Subliminal Sounds
Amidsttheir infectiously mannered vocal harmonies (all in Swedish) andbackwards guitar symphonies, Dungen also interspersed unexpectedpassages of blistering acid guitar. Where Ta Det Lungt was a study in balance and dynamics, 1999-2001—Dungen'srarely heard first album, newly reissued on CD with bonus materials—isa far more untamed and problematic proposition. Made up of threelengthy tracks that each move through a number of jarring, Faust-stylemovements and rapid transitions, Dungen's debut is a mess, but aconsistently enjoyable one at that. Marked by its patchwork tendency tocrossfade into something quite different every few minutes, the albumfeels quite a bit hairier and proggier than its successors. In additionto the baroque psych-pop stylings familiar for the group, each track isalso chock full of odd passages of Jethro Tull flute solos,effects-heavy experiments in psychedelic ambience, free-form folkmeanderings, piano and slide-guitar duets and a myriad other musicalgestures too varied in their approach to encapsulate here. The overalleffect is of a group of talented musicians who couldn't decide howexactly to gel together and execute a single, coherent musicalstatement, so instead opted for maximum eclecticism, throwingeverything at the wall to see what would stick. As such, it's far froma satisfyingly conceptual whole, but other than that, it hardly makes awrong move for entire 18-minutes-plus length. The opening track startswith a recognizably Dungenesque vocal harmony backed by droningbackwards guitar, before fading into an extended instrumental jazz-rockpiece, a brief section of Comets On Fire-style synthesizer acrobatics,and a shimmering wall of drones with sampled birdsong. All of thisbefore the song has reached the halfway mark. A comparison could bemade with Xhol Caravan, who used similar tactics on their classicrandom radio-dial turning Motherfuckers GMBH. Like Xhol, Dungendon't seem to take themselves too seriously, juxtaposing breezy lightpsych-pop with third-eye sitar attacks, pausing every now and then foranother sunshine pop chorus. 1999-2001 is the kind of albumthat could very easily have digressed into turgidity and tedium, buthappily remains afloat as it coasts through a kaleidescopic variety ofwhimsical and hallucinogenic changes.samples:
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