Nowadays, when bands are touted as "psychedelic" that usually means one of two things. First, they could be starry eyed jammers who explore space with their cosmic, open-ended improvisations. Second, they could be 60s acolytes who seek to recreate the whimsical pop of the original psychedelic era. So when I heard of Dungen through a couple of acquaintances on the ProgArchives forum, I was interested because I like both of those kinds of bands but did not have high expectations. I found a used CD of Dungen's 4, which is their fourth or fifth album depending on whom you ask, and any expectations I had were immediately exceeded.
Dungen are a Swedish 4-piece band led by composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Gustav Ejstes. His compositional focus is on piano and vocal harmonies, but he layers his songs with atmosphere, including ambient, jazzy drumming. Ejstes has been blessed with one of the finest guitarists in Sweden, Reine Fiske, who has played with several great Swedish bands I have encountered over the years (Landberk, Morte Macabre, and Träd, Gräs och Stenar, to name three). Fiske takes intricate psychedelic miniatures to the next level with his overdriven but atmospheric lead guitar. He takes the lead on two of the tracks, "Samtidigt 1" and "Samtidigt 2", both excerpts from a long instrumental jam that would make Devadip Santana nod with approval.
Dungen's music is hard to describe - concise song lengths (all in the 3-4 minute range) yet seeming much bigger than they are. Songwriting and instrumental choices sound modern but seem deeply rooted in the kind of 1960s attitude that gave birth to those early psychedelic classics, without sounding like any of them.
Of the vocal pieces, the highlights are many. The opening "Sätt att Se" ("Ways to See") sets a terrific mood with its echoing piano and booming drums, and a vocal melody that at first reminded me of Radiohead. The song drifts unhurriedly, not adhering to any verse/chorus format, yet it leaves a captivating aftertaste when it ends 4 minutes later. My favorite track, "Mina Damer och Fasaner" ("My Ladies and Pheasants") wonderfully ties together multiple musical themes - the main vocal part, the more insistent rhythmic chug of a bass-led theme, and a lead guitar melody to punctuate it.
The track list also boasts a beautiful piano-led instrumental in "Målerås Finest", which sounds like a cozy night by the fireplace. It underlines the dominant mood of Dungen's 4: it's not trying to blow you into space, and it's not trying to tickle your funny bone with whimsical madness. Instead, it's a unique musical platform for the fanciful musical ideas in Ejstes' head that don't seem to adhere to any particular tradition, and for the fantastic players who help him realize that vision.
Dan:
When I was in my 20s, psychedelic music was brand new and exciting. 1968 was the year in which the guitar style displayed on Dungen's 4 solidified into a discernible genre. Frankly, I never thought I'd see the day when the guitar techniques of 1968 would be considered "retro" and played by a Swedish band 40 years later.
People who dig this style should go back to the origins: Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes playing "Journey to the Center of Your Mind;" James Gurley's screeching introduction to "Ball and Chain," Janis Joplin's tour de force on Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills; Norman Greenbaum's fuzz box riff on "Spirit in the Sky;" Jorma Kaukonen's opening chord on Jefferson Airplane's "The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil" from After Bathing at Baxter's; and some guy named Jimi.
The highly distorted, overdriven way of playing once shocked the music world. Dungen carry on the tradition more politely but sincerely and faithfully. It's a bit odd but also enjoyable for me to experience psychedelia in this way. Too bad I don't understand Swedish, but that's on me.
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