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░ ██ ██ Artist: Trettioariga Kriget ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Seaside Air █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-07-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Mellotronen ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ ôSeaside Airö, the 9th studio album by █
█ Trettioariga Kriget, was recorded during summer █
█ and autumn 2015 in Stockholm. It contains seven █
█ new original songs, most of them written by Stefan █
█ Fredin and all with lyrics by Olle Thornvall. For █
█ the first time in the long history of Kriget, the █
█ entire album is in English, which should guarantee █
█ a new level of interest among the bandÆs very █
█ international fanbase. █
█ Following the album trilogy that Trettioariga █
█ Kriget released between 2004 and 2011, and which █
█ formed the bandÆs autobiography, ôSeaside Airö is █
█ a relaxed, self-assured album. The songs are very █
█ strong, melodic and immediately accessible, █
█ sometimes showing their childhood love of The █
█ Beatles, but without losing the depth and █
█ complexity for which these Swedish masters of █
█ progressive rock are so well known. The first four █
█ tracks █
█ form a mini suite with autobiographical roots, the █
█ following two numbers take off in another █
█ direction before the majestic closing number █
█ öBehold the pilotö ties it all together. █
█ ôSeaside Airö is a phrase that could refer to the █
█ famously invigorating atmosphere of the bandÆs █
█ native Saltsjobaden, but it could also mean ôa █
█ melody by the seaö, full of light and colour. A █
█ very warm sound permeates this new album from █
█ Trettioariga Kriget, an album in which the band █
█ reinvents itself once again, and creates great new █
█ music by looking back on its history. █
█ █
█ Stefan Fredin û bass guitar, vocals, acoustic █
█ guitar █
█ Dag Lundquist û drums, timpani, violin, █
█ percussion, backing vocals █
█ Robert Zima û vocals, acoustic guitar █
█ Christer Akerberg û lead guitar █
█ Mats Lindberg û keyboards █
█ Olle Thornvall û lyrics █
█ █
█ Produced and arranged by Trettioariga Kriget █
█ Mixed by Dag Lundquist █
█ Mastered by Peter In de Betou █
█ Cover art and design by Johan Gullberg █
█ █
█ Trettioariga Kriget have been releasing albums █
█ since 1974. They've been around for almost as long █
█ as many of the progressive rock canon's greatest, █
█ and 10 albums are evidence to the fact they've █
█ spent most of that time actively. I had not heard █
█ of these guys until recently; a fixture on lyrics █
█ in their native Swedish seems to have limited █
█ their exposure abroad. Nonetheless Sweden would █
█ have its role to play in the bold Scandinavian █
█ prog resurgence in the 1990s, and I can't help but █
█ think that Trettio'riga Kriget helped lay the █
█ foundations for groups like Anglagard to make █
█ their stint. █
█ Listening to Trettioariga Kriget's classic █
█ material makes them out to be a Swedish equivalent █
█ to Italy's RPI scene; theatrical, bombastic, and █
█ none-too-afraid to boast the tonal qualities of █
█ their mother tongue. With that said, it's a little █
█ disappointing they've mellowed out so much by the █
█ point of Seaside Air. A band that once seemed to █
█ channel the neatest parts of bands as diverse as █
█ Rush, Focus and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (and █
█ sometimes all at once!) going the way of gentle, █
█ prog-flavoured pop is little cause for excitement. █
█ Of course, few bands from the golden era are still █
█ even around to make music, and most have fallen █
█ much farther than these guys. █
█ I don't mean to sound so damning. Trettioariga █
█ Kriget knew what they wanted to do here. It's █
█ obviously a different vibe than the heyday, but a █
█ style should change with age and experience. █
█ Seaside Air is a Summertime album for these Winter █
█ months. The cover, title and leisurely tone to the █
█ songs sounds like a musical equivalent to sitting █
█ by a lakehouse and watching the world go by. █
█ Familiar prog sounds (like mellotron) that were █
█ used a lifetime ago are here, but the context is █
█ all different. Trettioariga Kriget's songwriting █
█ is straightforward. The musicianship is █
█ unassuming. The tone is light and friendly. All of █
█ these are intentional on TK's part, I'm sure, but █
█ for all the authenticity, it can't be said that █
█ they're doing much to arrest attention at this █
█ point in their career. █
█ To the band's credit, I think it's pretty cool █
█ that Seaside Air simultaneously embraces an adult █
█ approach to rock, while simultaneously echoing █
█ their proggy past. It's a similar feeling to the █
█ one I got with Yes's Heaven & Earth record in █
█ 2014. However, unlike Yes, who sounded both lazy █
█ and desperate in their attempt to rekindle the █
█ past, Trettioariga Kriget allow themselves to █
█ comfortably settle into this sound. Where so many █
█ of the 70s groups have fallen into disfavour, it █
█ feels like these guys have adapted in a way that █
█ fits. I'll end with a final note: The music itself █
█ is never exciting, but Robert Zima's full-bodied █
█ voice has a way of bringing these songs to life. █
█ The album's tameness is sure to limit its appeal █
█ to the current generation, but let it not be said █
█ that Trettioariga Kriget don't bring the quality █
█ where it's due. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The Photograph 8:26 ░
░ 2. Seaside Air 6:46 ░
░ 3. Forgotten Garden 6:09 ░
░ 4. Snow 4:38 ░
░ 5. Billy 5:15 ░
░ 6. Dreaming of Vermeer 4:04 ░
░ 7. Behold the Pilot 8:06 ░
░ 43:24 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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