Some thoughts on Då som nu för alltid
The best reviews can give an album the credit it is due despite the “baggage” that comes with the history of a band. Like Kurt Cobain and In Utero, a final work takes on a much bigger importance afterwards. And I guess Då som nu för alltid does have a shadow over it for that reason, and one that is hard to shake. So it took me a while to write anything cohesive about this.
So, this is the end of a run of albums that for the most part has been nothing but pleasure for me. The anticipation and excitement of an album by kent is the same as seeing an old friend for the first time in years. Even though I am older and my senses have become duller for certain things, they do still light up from time to time. I should say that many new bands give me that pleasure. But most of the flames I once had for older bands are now flickers of nostalgia for the old days. With kent, I always want the new not the old.
As I started listening, I wonder if the “death” theme marks a strange symmetry in the bands career. Du & Jag Döden is now seen as the “end” of one version of the band, and Då som nu för alltid is the end of another. On the first listen, I have to say I got the same feeling that I did when I listened to Röd. Unlike the last 3 kent albums which I could form an opinion on very quickly, this one feels somehow deeper. It needs several listens in a variety of settings to “click.”
A song like Den vänstra stranden is a great example. While the over the top synth sounds can seem too much at first, they become normal soon enough. I see the record as a continuation and completion of the last 4 albums, like kurvitz wrote. Since EPIS, the band have been less and less indulgent in their sound. There’s no fat to trim and the songs are lean and to the point.
While the production has become lighter to suit the theme of later life, the songs have also become more straightforward. There is nowhere for an unimaginative arrangement to hide. There are some similarities to the last few works under the production however. The 1-2 1-2 chord progression of Andromeda is not too far from Mirage when you unpick it. Although it's true, the production and playing could not be more different. The big hits of “vi var kids - just kids” give you an sign that this is no mere re-run of the last few albums.
For the most part though, Då som nu för alltid begins where Tigerdrottningen left off. The band surrounded by all the glittering sounds they’ve created over the last 10 years. Tennsoldater is a perfect example of this. The smooth and subtle arrangements allow the lyrics to come through and everything is there for a reason. Another thing that hits me about this is that nothing gets in the way of anything else. The verses of Vi är för alltid are a great example of this. The delayed guitars make a wet soundscape which wraps around the deep vocal. Beneath this, the electro style drums are much more subtle than they might be on a big “live” sounding kit. I have a feeling that this song in particular would be absolutely huge live.
If there is a weakness, I think the bridge from track 3 to track 6 is a little "light." I feel that Nattpojken & Dagflickan is quite a nice song on its own. But I also think it sucks a little bit of momentum out of the album just as it gets going. This falls into the category of Ruta 1 and Innan himlen faller ner for me. Songs that have their merits but don't connect for one reason and another, and arguably are a tweak away from being great rather than good. I think there is a good argument that Egoist should have made it onto the final tracklist. However, I totally can see why it didn't. It would remove some variety and pacing from the album. But having that song would take it from a 9 to a 10/10 purely because (in my humble opinion) it's a better song than N&D. If I could find an Egoist shaped hole, I guess it could fit as track 3 or 4. The glitchy guitar would sit quite well with Vi är för alltid next to it.
After track 5 it’s nothing but a downhill (in a good way) run to the finish. Vi är inte längre där and Förlåtelsen are both huge songs and are up there with the best songs they've written. The first of these two is one of those classic happy/sad contradictions. The music verges on the celebratory, while the lyrics suggest a sad or difficult thought. The result is heart wrenching, and even though it not about the end of the band, it carries an undeniable weight. I don’t know what to say about Förlåtelsen. It’s up there with the best they’ve ever done. To boot, it’s a “windows down, arms up play it loud” kind of song.
And as we go through the 2nd half of the album, something else occurs to me. As the album progresses the instrumentation becomes more straightforward. The arrangements are much more "naked." The songs are more and more stripped down to the bare elements and the other instruments, synths, (bells and whistles if you like) fade away. While it's by no means a simple band record by this stage, it does feel like a shedding of skin (perhaps quite literally) as the record goes on. By the end, all that is left in the end is the 4 guys in a room playing, apart from a a glistening synth here and a pad there. It's a subtle change, and possibly not deliberate, but it's quite poignant to imagine the guys rehearsing in a studio in 2016, just like they did in the early 90s.
After this point, it feels like the final part of the album is about saying everything that is still unsaid, and Gigi is another curveball. I’m not quite sure if it is a critique on the current music scene, a critique of the band themselves, or the fans. Musically this is one of the bigger curveballs on the album. Starting with an Ensamheten like guitar piece, before going for a big Queen-esque stomp.
The final act is completely sublime though. The flow, the sadness and the sound of Falska profeter is the closest thing to the classic kent band sound. I'd say it almost harks back to sounds last heard on Du & jag döden. The final refrain typifies the beauty of the arrangements across the whole album.
I’m not sure what you can say about Den sista sången. It’s stark, obvious and brutal goodbye. And in keeping with the theme of the album, it doesn’t outstay its welcome. This is an emotional goodbye, and it packs an extra punch the first few times you hear it. As the ending comes through from the kids singing, to the instrumental and the final chorus, the final section is both short and sweet. And as such, the last word is just that. The song is gone before you can catch your breath.
Despite the sadness, as the final chord rings out, I feel like celebrating. Over the years I have seen many great bands fail. I’ve seen it happen with an “open letter” to the fans and a messy split. I’ve seen bands spat out by the record industry machine. I've seen great bands run out of money and never recover (or record) again. I’ve seen bands limp into relative obscurity and then call it quits on a quiet rainy January. Kent somehow managed to miss all those steps and bow out with a triumph.
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Ursprungligen postat av Kobbe
