DANISH PSYCHEDELIC/PROGRESSIVE MUSIC
review page

Spids Noegenhat ('05)
Alrune Rod ('74/'07)
Cinderella ('70-'72)
CO4 ('71)
Blues Addicts ('70)
Days ('70)
Baby Woodrose ('08,'09)
Dragon Tears ('08,'08)
The Setting Son ('08)
Aron ('07)
The Univerzals ('09)

on different pages :
Den Lile Prins/ Foreningen Til Livets Beskyttelse  ('71-'72/'05), Niss Stricker ('03,'09)
Furekaaben ('71/'02), Morten Barfoed ('96-'88) The Savage Rose ('09)
Other Danish prog/psych/chamber groups on other webpages :

OTHER DANISH REISSUES I HAVE REVIEWED :

Karma Rec. Hippieology vol.1: Den Lille Prins / Foreningen Til Livets Beskyttelse (DK,1971/1972,re.2005)***°/**°
psych-folk/folk-psych album on http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/reissue5.html


NEW GROUPS :

Record HeavenOresund Space Collective : abc(DK/S/US,2006)***
Danish, Swedish, American space jam psych collective
on http://progressive.homestead.com/sweden2.html
Nasoni Rec. Davolinas : Edge of a new day (DK,2004,re.2005)*°°
new jammed psych
on http://progressive.homestead.com/prog15.html#anchor_172

see also the nex-chamber folk of
Leaf Rec.Efterklang : Tripper (DK,2004)****°
Rumracket/Leaf Rec. Efterklang : Under Giant Trees (DK,2007)****
on http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/psychfolkpopreview2.html
& http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/psychfolkpopreview5.html

see also the folktronica releases
Ilk Music/DZO Rec.Autofant : Family (DK,2004)***°
Jenka MusicSofus Forsberg : Udefra (DK,2005)****
reviewed on http://progressive.homestead.com/prog13.html :
Rump Rec. Snöleoparden (DK,2008)***°
on http://progressive.homestead.com/prog13B.html

and the Balkan/Klezmer/fusion-band Afenginn
on http://progressive.homestead.com/Balkan.html

and fusion band John Sund & Acoustic Sense
on http://psychevanhetfolk.homestead.com/FUSION.html
and World On A String
on http://psychevanhetfolk.homestead.com/WORLD.html

Shadoks   Days (DK,1970)****'

This release offers in fact all the best elements a 70s rock band was able to offer, and which I won’t expect to find any more in almost any band of today. First of all, they make me realize how charming a Hammond organ can sound as a contribution to this sound. Also, this organist is really talented by bringing in surprising themes like a classical inspiration (intro) or a circus-barrel theme (fun outro), with many surprising breaks, in rhythm and style (like with small jazzier or bluesier instrumental passages), without any exaggeration of doing so. Most of all the evolution in the songs with its instrumental parts isn’t straight forward at all. There are perfect, calm, smooth evolutions, with breathing progressions, with nice sounding songs and vocals, with very harmonious and subtle arrangements with classical composition ability, without forgetting the smoothness, with a fluently direct performance with an intelligent cooperative group’s strength band where each member counts as much as the other for the composition and performance’s results, I hardly find such an approach in any today’s music : where everyone is really listening to the other one’s lines, but still make another and different additional layer that organically fits within the evolution of the composition, and nice electric guitar solos with moody organ. The album has everything to name it a classic.

Info : http://www.psychedelic-music.com/new.html
& http://www.psychedelic-music.com/psychedelic1.html?28,18
Description : http://www.tonevendor.com/item/28084
go back to
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Orpheus Rec.      Spids Noegenhat : En Maerkelig Kop Te (DK,2005)*°°'

Spids Noegenhat (= Magic Mushroom) started in 1995 with 3 members of On Trial, a loose guitar jam band, and soon evolved to this drugged, cloudy and stoner psychedelia group.
Best and really strongest track for me is “Hobbitens Flyvetur” with a slightly upbeat drugged beat. Most songs are somewhat song based. Not many elements come out, and the slightly expressiveless vocals, sometimes distorted, aren’t really too attractive either.

Orpheus Records released many nice albums but this one for me isn't the best starter for the label unless you're really hooked to more new stoner psychedelic material.

