Best of

[JukkeBerry]

Four new songs, great news! They must be really good if they made it to the "Best of."

[Kurvitz]

Four new songs, great news! They must be really good if they made it to the "Best of."

I doubt they're all single or classic material. It often happens. Even the one new singlereleased as the promo for the best of is generally not a classic. The other mandatory new song is an inreresting oddity at best. But I'm definitely happy to see we're basically getting a nameless closing EP from them. (Egoist + the 4 last new songs). And I expect it to be quite strong indeed. "Nostromo" is the title I'm most intrigued by. It can mean many things and you can rarely guess what kent songs are about from the title alone (I honestly thought Columbus would be about, you know, Columbus). But I hope it's about the ship in Alien more than the Conrad novel . They already have a Blade Runner song in OWC and an Alien reference would top things off in crazy in way.

I love the cover, beautiful colours on that one. Makes me want to bathe in all that kent parahernalia. The tracklist seams overly traditionalist, however. I would have expected a more more revealing and personal running order from them in the lenght of a 2 cd release. Or even an EP with new material and an incredibly tight 16 song best of instead. To seal the gold sarcophagus with beeswax and send it off to the afterlife, Ibis feathered hits only!

And I guess there has to be one, so Max 500 would be my most scandalous omission on the one we get. I can understand it's not on there to make room for 4 new songs however. And as was said, 4 more new songs -- twice as good as I expected. So soon too.

[SirNoodle]

Same feelings here: very happy about 4 new songs, and also Egoist included. That makes an extra EP (we will call that EP 'Då och då en gång' as a nice counterbalance) so can't wait to hear those tracks.
The compilation itself: indeed very traditional, but I think whatever they did, it would've made people unhappy. So let's just focus on the Då och då en gång - EP

[Kurvitz]

Same feelings here: very happy about 4 new songs, and also Egoist included. That makes an extra EP (we will call that EP 'Då och då en gång' as a nice counterbalance) so can't wait to hear those tracks.
The compilation itself: indeed very traditional, but I think whatever they did, it would've made people unhappy. So let's just focus on the Då och då en gång - EP

Well, it's obvious, isn't it:

1) the EP is going to have that beautiful, very conclusive cover with the girl and her kent collection,
2) it's only going to have 5 songs, probably beginning with Egoist, then skipping Vi Är Inte Längre (because that's already on Alltid) and then some order of the last 4 songs on the best of. There is probably a reason they had Inte Längre between Egoist and Terapi, so there might be some trouble with the running order if Egoist and Terapi don't follow super well. On the other hand I've tried Egoist in the Alltid tracklist right before Inte Längre as they've done on the Best of and it's okay, but not super good either. (Inte Längre follows Nattpojken much better). I think maybe Egoist will have to sit between some of the last 4 songs instead, but we'll see, won't we...
3) the title should be decided in a little poll, no? That was a good start, SirNoodle. We can have polls on here, right? We should have 3 or 4 or 5 suggestions and choose between them once the best of is out.

[.namnlös]

There is probably a reason they had Inte Längre between Egoist and Terapi, so there might be some trouble with the running order if Egoist and Terapi don't follow super well.

I don't think there is any other reason other than the chronology. The singles are on there in the order they were released, with the non single tracks placed alongside their album counterparts to form a vaguely cohesive running order.

Max 500 shares the strange prize of not appearing as the lead single from an album alongside FRANK from kent. But to be honest, when you're playing with songs like 747 and mannen that take up a looooooooong time, then it's always a bit of a problem (unless you make some horrible edits.) It's a shame 500 didn't make it though. I expected at least 2 songs from Dojd.

Anyhow, I think this is a best of for the modern era.

The best of is not as big a deal as it was 20 or even 10 years ago, when it used to offer a route into a band. These days that happens via playlists on Spotify or Youtube. In any case, a definitive best of is probably impossible. As anyone who has tried to do an intro to kent can attest, it's so difficult to fit the important moments on any kind of disc, given the length and strength of their career. It looks like they have gone with the absolute "must have" tracks and predominantly the biggest sellers as a document of the past more than anything else.

