Dungen
4
Subliminal Sounds/Kemado Records

Atmospheric, jazzy, psychedelic, and soaked with the jam band instincts of the late 60s, "4" is a fantastic album. Opener "Sätt att se" sets the tone for this cinematic experimentation with freeform rock and jazz, the retro production adding further depth to the nostalgic experience - warm, buzzing guitar notes; no sharp edges anywhere, just wave after wave of layered instrumentation. The fact that frontman Gustav Ejstes sings in Swedish does not necessarily matter, not in the way that Markus Krunegård's record suffers for non-Swedish speakers - the beauty of Dungen is in watching the band's songs augment, gain inertia, evolve, and one doesn't have to understand Ejstes' lyrics to witness the progression of the compositions. "Fredag" has quickly become one of my favorite Dungen tracks, though there isn't a bad song to be found on "4". It may not make my Top 10 of 2008, but "4" might well outlive some of those that do through sheer talent and timelessness.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson