Kungens Man
Dag & Natt

These Swedes are completely crazy. Having already listened to 'Stockholm Marathon', a marathon of an hour and a half of repetitive cosmic music to the point of exhaustion, I approached the new album by Kungens Man with uncertainty. Nonetheless, although the starting base from which this psychedelic rock music ensemble from Stockholm (Mattias Indy Petterson, Hans Hjelm, Mikael Tuominen, Magnus Ohrn, Peter Erikson) formed in 2012 moves is always that kosmische musik that has come back into vogue in recent years, it must be said that in this latest album, 'Dag & Natt' (Adansonia Records), I have picked up some interesting cues as well as finally a certain variety in the compositions.

Aside from the typical proposals characterized by Maserati obsessions and compulsions ('Samtidigt', 'Aftonstjarnan') and a Neu! rhythmic section, the group innovates by offering sessions of cosmic psychedelia contaminated with jazz experimentalism ('Morgonrodnad') that recall the Heliocentrics and in some cases showcase the use of Calexico-like guitar nuances ('Natt'). 'Fusion' sounds that, when reproposed in a context of noisy electric guitar madness like 'Eff tappat perspektiv', create infinite sound reverberations that all rapidly embed themselves into our brains like mad shards of ice, resulting in a state defined as 'brain freeze'.

The group's sound is more solid and concrete compared to the past, the bass lines are dominant, while the guitars in some cases might partly recall a Wooden Shjips 'substance'. 'Dag' is a kind of battle song and a call to arms, dig up the war axe, please; 'Maner tur och retur' refers to drone and oriental mannerisms in the more meditative Bardo Pond style, while the closing 'Cirkeln ar slut' is a track composed of mere sound waves echoing in space, reaching from sideral distances the distant Galileo probe, which immediately makes us think of Sonic Boom.

Ultimately, compared to the past, there's much more meat on the grill, even if there is no particular 'distinction' that might lead you to consider this group especially relative to the big melting pot in which all the new proposals of the genre are included. Nonetheless, if you've given an opportunity to all the others, why not give a listen to this group of madmen whose last worry in life is probably precisely the lack of being particularly innovative.