The fact that the band really like their later work means it must have been a real pain to leave so many high quality songs out of the 2nd disc. Without the 4 new songs, and guessing based on the format, I think they might have put Vinternoll, Max 500 or maybe Hjärta on there. They could have also put those one off songs like Ingen Kunde that are not available on another album.

But there's something else going on. As I said, in the digital era there is no reason NOT to put the new songs on an EP because they will just end up in a playlist anyway. But the fact that they are on the CD looks as if it's a gift to the fans. It's sortof saying "we know you already have this stuff, and we know you have your own best of, so here's some new material anyway." It's an EP by stealth if you will, and a document of their final musical acts.

2 thoughts about the songs. Obviously we don't know what they are yet, though I suspect they are songs that were around and either hadn't been finished to date or simply did not fit with the heavy theme played out on Då som nu för alltid. Secondly, I wonder if the mystery acoustic song from the album promo is somehow included in this package. Maybe.....

Looking forward to hearing the new new new stuff!

[dumblikeamoose]

I am mostly unsurprised by the songs they chose to include in the best of. Most of them don't make my personal "best" list, but then not many of the singles do. I'm surprised by some omissions though, only MIDVH made it from DOJD (no Den döda Vinkeln??), but then again, there's only Tontärna from Röd, which is CRAZY.

Oh well, it's not like we don't have all these songs anyway. I'm more excited that there are FOUR new songs on there! Wasn't expecting that many, so it has made me very happy I will cling to them in the dark, kent-less years to come.

[.namnlös]

Analysing the choices a little more. Looking at the song selection and the cover together makes it feel like a historical artifact. A time capsule as such.

Disc one gives a huge nod to the fact that a lot of kent fans, especially casual fans will be interested in the older days when the band was big, the 90’s was happening and so on.

Dom Andra has to be there as the first number one, although fellow chart toppers Max 500, Palace & main and Gamla Ullevi don’t make it. Of course 747 and indeed Mannen are non negotiable classics. They are there to celebrate their colossal impact on Kent gigs as closing songs. Sverige again has symbolic importance as a song about Sweden itself, and Utan dina andetag has taken on a similarly large significance, so could not be left out.

Blåjeans is just a better opener than Frank would have been, and it also symbolises the start of their career. It’s also a beautiful relic of the “hazy 90’s” with the swirling 90’s guitar-in-a-shed sound. After that, the majority of the singles seem to be based mostly on sales. Kevlarsjäl didn’t sell as many copies as En himmelsk drog, but it’s an important song and perhaps more loved by the band and the fans.

I think the band know that most people buying this will mostly be there for the older stuff (if they want some nostalgia.) So that 2nd disc is a really snappy overview of their later output. If someone learns about kent from this CD and wants to know more, they will find a treasure trove of incredible music.

At the same time, the band know that the hardcore fans probably have everything they’ve done anyway. So there is little point trying to cater for an impossible dream, which would be to please us all. But they managed to get something interesting for us onto the disc. So just as Blåjeans says hello, the new songs are left right until the end, to wave goodbye in the same, musical way.

[trickster]

The best of tracklist was a huge surprise to me.
Not because the song selection is not what most of us expected.
I am not worried about that, I can always make a personal best of and listen to whenever I want.

I am so happy that they included 4 new songs (instead of 2 that they initially announced back in spring) plus Egoist.
And the cover art is so awesome. I spent hours checking the details and finding new things every time.

I am hoping the instrumental song from the March dreaded announcement video is one of the new tracks.
Hopefully the 4 new songs will be on Side F of the vinyl and the first of them will serve as the intro track and will indeed be that instrumental.

[Kurvitz]

This is my first impressions live-blog yo!


1) this EP is tough as nails, really tough somehow. It's also very disco isn't it? Like tough disco music. Tough lonesome disco music, ABBA survivor narratives.

2) From my absolutely non-existent swedish, it also seems to be about being alone. I'm 90% sure Nostromo is about the ship in "Alien" and being it's sole survivor. Lyrically, that wonderful middle 8 also references När Det Blaset Pa Manen.

