DUNGEN
Ta det lugnt (Subliminal Sounds)
Reviewed by Sherman Wick

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I purchased this record entirely by accident. At a cool local indie record store, Dungen's ta det lugnt was in the new in-store import section. Someone had inadvertently confused the band with fellow Swede and intriguing singer/ songwriter Nicolai Dunger. The written laudatory praise in the upper right-hand corner had obscured the name of the group/ singer; and also my receipt said that I had purchased a CD by Dunger.

I have not mistakenly bought a record since I was living in a tent in Sarasota, Florida in the winter 1993-1994 after graduating from the frigid University of Minnesota. Finding cool records was nearly impossible in Florida. So it was a tremendous surprise when I visited a cheesy chain record store and found something to my liking in the cut-out section. It was the Godz! One of the strangest and enjoyably incompetent bands in rock history, and fearlessly championed by the late great rock critic Lester Bangs. I bought it and was very excited to hear something challenging. But what I got was sludgy 70s metal. The band was an entirely unrelated Godz.

That is not the case with the Dungen record. My first reaction was to return it. But I listened and liked it. The band plays psychedelic music that was seemingly transported in a time machine, the only thing missing was shoddy recording quality, plus a smidgen of folk and progressive rock.

Dungen is primarily the creative effort of Gustav Ejstes. He serves as singer, songwriter and guitarist. This is the band's third record. Unfortunately, my inability to speak Swedish excludes me from commenting on the lyrics. Musically, the band has some excellent work. The psychedelic pop rockers are their best work. "Bortglömd" features soaring pop and excellent guitar work. The singer also demonstrates his ability to arrange a song and create a melody on "Lipsill," a mellow tune with subtle percussion work, piano and violins. The band's forays into progressive rock, however, are dull. They are reminiscent of the malodorous sludge created in the 70s by pseudo-profound stoners like post-Syd Barrett Pink Floyd. The worst offender is the instrumental "Det du Tänker idag är du I Morgen." It begins with an okay piano riff. Sadly, a flute with ample reverb enters into the song, and this continues for far too many stagnant glacially crawling verses. Hopefully in the future Dungen will stick with the psychedelic pop. Ejstes has a genuine talent for writing in the idiom.

© 2005 - Sherman Wick