Blossoming past the confines of traditional songwriting, Fredrik's newest album "Flora" is a melancholy outing carpeted with of horns, bells, and guitars. Sure, it's what we've come to expect from the Swedish experimental trio (two members who also perform as the criminally underrated band, The LK) -- but it's also more than most fringe-folk acts could hope deliver.
A lo-key, densely arranged cacophony, theirs is a brand of hypnotic chanting and melodic repetition that could easily grow stale or downright grating in lesser, or less restrained hands. Instead, we're offered remarkable variance, from the clattering urgency of "Vattenfront" to the haunting, never-quite-peaking crescendo of "Inventress of ill (and everything)". Though perhaps it's the driving, narrative-heavy track "The shape and colour of things gone blind" (a reference to member Ola Lindefelt's reported synesthesia) that offers the best context in which to discuss/dissect the album. Armed with a world-view turned some 180-degrees from current trends, Fredrik doesn't just make music to hear, but to get lost in. - Laura Studarus
Having blossomed into a three-piece, with Anna Moberg making her debut on "Origami", Fredrik's newest effort builds on the dreamscapes explored on the collected EPs of "Trilogi". The introduction of a new member often changes a group's sound, for the better in Fredrik's case, but it's subtle; the "Origami" EP could have been included alongside the three collected in "Trilogi" without feeling forced or tacked on. The same ethereal quality remains, but the first two tracks on "Origami", "Dance of the peacock phantom" and "White on white", feel more focused than many of the efforts on "Trilogi", all without seeming divorced from the contemplative nature of that record. The layering on these first two tracks is wonderful, creating a lush soundscape that doesn't feel rushed through despite the relatively short lengths of the songs, and yet unveils new aspects with each listen. Closer "ABC", clocking in at almost seven minutes, is gorgeous: meditative without meandering, the constant percussion driving the airy instrumentation along, giving a sense of tangibility to the abstract composition. If this is a taste of what's to come, I'm excited to see what Fredrik have planned for 2011. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
As hinted at in yesterday's top 10 list, Fredrik has a new album on the way next spring and it's now been confirmed that it will be called "Flora" and it will be released on March 29 via . Download the track "Dance of the peacock phantom" from the band's excellent new EP "Origami" for a taste of where they're heading: http://www.thekorarecords.com/sounds/DOTPP.mp3
Malmö-based act Fredrik will be releasing new 7" EP called "Origami" on November 16 via featuring the group's very first recordings as a trio following the addition of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Anna Moberg as a permanent member. Full details: http://www.thekorarecords.com/fredrik-origami.html
Otherwise, the band is hard at work on their new album, due out next March.
Fredrik
Fredrik