3) All around very tight songwriting. Om Du Visste Vad Du Ville has a beautiful choral part before the end, tremendous melody. I wonder what it's saying?

4) Silver is the fastest song that's ever brought a lump to my throat. Sounds like the biggest of the lot. Immense. But who does the falsetto on this? Is it Jocke? He sure sounds different...

5) All the songs are more instant and hit-like than the last three kent albums have been. (Which is not a critique of the closing trilogy, but is a compliment to this lot)

6) Now Terapi is growing on me too. What a solid song. The disco vibe is very apparent on this. It's even a bit Boney M I'd say What a good idea for a curtain's call -- a last short sharp emission of hits.

7) The whole thing is instantly on repeat for me. The EP form really works super well for them, a wonderful change of pace from the winding, wrought, lead-heavy narratives of their end-of-career albums. The four songs spin well, sort of like their V&A era hits and Ingenting and stuff like that. It's good to sit at the computer with them on repeat, getting ready for today's work. (Kent's music hasn't worked like that for me since EPIS)

8) Follows really nicely from Den Sista Songen and the end half of DSNFA. What a good epilogue. Oh boy am I glad that DSNFA ending wasn't the official parting shot for kent. For such an instant gratification, hypnotic pop band it was too heavy. Silver is PERFECT as the last kent song. Do i hear correctly -- my blood is red, your blood is red, our dreams are black like silver.

9) Yeah, just had another spin and OH SHIT is Silver good. They need to release this as a single -- FOR CHRISSAKES RELEASE IT AS A SINGLE. Don't leave it hanging like Förlatelsen. It's one of the most instant things they've done in a long time.

10) Also, looking at the synopsis of the book "Nostromo" (the other reference for Nostromo) it's about the titular character stealing an insane amount of, you guessed it -- silver. The book has a class and revolution theme where Nostromo turns into an unwitting tool for the bourgeois. So: coincidence, it is not.

11) Om Du Visste Vad Du Ville has stupendous lyrics. Someone on the swedish forum wrote them down and I used google translate. The middle eight + chorus + post chorus is fucking biblical: "Now let the revolution come! Come! Come! Come!" and "What we have is infinitely greater than normal fucking love"

12) My personal title for the EP would be: "Epilog." First, it has the letters EP in in it. Second, it goes well with the simple short titles like "Terapi", "Silver," "Nostromo" "Egoist". Third, it describes what this music represents in kent's catalogue and fourth, it fits with the book-theme of the lyrics for Nostromo and Silver. And fifth, it's the only thing that logically follows from DSNFA-s "The Last Song".

13) Oh boy, these tracks have really put to rest any lingering doubts I might have had about DSNFA and what they're doing this year. A telemark-landing. I'm guessing they had Om Du Visste and Silver in their back pockets, so to say, when DSNFA came out. And they knew these two would bring things to a close perfectly. Then they did Terapi and Nostromo because they had extra time on their hands.

[.namnlös]

Amazing songs, but too sleep deprived to give a proper thought until later. But I will say they live up to expectations and more.

PS, Kurvitz, guess what I thought when I heard Terapi? Miss Europe Disco Dancer I can almost hear the Nicky Wire bit at the end haha.

[Kurvitz]

Amazing songs, but too sleep deprived to give a proper thought until later. But I will say they live up to expectations and more.

PS, Kurvitz, guess what I thought when I heard Terapi? Miss Europe Disco Dancer I can almost hear the Nicky Wire bit at the end haha.

Oh shit yeah! The low rumbling bass in a disco setting makes it. I love Miss Europa Disco Dancer, hugely underrated. Love Terapi too.

But right now it's a close toss up between Om du visste and Silver, Om Du Visste is pretty huuuuge too.

