Band, showing influences of Cream and Jimi Hendrix. During this time, Berg and Nordins developed an interest in progressive rock, and became particularly involved with the music of King Crimson.
The other tributary involved bassist Jan Erik Liljeström as a member of a band called Kajuku. Also in the band were Per Wiberg (deathOrgan) and Stefan Dimle (Landberk). Kajuku had composed several progressive-styled songs and also played many King Crimson cover songs, including "Starless," "21st Century Schizoid Man" and "Moonchild." When Dimle had to leave Kajuku for military service, the band dissolved and Liljeström joined another band influenced by Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. With such common influences, the joining of Liljeström with Berg and Nordins seemed destiny. Liljiström reflects, "It was inevitable that we would run into each other in Borlänge, as we had two big interests in common: playing music that was influenced by the '60s and '70s, and listening to music from the '60s and '70s. Nicklas and I got together at a party in February 1990 and we found out that we both really wanted to try to cover some King Crimson songs and in May 1990 rehearsals began with Peter." Thus was born King Edward.
The new band adopted the name King Edward, a brand of potatoes in Sweden (see the Kerrs Pink article in the January 1998 issue of GibWeb). The self-taught trio garned a reputation as a King Crimson cover band, although they played other songs as well. In fact, "Sad Rain" (a bonus track on the Japanese issue of Anekdoten's first album) and parts of "Karelia" and "The Old Man & The Sea" date back to King Edward days. But Liljeström says he considered King Edward a project, not a band. The trio didn't get serious as a band until Anna Sofi Dahlberg joined them.
Jan Erik recalls the events that led to the formation of Anekdoten: "Ever since we started out playing Crimso-covers we felt restricted by the trio format. At a couple of rehearsals in the beginning of 1991, Michael Thorne, who was the keyboard player in Catweazle, had been playing keyboards with us, but he soon moved from the area and we found ourselves looking for a fourth member again. We briefly knew Anna Sofi, as we had many common friends. I talked with Nicklas about whether or not we should ask Anna Sofi if she would like to join the band, but we hesitated as we were afraid that bringing in a female member might make the music less aggressive. A stupid assumption of course, and one that has been proven completely wrong since. As it turned out, Anna Sofi was at the one and only gig Peter, Nicklas and I did as a trio in May 1991, under the name King Edward. At a rockfestival in the summer of 1991 she approached Nicklas and asked if she could join the group. Rehearsals began in August 1991 and things gelled immediately."
[edit] Vemod
Vemod, was released in September of 1993 on Anekdoten's label, Virtalevy. Although their music seethes with the scathing fury of Red storm King Crimson, Anekdoten's music can be explored on several layers. Anekdoten's many different influences are detectable yet the band goes beyond the ordinary to create a vigorous and energetic music. Vemod opens with "Karelia," one of just two instrumental songs. The quiet strains of two mellotrons hint at the dark, quiet lyrics ahead in later songs. The mellotrons soon yield to a raucous melée that typifies most of the instrumental passages. Frippian guitar licks, pronounced and distorted Zuehl-like bass, and sonorous cello lines meld with dueling mellotrons to create a dense wall of sound, relentless in its passion. Through it all, Nordins calmly directs the band with his thoughtful, mature use of the traps.
The exceptions to the intensity are the somber "Thoughts in Absence," with its "Starless"-like themes and swirling electric piano, and the aptly titled instrumental, "Longing," featuring Berg quietly playing acoustic guitar along with Dahlberg's aching cello passages. The lyrics are despondent, complimenting the quieter sections, yet the instrumental passages are furious and angry, belying the gentle despair of the words. For another contrast, in "The Old Man & the Sea," we hear Liljeström gently intone:
Feeder of my visions, Carrier of my soul, The last hope for the dreamers, Now crashing to the shore, Pinioned and torn In presumption and with my foolish pride I challenged the storm, I challenged the storm
Accepting the challenge, Anekdoten musically narrate the old man's battle with the unrelenting sea, describing the clash with thunderous bass, searing guitar and pulsating cello amidst washes of mellotron. This combination of lyrics and instruments typifies much of the album. The final song, "Wheel," is full of dark, gothic imagery. Liljeström's and Dahlberg's voices, processed into a eerie, ghost-like quality, bring to mind haunted castles high on hilltops with lightning flashes all around. Despite the unique sonority added by the cello and the gothic aura that permeated the album, some listeners felt that Vemod was bound too tightly to Anekdoten's King Crimson roots. As restless as their music, Anekdoten would evolve their sound during the next year, further developing a style very much their own.
