Originalljudet (Kalligrammofon, 2010) ****

In a week of personal loss, the music of Swedish band Orginalljudet has been comforting and uplifting for me at the same time. Their name means "original sound" or "odd sound". This duality is well reflected in the music. The basis is old, rooted in tradition : waltzes, polkas, marching band music ... easily recognisable, yet the band's approach is quite new, full of late night atmosphere, most of the time quite slow, unhurried, with everything covered under a blanket of warm sound.

The band consists of Egil Sandström on bass, Jens Peterson Berger on drums, brainwave and sough machine, Hans Jörg Ehammer on accordion, Rosali Grankull on alt saxophone and piano, Aron Junker on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet. Sandström and Berger made the compositions and arrangements.

This is not about soloing, or about personal expressivity, it is even quite beyond the usual music range of this blog. Nothing is complex, nothing is made difficult.  This is real mood music, with great themes and great arrangements, clever in its approach, rich in sensitivity, and absolutely stellar in creating a unique sound throughout.

If you like Tin Hat Trio and the Cracow Klezmer Band, you will surely enjoy this band.


Listen and buy from their website.

© stef