Då Som Nu För Alltid

[Kurvitz]

Something that I noticed when I was doing the song translations, and I'm not sure how obvious it is when you read the english versions, is that in the songs from Då som nu för alltid, is that there are lots of references to other, earlier kent songs. So many that I feel they are deliberate, and not just a common phrases or words..

Interesting. Maybe you guys wanna draw our attention to some of these references? I wouldn't mind a little list... I like lists

Re: the lack of promotion, it is strange. But then, the tour to draw a line under the band is one of the biggest that they will undertake.

Really? The huge announcement video for Da Som Ny? And wasn't there like a march with the drummer girl from the Da Som Ny video in Eskilstuna, where people went to this large hall and listened to the album together? And a radio documentary "500 miles of snow" where kent fans speak of their memories with the band? I've heard all sorts of little tidbits. (I'm google translating reviews now, that's how info-starved I am). On the other hand, I agree there should be more. They have some of the best music videos by any band ever. How they've basically stopped making them since Röd is, to me, the one thing they did wrong at the end of their career. Max 500 and Dom Andra were integral to making V&A and D&JD feel huge.

[stjärnor]

The promotion thing I was talking about was more of the 'direct' promotion by the band (tweets with song info and studio photos, interviews, forum posts, etc), I know we've had the DSNFA announcement video and the pre-release listening, but it feels disconnected in some way to me.

And the thing with the song references is, that I hear them when listening to (but not concentrating on) the album, but I'll try and find some just now, and if anyone else spots any (or I remember them), then they can be added to the thread.
Oh and they're not exactly the same as lyrics from other songs, but more a hint, a word or a title that 'feels' like something else, if you get my meaning...

Andromeda- Vi var kids (just kids), I en spökstad (we were kids, just kids, in a ghost town)
Spökstad- Jag växte upp i en spökstad (I grew up in a ghost town)

Den vänstra stranden- Jag tar den långa vägen hem (I took the long way home)
Ensam lång väg hem- Det blev en ensam lång väg hem (It was a lonely long road home)

Nattpojken & dagflickan- Nu är de luft i ett luftslott (now they are air in a castle in the sky)
Vy från ett luftslott (view from a castle in the sky)

Falska profeter- Murar av betong växer omkring oss (walls of concrete grow around us)
På drift- November är en mur av våt betong (November is a wall of wet concrete)

Falska Profeter- Jag ska vara ditt land
, Du ska va min armé
 (I will be your country, you will be my army)
Kevlarsjäl- Mitt land är ditt land, allt är fritt (my country is your country, everything is free) & Du var min armé (You were my army)

There will be more, even if it's just a word, like socker/ sugar, etc.

[Kurvitz]

Thanks, very unterestingf. I've caught some of those myself too. I definitely agree that they're deliberate references. Especially in light of the reference easter egg hunt of the Da Som Ny För Alltid video.

[dumblikeamoose]

And the thing with the song references is, that I hear them when listening to (but not concentrating on) the album, but I'll try and find some just now, and if anyone else spots any (or I remember them), then they can be added to the thread.
Oh and they're not exactly the same as lyrics from other songs, but more a hint, a word or a title that 'feels' like something else, if you get my meaning...

A few I noticed...

Skyll inte ifrån dig - Det finns en tid när allt hopp kommer hänga / På den svagaste länken i kedjan
Ruta 1 - Jag är kedjans svagaste länk / men jag håller samman den

Gigi - nåt som levde som är dött
Sjukhus - inget lever men ingen dör

Falsker Profeter - jag tänder mina röda ljus
Rödljus

[stjärnor]

Thanks! I knew there was one about a weak link in a chain somewhere....
And how did I miss the sjukhus (dör) one?!

[J. Bergtagen]

The level of this thread compared to the Swedish one is so high at the moment that it is ridiculous.
Interesting stuff, folks.

[dumblikeamoose]

Thanks! I knew there was one about a weak link in a chain somewhere....
And how did I miss the sjukhus (dör) one?!