Audio : "Hvad har du taget?" & http://www.myspace.com/spidsnogenhat
Info : http://www.orpheusrecords.dk/stories/story004.htm & here
& http://tunes.dk/products/1165.html
& http://www.psychedelic-music.de/pmdb/db3/db_band.php4?id=388
Other review : http://www.aural-innovations.com/issues/issue18/spidsnog.html
What is actually Spids Nogenhat ? http://home8.inet.tele.dk/larri/HALU/PSEMI541.HTM
Karma Music     Alrune Rod : -Ragnarock live '74- (DK,1974,re.2006)***'

When I at first saw this cover I thought this was a release of Swedish 'Ragnarock' live at Alrune Rod or something, because at that time I didn't know Alrune Rod. There still is little info to find on Danish psych/prog bands. Ragnarock also is a festival which is held each year in Norway. I found out that Alrune Rod were one the most important Danish bands from 'the 70's, because they were the originators of the psychedelic movement. They released four albums or so, with a style which became more symphonic during the mid '70's. Though the group was very popular, they sold very few of their now scarce records (which are now reissued). This is a live recording with 5 tracks, from a 16-track tape from an excellent recording quality which was only recently rediscovered after 30 years. The group had especially a live reputation, with concerts that could easily take 4 to 5 hours. The group even often kept on playing acoustically when electricity was turned of.

For this concert in Norway the group only had one hour, so they had to play more compact and fast, which they did. The music is jam driven psychedelic rock with some jazzrock touch (great sax improvisations), comparable to what some Swedish progressive rock groups did live in those days (Fläsket Brinner, Harvester,..) with songs appearing in between many terrific psychedelic jams. Band leader Leif Roden remixed the original tape, and it surely is a great discovery/document. Just the last track for me is a bit more demanding.

Homepage : http://www.alrunerod.dk/
Label entry : http://www.karma.dk/cddanske_uk.htm#Alrune_UK
More Danish music for sale : http://www.karma.dk/cddanske_uk.htm
More on Danish prog/psych (Spanish) : http://www.progresiva70s.com/Escandinavos.htm#DINAMARCA
Info on Danish beat music : http://www.kiwi-us.com/~hitomi/pigtradmusik.htm
& http://www.kiwi-us.com/~hitomi/beatcrazy.htm &
http://www.kiwi-us.com/~hitomi/truelove.htm &
http://www.kiwi-us.com/~hitomi/copenhagenbeat.htm
Karma Music     CO4 : Hippieology 2 (DK,1971)*°'

This album of collected recordings by CO4 is an example of how the Danish rock scene started to grow very spontaneously, like a hippie jam, not overly serious, like a bunch of hippies rocking and jamming and covering mostly American examples (Steppenwolf, Cream, Hendrix). 

The recordings weren’t done with too much care, and the voices sound often distorted, perfectly fitting with the raw edge of their singing. With all spontaneity there the music is enjoyable, although never overambitious. I like most the female power vocals on the cover of “New York City”. It seems that the electric guitar tend to soar with improvisations. But it is especially in some of the bonus tracks of live recordings that we hear the talents of the electric guitar going wilder and more psychedelic, very spontaneous within a jammed background.

A fine documentary like document.

Audio : "Min mor hun si'r","Jeg gar her i regnen" (lang udgave) ; video here
Danish info : http://www.priiskorn.dk/
Label entry : http://www.karma.dk/Dk_3.htm#CO4
Karma Music   Cinderella : Udkoksning i Tre Satser (DK,1970-1972)*°°'

The liner notes in the booklet are strangely enough only in Danish, as if there wouldn’t be any foreigners interested in this band.  The only thing I can make of the notes is that they were noticeably influenced by Rory Gallager, Vanilla Fudge, Hendrix and Cream, and secondly by Zeppelin & Doors which from which I don’t find any influence. They covered a Cream song, “Mr.Fantasy”, and two Hendrix tracks, “Fire” and “Break Song”. This last track is really convincing and shows a direct Hendrix endowment, and great solo guitar. I also saw the name Peter Quaife, bass player from The Kinks, mentioned as producer for their only 1971 album.
More or less the only and sure deliberately arranged or prepaired song for the album is “Carlt”, one side of a very good single, which highlights with speeded up heavy percussion (congas, drums,..). I found out that after the single, most of the CD is this LP album, with an additional 5 live tracks. Without knowing that, the CD sounds more or less like one long concert. The group definitely stands in the walking shoes of that part of the psychrock scene which developed out of blues and boogie-woogie. As a progressive band for me they still stand in the shadow of their Swedish neighbours, but as a jamming band they have some convincing elements, although the music sometimes sound somewhat absorbed by the jamming nature, and the poor quality of the live recording is a confirmation to this feeling. We hear mostly fuckin’ rocking long jams and jammed songs, with dirty and fat guitars, which sound pretty smoked, -and who knows drugged and alcohol-boozed-. Like I was mentioning, at times this smoky and stoned atmosphere for the length of the CD works altough at times it is a bit saturating. The best sound for live recordings of this kind of music normally does not always matter too much, but in the end for me it did take its toll ; at the time when the last track, the rock’n roll “Long Tall Sally” comes in, I’m really drunk from the music and tired, and with a feeling as if I’m truly there at the concert I take a break to go for a pee.

