Short Reviews [Weserbergland - 2017 - "Sehr Kosmisch, Ganz Progisch"]

According to Google Translate, the title of this album means ‘Very Cosmic, Very Prog’, which probably tells you all you really need to know about it. Ketil Vestrum Einarsen (flute, clarinet, electric piano, synths, sampler, guitar, programming) has been a mainstay of the Norwegian prog scene for some considerable time, most notably with White Willow, and he decided he wanted to bring together a band to produce music which was inspired by his love of Krautrock. There are just four songs on this 47-minute-long album, two of which are by the trio of Einarsen, Gaute Storsve (guitar, bass) and Mattias Olsson (drums, percussion, sitar) with different people joining for one track and plenty of brass for the other. I am not fully convinced this is Krautrock as many would think of it, as there is also some RIO going on in here at times as well, but there is no doubt this instrumental release is trying to bring new flavours and influences into a style that is now some 50 years old. It is strange that few prog bands really go down this path, and there are certainly some passages on here which have been impacted by Tangerine Dream in particular, yet there are also others where it is far more Vangelis in approach, which is probably not quite what they were looking for. However, the result is a very pleasant listen indeed, and since this 2017 debut there have been two more studio albums which demonstrates there are certainly people out there enjoying it. If Krautrock is a style of prog you find enjoyable then this modern approach may well be worth seeking out.