Landberk
One Man Tell's Another

There are albums that are born to inhabit dark rooms and creep into the listener's mind, bringing the most nostalgic memories to the surface, frescoes of a time that no longer exists.

"One Man Tell’s Another" is one of these albums. In my opinion, it is the masterpiece of Landberk, a group that, along with compatriots Anglagard and Anekdoten, brought the Swedish progressive movement to the fore in the early 90s. In reality, what brings the three groups together is only their country of origin, as their musical offerings are completely different. While their cousins have focused their work on a more complex and virtuosic sound fabric, Landberk have instead prioritized the emotional and intimate aspect.

Their music comes from the cold, but it has the warmth of a cup of wine sipped by the warmth of a fireplace, while a storm rages outside. An essential sound, with relaxed tones and seductive melodies, with jazz infiltrations and slight psychedelic references. One cannot remain indifferent to the sound of Reine Fiske's guitar, the true protagonist of the album, which plays with distortions and reverbs. Sometimes screaming with suffering and at other times painting sweetness with sinuous and delicate touches. It cannot help but recall, at some points, the best of Robert Fripp.

Also noteworthy is Simon Nordberg's work on the keyboards. The Mellotron parts, always in the background and never invasive, coordinated with a gentle and melancholic piano and sporadic touches of Hammond. The rhythmic section, composed of bassist Stefan Dimle and drummer Jonas Lidholm, is quite dynamic and combines a typically progressive fabric with patterns with strong jazz influences. Finally, one cannot forget the voice and interpretation of Patrick Helje, an inspired and emotional singer, who perhaps ultimately becomes the true strength of the group.

The pieces are one better than the other. It starts with the more rhythmic “Time”, a track with a captivating and more typically rock melody, which sometimes recalls the sounds of early U2.

Then it continues with the chameleonic “Kontiki”, closer to the masters King Crimson, alternating the toughest guitar distortions with decidedly more ethereal and seductive moments. “Mirror Man” is a slow and nostalgic song, with pronounced jazz nuances. The following “You Are” and “Rememberence” are two dreamy tracks, with twilight and hypnotic rhythms and cadences. The album continues with “Valentinsong”, the most relaxed track of the album, with faint sounds of guitar and piano that accompany an almost whispered voice, giving the piece an almost new-age atmosphere. It closes with “Tell”, an aggressive track with more typically rock rhythms, almost trying to awaken the listener from the alcoholic stupor. Or did you perhaps think that cup of wine would be enough?

“One Man Tell’s Another”, despite the spelling error, is voted by a large part of the European critics as the Prog album of 1994. And personally, I consider it to be one of the best works of the last twenty years. Landberk will produce another excellent work, “Indian Summer”, already magnificently reviewed on this website. Subsequently, the group will disband, much like their cousins Anglagard, to the bitter disappointment of their fans. Dimle and Fiske will collaborate with some members of Anekdoten on the fine project “Morte Macabre” and will later form Paatos, partially recovering the sound of Landberk but without reaching the same excellent results.