Label entry : http://www.karma.dk/Dk_3.htm#Cinderella
Shadoks      Blues Addicts (DK,1970)***°°

This is a reissue of one of the rarest Danish LP’s (most albums were destroyed in a fire), from the interesting start of the Spectator label.

Their style varies a bit between (mostly) hard and (a bit) calmer blues-rock influenced from the start by John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers but also by Cream and Hendrix, from which the acid solos have had their share of inspirations, even though the band crosses a freaking out line a couple times a bit heavier than that. After some good tracks, after the 4th, acid psych-bluesrock track, “Hailow”, the group suddenly bursts out of its borders, with heavy fuzz solos and sonically loaded bass, stoned in its nature. One band member at some point can’t help singing along on the heavy electric guitar solos. “Simple” is most clearly influenced by Hendrix. “Coward Way”, also a great track, is more classic bluesrock with heavy electric guitar, and additional congas to the percussion. “Smukke” is one of the two slower rhythmical tracks, and is sung with sad emotional strength. The last track, “electric” has at some point two extremely heavy electric guitar solos on top of each other, combined with some singing, a raw acid garage sound of drums, and a repeating but still pulling rhythmical electric bass. At some point the guitar rambles like a machine gun, before one last heavy outro solo, leaving the listener somewhat impressed.

-From the Danish Spectator label also 'Days' has just been re-released by the same label (see below). Two other good albums are Terje, Jesper & Joachim, also reissued by the label, and Moses.-

Audio sample 1, 2, 3
Info : http://www.psychedelic-music.com/psychedelic1.html?61,20
Different, Danish issue : http://www.karma.dk/Dk_3.htm
& http://www.discogs.com/release/1097543
& http://www.rockadrome.com/superstore/product_info.php?products_id=1171
& http://ezhevika.blogspot.com/2006/03/blues-addicts-blues-addicts-1970.html
Other descriptions : http://www.cosmiclava.com/column/60s70sroots/volume-2.html
& http://www.popsike.com/php/detaildata.php?itemnr=290139593831
Ratings on http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/blues_addicts/blues_addicts/

Discography from Spectator label : http://www.spectator-records.dk/diskografi.html
Another early album from the Spectator label : Terje Jesper & Joachim ; http://prognotfrog.blogspot.com/2007/08/terje-jesper-joachim-st-denmark-1970.html
and Moses : http://crotchbat.blogspot.com/2006/09/moses-changes-denmark-1971.html
Bad Afro Rec. Baby Woodrose : Chasing Rainbows (DK,2008)***

After having checked quickly the latest Bad Afro releases this one appealed most to me at first. The band recreates the energy from a ‘67 psychedelic vibration, hanging in the air like a haze, and with an addiction to its energy. It is a stylistic approach (the lyrics are less the inspiration than the love for the style and for its effect), but because of this love for its music, a real vibe is there, as if taken from a preserved injection of that ’67 cloud of energy (using elements like reverb, a catchy rhythmic groove, organ, sitar with tabla,..) making a gloomy moody psychedelic lava lamp atmosphere. The label already warned that this is the band's most poppy but also most experimenting and druggy album so far.

Discography : http://www.babywoodrose.com/main-disc.htm
Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/babywoodrose
Label : http://www.badafro.dk/
& http://www.myspace.com/badafrorecordsnext album->
Bad Afro Rec.   The setting Son (DK,2008)**°

The last band with a new release on Bad Afro Records is most close to 60s garage/punk, with raw direct and easy catchy early-freakbeat rhythms, raw distorted guitars, nd catchy melodic themes on organ, and distorted lead vocals (-the label says “snotty vocals”-), all this while still having this danceable bubblegum lava lamp fun making of inspirations. This surely is attractive, but like all the new Bad Afro releases, it is only inspired like this because the members are hopelessly addicted to this style, to make as much music as they can to provide themselves the necessary musical drugs. Mushroom cloud fun to party to !

This 4-piece band features one member of The Aim, another one from The Untamed, and a last one from Baby Woodrose.

I guess this must be nice to experience live.. Don't think too much about it. Just enjoy it. Drink it, dig it, flip, move, dance, smiling.

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/thesettingson
Label : http://www.badafro.dk/
& http://www.myspace.com/badafrorecords
Bad Afro Rec.Dragon Tears : 2000 Micrograms from Home (DK,rec.2005,pub.2008)***

Dragon Tears sound is related to Baby Woodrose, but sounds more spacey, like more modern even more drugged out psychedelia. It is a project featuring members of Baby Woodrose and former members of On Trial. It is a trip taken between Christmas and New Years Eve of 2005, expressed by lots of spaced out reverb fuzz of endless hazing moods, with some additional background strummed guitars (track 1) and glockenspiel background parts (early tracks), looped spaced effects on electric guitar, lost in space and psychedelic melodic keyboards, one tracks with rhythm box, and always song driven (distorted voice). The last and longest track is absorbed in its own hypnotic drug-effect repetitions. On the background of it some spoken word about some vortex trip experience, all with a successful psychedelic effect.


