Customer Reviews

4 [Vinyl]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I don't understand how this band continues to make the most genuinely great psychedelic revivalist music and still seems relatively unnoticed. This album is more of the same gorgeously grungy, heady, intricately structured and virtuously played psych that could have arisen from the most acid filled sweat cloud at woodstock - if the festival had been a Swedish affair. Like a loosely jazzed up version of Zep's more progressive stuff...kinda. Just buy this album. Gustav Ejstes is the most criminally unappreciated complete package in indierock today (if Dungen can even be said to operate in that realm), as he writes, performs, and records pretty much everything you hear on their albums. And if you ask me his records seem more like an incentive to learn the Swedish language. Much in the same way that it works for Sigur Ros, the fact that I have no idea what hes saying probably makes their records more enjoyable allowing his voice to remain as another instrumental layer rather than bare the potential burden of having him sing at me about love or magic or who knows what hes talking about. Any fans of Sigur Ros or Radiohead, Jimi, Zep, Jefferson Airplane, the Dead, jazz, Swedes, smoking pot, drugs in general, hope and freedom, or looking to have a good time will eat this up.

Dungen 4 is what I want to hear if I ever go to a late night "coffee" shop in Amsterdam. Intoxicating Swedish psych rockers orbiting planet Opium. I haven't the foggiest idea what they're singing, but only half the songs have lyrics anyway. Sounds like it could've been recorded in 1968 and that's fine by me. A very warm, almost cloudy production. Overall pretty mellow except for a few well placed not giving a sh!!t guitar freakout jams. The piano played by mastermind Gustav Ejstes floats throughout the record, but knows when to lay back for some strings, a little flute or the afformentioned shredding. Basically if you took the spacey, introspective segues out of their 2004 album Ta Det Lugnt and made an album, this'd be it.

Oh and one last thing, samidigit 2 must be Swedish for dark star.

an indispensable add to any cd collection. i wasnt even halfway through the cd when i made up mind to buy it. im a bit of a beginner when it comes to swedish bands, and this cd opens new dimensions. sorta kinda reminds me of frank zappa.

had no regrets when i went through the cd. get. it. now.

I'm not getting the Zappa references that the previous reviewers were talking about.....This actually reminds me more of early Caravan. It's funny how so many of these tracks stick in your head - and so many of them are instrumental! Lotta piano.....a great morning album ; it's very laid-back to me, but still strange, like they discovered some REALLY potent herb. There's a few instances of distorted, feedback-laden guitar, but not NEARLY as much as on the last two discs. My absolute favorite Dungen is Stadsvandringar, but this is a close second. By the way, hopefully you won't be bothered by the fact he sings in Swedish. Doesn't bother me, personally. They're one of my favorite contemporary bands and I love the direction they're going in : it's very pleasant and very tasteful.

This is my first Dungen album purchase and it was a good way to jump into the group's music. I first heard them on XM years ago before Uncle Mel ruined it with the Sirius merger, but that's neither here nor there. What matters is the sound, and Dungen have a very melodic, almost episodic way of making music.

To be honest, the only way I can describe it would be a chilly Nordic morning. Invigorating and embracing but cold and stoic. OK, that sounds really stupid. Just listen and chill out for a while, m-kay?

Swedish psychedelic band's fourth studio CD. Glad that I had a friend who happened to lend me his copy of '4' instead of having to buy it myself. This '4' disc is decent, but it simply didn't do all that much for me - however it does have it's moments. Tunes that are worth checking out to interest person(s) include "Samtidigt 1", "Fredag", maybe "Finns Det Nagon Mojlighet" and most definitely the beautifully-played "Samtidigt 2" [this CD's best cut]. Might appeal to fans of Wooden Shjips, Black Mountain, The Olivia Tremor Control and Life On Earth.

This is beautiful music. Sure, there are moments in the album that could sound like a sitcom-opening (1:30 into Marleras Finest), but moments are few and far between. More representative are moments like the last minute and a half of Fredag, where Dungen crafts a relentless and driving ending that crescendoes into some sort of desperate hope. I'll admit though, if you need your rock bands to remain pure guitar/bass/drums then this may not be for you. They bring into play lots of other instruments, making use of piano, violins, and a whole bunch of other instruments I can't idenitfy. This is no heavy metal or noise rock, but it is still about as far from lite-jazz rock as I can imagine.

so just finished my 3rd listen. I really dig this record. I've been a fan since Ta det Lungt. I wasn't nearly as impressed with the follow to that record because of all the endless go nowhere jamming that took place. I'm a huge fan of structure. Well with 4 dungen has delivered a bit more polished and structured piece of work while still allowing for some spaced out improvs and unpredictable turns and they still maintain classic old school 60's psych analog sound. This album is a bit more mellow than previous ones and was also recorded with fellow band mates which is a first for this band as far as i'm aware of. Gustav is mainly playing piano while the rest of the band plays their respective instrument. I think this is a great progression to the band and probably helped with the overall structured sound of the record. So all fans of this band should get this album. You'll enjoy it. And if you haven't heard these guys before still buy this record as well as Ta det lungt.

On Dungen's 5th album, principal songwriter Gustav Ejstes attempts to recapture the vibe that prevailed on Ta Det Lugnt. On 4, Dungen is the closest at functioning as a full time band instead of relying on one multi-instrumentalist. On this album, the band styles range from free jazz to psychedelic rock.

The album is definitely a mixed bag and unfortunately it is mostly dull. The first half of this album sounded like waiting room music, or a bad Saturday afternoon cinema soundtrack. I could not get into it at all, as it sounded so uninspiring. Unless your idea of a good time is chilling to Muzak at the doctor's office, I do not know who could find this stuff interesting.

On `Samtidit 1', Dungen creatively rips off the sound of 70's blues-rock riffs. This turgid song goes on far too long with the noodling guitar solo before making way for some jazz infused lite rock. Things get psychedelic with `Finns Det Nagon Mojlighet', which opens with a guitar squall before more jazz-rock. The rest of the album follows this pattern until it mercifully concludes.

Buy this only if you want to hear some refried retro 1970's jazz rock.

Avoid.

This is a great album, but think twice before you buy it. It contains copyright protection that prohibits it from being played on a PC or from being ripped to MP3. I am furious that Amazon sold me a product with such a limitation.