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Neutral - Du

From the new neutral “När” LP on Omlott. Consensus among the big mean collector-critics of America is that this is Neutral’s “pop record.” I think the other consensus among them was that I (the reader) was a “big shitty baby that wudn’t know a gud record if it dumped me straight in the cakemaker,” whatever that means. I’ve since filed a restraining order against every third record reviewer in a America. But they’re still right, this is Neutral’s warped take on pop. The song above, “Du”, is a somewhat concealed reinterpretation of Chris Knox’s “Not Given Lightly”.

In related news, Gustaf Dicksson (who plays in the band Enhet För Fri Musik with the two members of Neutral) actually has one of his Blod releases available digitally, which is rare for anyone among the collective of Swedish experimentalists he runs with. Blod’s “Leendet från helvetet”, which was recently released on vinyl by Förlag För Fri Musik, can be downloaded via the Zeon Light Bandcamp.

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Neutral, “Brott” from När (Omlott; 2017)

The dark mechanical hum from far-off Gamlestaden continues with the mini-LP När. The guitars have been largely tossed aside on these 8 tracks, favoring instead narcotized synthscapes, warped field recordings (”Bellevue”) and the sickly sweet vocals of Sofie Herner. The results are stunning: opener “Du,” Neutral’s most straightforward track to date, twists and wrecks the skeleton of a love song; “Brott” continues the hushed and gorgeous late night balladeering found on the recent Enhet För Fri Musik LP. While the guitars are missed, it makes their emergence on “Berg 211” and especially “Åter” that much more thrilling. Some people admire the clouds, others can’t see past the cranes and electrical towers stretching skyward. Another critical transmission from the most interesting scene going. Grab the LP direct from Omlott/Musiclovers Distro, or those in the US can scoop it up from Fusetron.

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Neutral - Brott

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A somewhat frustrating, somewhat refreshing thing to post about Det Finns Ett Hjärta Som För Dig, a record that you can’t preview in any way before deciding to make $30+ disappear, but every convenience has its own brand of backlash. Enhet För Fri Musik is a five-piece Swedish outfit featuring both members of Neutral, a current obsession here, and while I can’t speak to the resumés of Hugo, Gus or Matthias (probably the guy behind Födämning/I Dischi Del Barone?), the membership of Dan and Sofie was enough to get me to plunge. I’ve not heard any of the band’s other work, though Aguirre recently reissued the cassette-only Inom Dig, Inom Mig, which went in a flash. Several listens in to this LP and I’m still miffed that a band boasting five members can make music this stark. Both “När Ska Min Själ Finna Ro” and “Bara Min Egen” wouldn’t sound out of place on the Frightening Lights’ LP, 4am burned-out loneliness with the street sweeper still audible in the background. But where the Frightening Lights had some bite in the vocals, Sofie’s turn at the mic sounds utterly crushed, with the accompanying music pushing things toward manic. Elsewhere the band successfully conjures the Art Ensemble of Chicago, in particular their album with Brigitte Fontaine, as on “Solokvist” and “Din Synd.” Most of the album passes in 1-2 minute flashes, but it’s punctuated by the 10+ minute “Fragment Av En Midsommarnattsdröm,” a head-scratcher of the highest order featuring fragments of pre-recorded speech backed by new age keyboards straight outta Twin Peaks, some eerie singing of a nursery rhyme or hymn, and other machined scraps apparently too valuable to be left unused. Neutral fans will obviously find a lot to like here (”Variationer Av En Längtan Till Gud” being my favorite at the moment), though anyone with a willingness to meet the artist on their terms should find something to enjoy within the rich, unvarnished environment. A couple of records a year force you to turn down/tune out everything else; Det Finns Ett Hjärta Som För Dig is one of ‘em.

Buy the LP here. Fusetron typically carries releases by Omlott, so US citizens should keep watch. The Neutral 7″ on I Dischi Del Barone came out a few months ago and also comes highly recommended; it’s a perfect appetizer/room-clearer for the Enhet För Fri Musik LP.

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Private Arms, “Peculiar Fiction” from Your Words Drip Like Wet Saliva (2017)

New track from Dan Johansson, ½ of Gothenburg, Sweden duo Neutral. If I had my wits about me last year, I’dve checked in with Neutral sooner than this past winter: their self-titled LP on Omlott retroactively tops my “Best of” list for 2016. Neutral was a subtle, corroded take on rock, barreling head down in the cold to throw a sheet of aluminum on the barrel fire. Dan’s Private Arms project keeps the same downward cast, coming across like a more sinister Garbage & the Flowers on “Peculiar Fiction.” Guitars strum easily at first, then start to twitch and whirr on their own, eventually opening up like popcorn kernels towards the end. There’s more than a little help from the other ½ of Neutral, Sofie Herner, whose vocals half stumble into a chorus with the way she sighs the title of the track. It’s grating and gripping, a measured dose of steely resolve, jaws set against this whole mess - “And I smiled,” indeed.

You can grab the Private Arms LP, out on Förlag För Fri Musik, from Musiclovers Distro in Sweden. It’s limited to 100 copies, so move it. Statesiders with ice in their veins can wait and see if Fusetron will get a handful of copies. Sofie just came out with an LP as Leda, also on Förlag För Fri Musik, called Gitarrmusik III - X; Musiclovers is out of that one, but again, ya might get lucky with Fusetron. I Dischi Del Barone put out a Leda 7″ last year, which comes highly recommended - both Fusetron and Tedium House are stocked. Lastly: buy that goddamn Neutral LP that came out a year ago.

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Dog Life - Self-titled

Omlott

2014

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Arv & Miljö, “Hjärteregn, Rinn Oförmärkt,” forthcoming on Omlott

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