[edit] Nucleus
Nucleus was released in December of 1995 to high praise from all corners of the prog world. With its infrared eyeball on the cover, Nucleus yields insight into the changes of Anekdoten's sound since Vemod. The title track combines all that is classic Anekdoten. Nicklas Berg assails the ear with harrowing guitar leads. The bass cones of the stereo speakers nearly self-destruct from Jan Erik Liljeström's heavily overdriven bass and Peter Nordin's thundering drums. Anna Sofi Dahlberg permeates the air with the heady fragrance of mellotron. The band lays back for the gothicism of the first verse, then leaps forward aggressively for the second verse. The listener is drawn in like a helpless moth to the flame. Yet, Nucleus has much more to present to the careful listener. In an interview with i/e magazine, Jan Erik explained how he felt that Nucleus was a much more demanding album than Vemod. The extra time involved in the studio allowed Anekdoten to weave a rich tapestry of music at the level of composition and arrangement, at the level of musicianship and at the level of production.
"Book of Hours" is the longest song on Nucleus and perfectly highlights the new dimensions of Anekdoten's sound. "Book of Hours" begins with quivering droplets of guitar splashing into a gently flowing river of mellotron. As the river flows around small stones of drums, the bass notes the passage of time. Small eddies of words swirl in the water as the current builds in a rush toward its inevitable flow into the turbulent sea. The music swirls in a psychedelic miasma of sounds that finally breaks into alternating wavelets of calmness and large, sonic-powered breakers. Through the layer of drums, bass and guitar emerge several layers of melltrons, vocals and additional keyboards in arrangements not yet heard in any of Anekdoten's studio recordings.
In contrast to the slow build of "Book of Hours," "This Far From the Sky" erupts with a flourish of cymbals into an searing pyroclastic wave. Yet, when the band is this far from the sky, they find room to explore many different areas, from vaguely oriental tonalities to massive attacks of distortion. Anekdoten travel restlessly from mountain top to valley floor, charting ever new territory for the band. "Here" strikes chords of great melancholy, the depths of which were never approached on Vemod, and plumbs dark recesses with sorrowful violin. Nucleus is a distinctive Anekdoten album; it is heavier, more aggressive, darker and sadder than their debut. Anekdoten's Nucleus lays bare the heart of the band.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- 1. Vemod (feat. Per Wiberg (Spiritual Beggars, Opeth) on grand piano), 1993
- 2. Nucleus (remastered and re-released in 2004 with a bonus track), 1995
- 3. From Within, 1999
- 4. Gravity, 2003
- 5. A Time Of Day , 2007
[edit] Live recordings and bootlegs
- 1. Live EP, 1997
- 2. Official Bootleg: Live in Japan, 1998
- 3. Live at NEARfest (bootleg), 2000
- 4. Waking the Dead, Live in Japan 2005, 2005
[edit] Morte Macabre
In 1998, the album Symphonic Holocaust was released. It was recorded by Nicklas Barker and Peter Nordins of Anekdoten, along with Stefan Dimle and Reine Fiske of fellow Swedish progressive rock band Landberk. The album is comprised mostly of covered themes from horror movies, such as Cannibal Holocaust and Rosemary's Baby. Its music is characterised by improvisation, and the plentiful use of mellotron and synthesizers.
