Dungen had me at Tat Det Lugnt. I was never huge into psychedelia; in moderation it’s great but the connection never went that deep for me. What I love about Dungen is that it has brought not only psychedelic but Swedish folk music to the “indie” masses, making it accesible to someone like me who’s groove lies somewhere else.
Tio Betar, the 2007 follow up to Tat De Lugnt never really hooked me and so when 4 dropped recently I was already under the guise that Dungen was something of my past, a nostalgic throwback to college days. Mistake! The new lp is like getting into the band for the first time. Not because it’s anything too new for them but there seems to be a focus to the album that I couldn’t really locate in Tio Betar.
My favorite track from the album thus far has been Det Tar Tid which translates to It Takes Time (thanks Linnea!!). It starts with this fantastic guitar riff that builds to Ejstes’ signature whine/croon that then flows into this fantastical Dungen etheral chorus. To top it off about 2.5 minutes in there is a drum solo that never ceases to get me moving. Basically it’s come to the point where I go into withdrawal if I don’t hear this song several times a day and am constantly humming the riffs and vocals. It’s a feeling not new to me, but one that has maybe been absent for a while now.