Bad Afro Rec.Dragon Tears : Tambourine Freak Machine (DK,2008)***

Earlier this year the band already had another release, very trippy jammed like psychedelia with distorted vocals, with a focus to the endlessness: very spaced-out. One of the songs is a simple but drugged version of “Masters of War”, and the last track is more rhythmical. Psychedelic!

The band itself was in a fluxus period including changing members from Baby Woodrose, ex-Raveonettes/Spektr, Alive With Worms, On Trial/Spids Noegenhat, Aron/Spids Noegenhat/ex On Trial, Tape Threatments/FXChain.

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/dragontears2000
Label : http://www.badafro.dk/
& http://www.myspace.com/badafrorecords
Other review : http://www.nobrainszine.com/reviews164.htm
Bad Afro Rec.        Baby Woodrose (DK,2009)*°'

Although I wasn’t too keen to review this release, it is because I have reviewed another album before and because of some style elements I still decided to include it. What is positive is that the band uses post-sixties poppy catchy tunes sung on strummed and hand clap rhythms, and with a certain attractive band sound on the surface. What is less good is that this is used too much in a superficial formula, so that this becomes tiring, with a rather loud and overloaded effect, (not only because of the distorted voice), without real dynamism, space and depth, being in fact the opposite of what was the main inspiration in the sixties. For a post-sixties band the memories of the area are created a new superficiality, as an effect which real drugs often provides people too, while under the same name “psychedelia” there also exist a more symbolic experience instead which brought/brings people and inspirations and creativity much further than that. This is but the superficial dream, like a droning noise in the head.

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/babywoodrose
Label : http://www.badafro.dk/
& http://www.myspace.com/badafrorecords
Orpheus Rec.   Aron : Djaevlens Horn -LP- (DK,2007)***°

This is the 3rd solo record by guitarist Morten Aron (On Trial, Spids Nøgenhat, Dragon Tears, Ghost Rocket and Dirty Grass). Some of the songs (with spoken word -in Danish- or whispery singing with wordless vocals in the background as if singing to ghosts, organ drone and keyboards and electric violin) shows a light horror film music tension, sinister and melancholic in nature, slightly like early Antonius Rex but then mixed with a much lighter and sixties flavoured tension. Other songs, which also make use of acoustic guitars and fuzz and a few wah-wah effects show an underlying sadness and melancholy, being lighter than that for its not too complicated, often acoustic fundament. “kom ud i lyset” is more up tempo, like being injected with a thoroughly smoothened and filtered hardrockish flavour, turning the track into a psychedelic dance in the head with a solo of high fuzz notes. The last track is just acoustic guitar. New album (LP/CD) soon !

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/aronblackbeacon
Label info : http://www.orpheusrecords.dk/products.htm
Listing on http://www.psychedelic-music.net/pmdb/db3/db_band.php4?id=636&name=Aron
Other review : http://www.aural-innovations.com/issues/issue38/aron.htm
& http://www.unimeri.com/PsychotropicZone/...
private pressingThe Univerzals : Ocean Of Light (DK,2009)***

The Univerzals have the ambition to span several genres and interests, and while having the true potential of a good rock band that could really span all this at the same time they hardly ever show much more than the one fundament of being an indie pop-rock band with an occasional spacepsych-rock expansion and one track with a moody sax solo and Turkish singer to show also the world music interests. The lyrics are simplistic and pop-like and also the songs are showing mostly a fundament of attraction for a bigger mainstream factory where their expansions and potentials in styles with a good production makes them also attractive for this scene, even when there would be a superficiality involved of why it would be liked for the fashionable labelling of it, this way I don’t think they will be fed with much more grounding to give them more potentional in just their own originality. That seeking process to sounmore d popular makes a benefit for their technical quality, but not yet enough to the sum of their talents. It is for me the hidden bonus track which show for me their strongest possible sound. There they are a rock band, a psychedelic band, a heavy band, and a well arranged band where they show all sorts of aspects at once. The first few tracks now and then use a ska-rhythm influence, and a bit of brass arrangements, it’s pop/rocky, from heavier to relaxed with an overall good indierock sound. Occasionally their approach heads towards the Swedish progressive pop/rock bands. All this still could go anywhere, but I think it would be good to make up their mind if they want to be another popular indie band, a more psychedelic band or something stronger and even more complete thing where they can only guess who will like this or not, but as an indie-rock band they have some interesting strong elements to be noticed.

Homepage : http://www.theuniverzals.com/
Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/theuniverzals & http://www.reverbnation.com/theuniverzals
Other review : http://aural-innovations.com/2009/may/univerzals.htm
& http://www.unimeri.com/PsychotropicZone/...