Customer Reviews

Tillbaka Till Samtiden (Back to the Contemporary)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I admit, when I caught word that Kent's newest album Tillbaka Till Samtiden would strongly feature Depeche Mode-inspired synths, I was filled with skepticism. To me, Kent represented some of the finest alt-rock music I've ever heard, already with 6 great rock albums under their Swedish belts. Luckily for me, this album is to Kent what Kid A was for Radiohead - a radical shift in direction, but arguably some of the best material both bands have recorded.

A glimpse of the album...

The first track, Elefanter, follows Kent's tradition of playing amazing opening tracks on their albums, a long, dark labyrinth of synths with minimal emphasis on the chorus. Berlin seems like Elefanter part 2, with dark and chunky but infectious synths blending perfectly with Joachim Berg's voice. The lead single Ingenting encapsulates the best Tillbaka Till Samtiden has to offer, both as a statement of Kent's change in musical direction and as a relentless, intense techno jam. Berg's voice that song quivers and erupts along with the music in ways I've never heard him sing before, a definite indicator that he's also evolving as a singer. Columbus is another high point in the album, a hearbreaking song that juxtaposes dark and emotional synths with a beautifully uplifting and inspirational chorus.

A couple of succeeding songs, Vy Fran Ett Luftslott and Vaga Vara Radd, break away from the thus dark mood of the album - a dish of refreshing and excellently-crafted Vapen & Ammunition-style music. The closing three songs are great and each very different from one another but could be stronger, especially in comparison to the three opening songs which started Tillbaka Till Samtiden at a glass-breaking high note.

All in all, Tillbaka Till Samtiden is another testament to the enduring musical genius of Kent, tying Du & Jag Doden as my favorite Kent album and a definite must-have for any Kent collection.

I wasn't sure if they could top Du and Jag Doden (which in my opinion was nearly flawless), but they might have done it with this. Give it a few listens to let the songs sink in. Thank goodness Kent exists!

Kent is back, strong very strong... Their best since "Isola" in 1998. Songs like "Berlin" and "Ingenting", brings them to an international level. I live in Los Angeles and played "Ingenting" to my friends, and they just went crazy.

Try also to listen to "Ingenting" and "Killer" by Seal, same groove also almost same BPM...

Buy it if you can get, you would not be disappointed...

I've been a Kent fan since I happened to catch "747" on MTV2 late one night. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before, and now close to a decade later I'm still hooked.

I was anxiously awaiting this release as I'd felt that my music selection in general was growing stale. I was quite happy with the previous release of Du & Jag Doden but felt that without standouts like Palace & Main and Max 500 that it was just average, especially considering what Kent is capable of.

The first time I popped this CD in and went for a long drive on the backroads, I was absolutely stunned. The first 2 minutes of the opening track "Elefanter" had me extremely confused until all of the sudden it exploded and the rest of the CD never came down off that high. It seems like a first for a Kent album, but the entire CD seemed to flow as one giant 50-minute piece rather than track-by-track. It's extremely hard to pick favorites on this CD, but "Vy Från Ett Luftslott" is absolutely one of the best and I think a perfect blend of old and new style Kent. I was also quite taken back by "Generation Ex" which brings an epic sound reminiscient of the end track of Du & Jag Doden (Mannen I Den Vita Hatten).

Overall, an absolutely fantastic effort that transcends any language barriers and doesn't have a single weak song. Personally I think it's best enjoyed beginning to end with no interruptions, but I'd urge everyone to just listen and find out for yourself.

I bought this CD, along with both versions of Isola, after hearing one single song by this band. They are that good. In fact, it's impossible to believe how amazing they are. If I could give them 100 stars...I would! I haven't stopped listening to them non-stop and I barely know any Swedish.

There are SO many awesome songs on this CD that I can barely contain myself...but I shall!

My favorite songs are: Berlin/Igenting/Columbus/Vy Från Ett Luftslott/Våga Vara Rädd/Generation Ex/Ensammast i Sverige...I can't decide which of them are the best.

Like my review title states, I've desperately waited for an American band to blow me out of the water and cause me to constantly play their cd's over and over...that hasn't happened and although I have to jump through a few hoops to find 'kent' CD's, it's completely worth it.

When I put TILLBAKA TILL SAMTIDEN ("Back to contemporary") in the player for the first time, I was almost in stitches with high expectations. Kent's previous album DU OCH JAG, DÖDEN is a masterpiece in my eyes, possibly my favorite album of theirs as of 2008. Songs like "Klåparen" and "Mannen i den vita hatten" are doomed to put me at the verge of tears every now and then. With DÖDEN in mind, TILLBAKA TILL SAMTIDEN left me somewhat astonished, to say the least. While Berg's texts shone as much as before, fuzzy guitars had largely been replaced by heavy synths. This was solid enough, I thought afterwards, but not what I expected.

In retrospect, I realize that I was the one to blame. One of the things to be aware of with Kent is that only one thing should be expected of them; that one thing is that, whatever the surface may sound like from one album to another, they do always remain Kent. As I realized this, several tracks began to grow on me. The brutality of "Elefanter." The beauty of "Columbus." The frustration of "Generation Ex." The irony in "Våga vara rädd." The cunning wisdom of "Ensammast i Sverige," where the narrator seems to have reached a sort of compromise about accepting the hopelessness he experiences. Every track seems to work best in context to one another, flowing itself into one burning statement. As the title of the album indicates, the subject of time plays a major role on SAMTIDEN, and as is to be expected, songwriter Joakim Berg's focus seems to be mostly aimed at the frustrating aspects of this subject. However, what stands as equally inevitable is the group's ability to cover such frustration through a musical approach which, in essence, turns the listening of the album into a beautiful experience.

TILLBAKA TILL SAMTIDEN may require repeated listenings, but it's worth the effort. Despite the new sound, it does in the end come off as a natural follow-up to DU OCH JAG, DÖDEN, and stands among their very best work. Beautiful.

I've never listened to a kent song that I didn't like. As an artist, they are the perfect band to listen to when I work.

I do like the album, especially Generation Ex. But all in all this may not be their best album.

These guys keep putting out amazing CD's. How about a world tour? Maybe they can get U2 to open for them.

Getting a copy of even one song off this album has been difficult. It's not available on the U.S. version of iTunes. I originally heard this song when SonyBMG Sweden featured a video clip of it on YouTube. After they made it unavailable to Internet users in the U.S., I decided to spring for this album.

Although I'm not normally into techno or particularly dark music, I found this album to be quite good. I think the band is more accomplished than I originally had believed.