[.namnlös]

Some initial thoughts

Terapi is a really interesting way to kick off the collection. In a way, it feels like a cousin of Gigi, in that it is almost a wry musical nod to a completely different genre. In this case, it's a bit like the Musik Non Stop, or the FF of the modern Kent sound. After 3:15 where the song kicks off it just becomes sublime. Despite the disco feel, this is really a band song with a live feel. I love how pared down and simple the arrangement is. Big chord hits, and that lovely telecaster lead sound for the flecks of guitar

Nostromo to begin with recalls Din enda vän with the plinky, plunky piano. But then quickly there's a feeling that something is coming with the deep pulsing bass in the verse. As the vocals intertwine and build to the instrumental part (beautiful guitar work) and then we're into the kick. In a moment the song moves from being a contemplative feel to a floor filler. And then it goes back again. Again, the later part where all we're left with is Jocke and the pulsing beat is just a beautiful and wide open moment of release. I can imagine blasting this one super loud in the car. As the song builds and Jocke becomes louder in the mix, there's a great urgency to the words before it's gone.

Om du visste vad du ville is a belter. I think we've spoken before about how the compositions on this style of track can fall flat, but this one avoids any of those pitfalls. It's lilting and carried nicely by the female accompaniment and the plaintive guitar.

Silver is just a pure classic. The powerful beat and dark undertones are heightened by the dark synths and the female vocals. The melody has a faint whisp of Vy från ett luffslott. Again the darkness gives way to a flying chorus and a nice breakdown after it, and another amazing middle 8. It's the perfect culmination of the kent of today, and another nice way to end things (completely different to Den sista sången.)

This then presents an intriguing possibility. At least 3 of the 4 songs are single-worthy. They could have been hits in their own way. So Då Som Nu För Altid could have 2 completely contrasting track-listings as it was being created. But of course, those songs that didn't make it could never have gone on the hits CD if they were to make it less dark. So it seems appropriate that the songs appear here. Otherwise the new songs on the hits would have been a bit of a let down, or too downcast. But it's an interesting idea nontheless.

[trickster]

I have listened to the new songs a few times now and the first thing I did was to assign each of them to a Kent era as some of you guys did.
I have read some comments here and on the Kent - Så nära får ingen gå group about the disco vibe but I admit I didnt get it at all.
As a sum up I want to say I was not surprised that all four new songs are excellent! I mean who would expect anything different.

Terapi feels like a DSNFA song (my first thought was that it sounded like it had reminiscent of JAIRFM era but it later changed).
It is catchy and uptempo. As always I have no idea what it talks about but I like it.

Nostromo has a Tigerdrottningen feel (some of the riffs remind me of Mirage). That means instant like and bound to get a ton of repeats in the future.

Om Du Visste Vad Du Ville is a DSNFA and Tigerdrottningen mix while the atmospheric guitar and syths have an Isola feel.
I could definitely see it in DSNFA replacing one of the two tracks in the album that do not work great for me.

Silver is another Tigerdrottningen song. Instant favorite. I felt the need to check the lyrics for this one and I got a very depressing feeling for various reasons.
I feel like the song ends prematurely. An extended instrumental electro and guitar outro would be an epic closing.

I was hoping one of the 4 songs was going to be the instrumental from the final tour and album announcement video but unfortunately it wasnt.

Maybe it will be a B-side to an upcoming single release but I am thinking that the best of was probably the last release while the band is active.
I hope I am wrong.

[stjärnor]

Still no sign of the lyrics on kent.nu yet. There may be partial lyrics here on the forum, but it's much easier to translate when you know what all the words are.

Listened once to the new songs at midnight then slept. A few more listens today while on my breaks at work. Really liking all of them. Silver may be a fave from the news ones.

Edit- kentthefans on twitter has images of the lyrics: https://twitter.com/KentTheFans

Also- listen to the intro to Terapi and then the intro to 'After the disco' by Broken Bells and then tell me you can't hear a similarity!

[JukkeBerry]

The four new songs remind me of my first listens to Tigerdrottningen: three of four songs sounded shite. However, they all turn out to be growers. Nostromo is Jocke's message to Avicii showing how his vocals can work to that type of music. Silver delivers instantly with female vocals we loved on Tigerdrottningen. Love that Radiohead inspired intro. I wanted to credit Giorgio Moroder for Terapi, however, the felt mash up between Kent and Kiss "I was made for lovin' you" prevented that.

The cover pic intrigues me because it reminds me of the backstage band room of Munich's legendary Atomic Cafe. Great memories.

Thank you for the music.