Vanligt Folk - Vanligt Folk

I think Progress Productions surprised us all when they signed Vanligt Folk to their label stable a few months back when they also announced the self-titled debut release from the band. It's hard to describe Vanligt Folk, they have a very special sound. I guess the best way is to call them a kind of indie version of D.A.F. It's very chanting and rhythmic in its appearance.

It always feels a bit weird to write about a Swedish act with Swedish vocals on such international zine that we are, but I hope that not only our Swedish readers will find a joy out of taking a closer look at Vanligt Folk (Common People).

'Vanligt Folk' (the EP title) contains for tracks and have a playtime of about 15 minutes. The EP starts out with the very chanting "Herrar och Hundar" ("Lords and Dogs"). Old School Nitzer Ebb on tom-toms and is the best track of the EP.

The second track "Moralekonomin (Ofreda biståndet)" ("Economy of Morality (Harass the Succor)") is giving me one of those love-hate relationships. The vocals on this one is quite odd, it somehow reminds me of a LSD nightmare version of a song on a children's program. You really need to hear this track to understand what I am babbling about. Very haunting.

The third track "Idioter av Församlingen" ("Idiots of the Parish") is probably where I and you feels the most at home. Very dark and driven Old School synths with a hailing siren in the background.

The final track is "I en värld utan hjältar" ("In a world without heroes") and it's a much slower track with synths that reminds me of the sound Leonard Cohen had during his mid-90's releases. Somewhat of a song of sorrow to a darker world we now live in.

As you can see, this EP has a huge variety and it's all connected by the playfulness and liveliness of the band. It's a bit to experimental and odd for my taste, however, surprisingly, I can found myself coming back to the EP to listen to it over and over again, and I think you need it, because you might need some time to grasp it all, even in all its simplicity.

I'm not sure though how internationally compliant this release is, describing a political climate in Sweden, in Swedish, with a remade version of a classic picture of the Royal Family. Feb 22 2013