Haha, I thought I might be reaching a bit with the Sjukhus one... but I've always liked that line and the alive/dead parallel struck me when I heard Gigi .

The level of this thread compared to the Swedish one is so high at the moment that it is ridiculous.
Interesting stuff, folks.

*smug face*

[jazzpurist]

Interesting. Maybe you guys wanna draw our attention to some of these references? I wouldn't mind a little list... I like lists




Really? The huge announcement video for Da Som Ny? And wasn't there like a march with the drummer girl from the Da Som Ny video in Eskilstuna, where people went to this large hall and listened to the album together? And a radio documentary "500 miles of snow" where kent fans speak of their memories with the band? I've heard all sorts of little tidbits. (I'm google translating reviews now, that's how info-starved I am). On the other hand, I agree there should be more. They have some of the best music videos by any band ever. How they've basically stopped making them since Röd is, to me, the one thing they did wrong at the end of their career. Max 500 and Dom Andra were integral to making V&A and D&JD feel huge.

I've just been to Stockholm for a few days and kent is plastered over the whole city, you can't go 500 m without bumping into a promo poster. I wouldn't exactly call that lack of promotion either.

The level of this thread compared to the Swedish one is so high at the moment that it is ridiculous.
Interesting stuff, folks.

Considering what is going on in that thread it is really not much of a compliment. But we are quite used to being patronized here.

[J. Bergtagen]

Considering what is going on in that thread it is really not much of a compliment. But we are quite used to being patronized here.

I haven't got the impression that you get patronized here, so maybe that's your personal perception. Anyway, I do find the stuff here very interesting (regardless if that is patronizing). With the references to previous songs, that is. Hope we can stay focused on the music, sorry if I drifted away from the topic. Regarding references I find song 1 and 11 quite connected. Andromeda and stars that fall, child voices, and isn't there some words about not regretting anything in both songs? I think so...

[.namnlös]

Really? The huge announcement video for Da Som Ny? And wasn't there like a march with the drummer girl from the Da Som Ny video in Eskilstuna, where people went to this large hall and listened to the album together? And a radio documentary "500 miles of snow" where kent fans speak of their memories with the band? I've heard all sorts of little tidbits. (I'm google translating reviews now, that's how info-starved I am). On the other hand, I agree there should be more. They have some of the best music videos by any band ever. How they've basically stopped making them since Röd is, to me, the one thing they did wrong at the end of their career. Max 500 and Dom Andra were integral to making V&A and D&JD feel huge.

I suppose 2 points on this (one made for me by jazzpurist.) First of all, I can't understate what being a fan outside Sweden is like. We don't see posters or any of that. And we also rely on Swedes or Kent themselves promoting something that they are doing in the media. And like I just did, we forget that stuff is being promoted to people in Scandinavia.

I think my comment was more based on the trajectory of promotional activity over the past 7-8 years. As you say, if you wind back to Röd, you have full on campaigns around each single, posters, videos, TV appearances (playing Svarta Linjer) interviews, the Nordic Rox thing etc etc. Since then, each aspect of this has been stripped back or removed entirely. Tigerdrottningen was fairly minimal in terms of press activity and the videos were cut from the same shoot, only a handful of gigs etc. I have to say I don't blame the band, I'm sure a lot of the promo stuff is really boring to do. So arriving at this album, that reduction has reached a logical conclusion (which is not a bad thing for a final album.) But at stjänor mentions, usually we hear something from Jocke about his lyric sheets, or reactions to fans about the songs. Either way, this is exceptionally minimal compared to "usual" but then things were already heading this way.

However (and I am speculating here) I get the impression that whatever is coming for winter is BIG. And by that, I get the impression that then we will see interviews and other things about the band. This is of course the perfect time to do it. It's time to reflect and time to roll back the years as we all say goodbye. But of course to do that, something had to be sacrificed to not deflect attention away from it. And perhaps in this case it was a batch of stuff (including a small album tour) to support the current album. So perhaps the idea was to give this album as a gift to the fans, relatively unblemished by a hard promo push, and wait for the winter for the big party. Just a thought anyway.

[stjärnor]

Another one:

Nattpojken och dagflickan- Fjädrar på drift
Som maskrosfrön i vindarna
På drift

[Kurvitz]

Lately I've been spinning Förlatelsen on repeat. It's what you call a monster. A big fucking hit. A real whale. A whopper. An absolute high octane miracle song and they should make a huge bonkers video for it, with confetti and broken heart symbols and slow motion fireworks. This is the catchiest, most energetic, shiniest and most populist thing they've done since Vapen & Ammunition I think. I even know the stupid last summer's hit they got the idea for the chorus from. I'm not saying which one and I'm not saying they nicked it or anything. I've heard they go over all their melodies before release, with a little committee. And if it's too close to something they change it. So not theft or anything, but it really does take a stupid radio hit and improve on it in every way.

The combination of totally defeated lyrics and the tremendous forward momentum is very, very sticky I think. If there are two absolute classics on this album that no one can deny are classics, then it's Förlatelsen and Sista Sangen. (With Falska Profeter and Vi Är Inte Lägre Där in tow.)

God, the sratchy, crunchy sparkle of those joining acoustic guitars before the chorus... I absolutely love how Förlatelsen has this little pre-chorus where most of the chorus already begins when he repeats "Jag förlata.." but the main vocal melody takes 2 times 4 bars to come in. This trick is too rarely used. 1984 by the Manic Street Preachers is a great example of the same thing. What this means is, in effect, the chorus begins twice. You get the sensation two times in short succession. A thing or few has to be said about the guitars in this too. It's got some of the most refined, cleverest guitars Sami has ever done. From that pre chorus trick to the short instrumental after the chorus, every notch the song goes forward, a little something joins in. In the chorus proper you get these sapr stabby little rings. After the last "förlatelsen, förlatelsen..." when it goes for the instrumental, tucked low in the mix there is a third guitar track that just fills the song in brilliantly.

And the final lyrical conclusion is just top notch brilliant too.

"Our real sin
Is that we allow ourselves to believe..."

I had to google that to see if it's a known reference, but didn't come up with anything. If it's a Jocke original then congratulations on a sincerely clever theological paradox. It holds up to scrutiny -- if you don't believe you can't sin either. An unbeliever doesn't sin, they just murder and steal. Belief is a precondition to sin. That's one way to go at it. The other is just good old heartbreaking. But heart breaking at high velocity.

[stjärnor]

Speaking of clever lyrics, here is something that is also very cleverly done. I can't take any credit for it, as it was pointed out to me on Twitter by Danne who checks my song translations:

Falska profiter:
Vi kommer alla någon annanstans ifrån
Än där vi råkar vara

Just nu

Alla som vi känner är på flykt från någonting

We all come from somewhere else
Even where we happen to be
Just now
Everyone we know is running from something

Den sista sången:
Vi är på flykt igen både jag och du
Vi kommer från nån annanstans
än där vi är just nu

We are on the run again, you and I
We come from somewhere else
Than where we are just now

[Glijmeijer]

Hello all. I'm not exactly new here, but after reading all great items here above I decided I want to be a part of this forum instead of just reading it. My first "inlägg" is a question: I can't help but think that the sista song is about a band member who wanted to quit. Is it about Jocke himself, or perhaps Martin? The last song because one star has fallen down and flewn away.... They always said they continued because they were friends; now one of them is leaving so they quit...
Jocke, because he wants to move on with his music...
Martin, because he is nowhere to be found in the credits and perhaps he wants a different sound....
Really interested in your thoughts on this :-)

[.namnlös]

Hello and welcome to the English corner of the Kent internet!

My initial thought about Den Sista sången was that it is a"gift." The lyrics appear personal and directed at a specific and personal experience in the USA, so I wondered if it was directly for his partner. The other possibility I thought of was something specific to do with the band as a whole being over in the States. Because Jocke usually does the music, it might have been nice to think of the last song as a gift to all of them who have been on the journey with them. Of course, it's probably the opposite of this, and I am working from translations so it could have a wider meaning than that. But that was my gut feel.