A somewhat frustrating, somewhat refreshing thing to post about Det Finns Ett HjĂ€rta Som För Dig, a record that you canât preview in any way before deciding to make $30+ disappear, but every convenience has its own brand of backlash. Enhet För Fri Musik is a five-piece Swedish outfit featuring both members of Neutral, a current obsession here, and while I canât speak to the resumĂ©s of Hugo, Gus or Matthias (probably the guy behind FödĂ€mning/I Dischi Del Barone?), the membership of Dan and Sofie was enough to get me to plunge. Iâve not heard any of the bandâs other work, though Aguirre recently reissued the cassette-only Inom Dig, Inom Mig, which went in a flash. Several listens in to this LP and Iâm still miffed that a band boasting five members can make music this stark. Both âNĂ€r Ska Min SjĂ€l Finna Roâ and âBara Min Egenâ wouldnât sound out of place on the Frightening Lightsâ LP, 4am burned-out loneliness with the street sweeper still audible in the background. But where the Frightening Lights had some bite in the vocals, Sofieâs turn at the mic sounds utterly crushed, with the accompanying music pushing things toward manic. Elsewhere the band successfully conjures the Art Ensemble of Chicago, in particular their album with Brigitte Fontaine, as on âSolokvistâ and âDin Synd.â Most of the album passes in 1-2 minute flashes, but itâs punctuated by the 10+ minute âFragment Av En Midsommarnattsdröm,â a head-scratcher of the highest order featuring fragments of pre-recorded speech backed by new age keyboards straight outta Twin Peaks, some eerie singing of a nursery rhyme or hymn, and other machined scraps apparently too valuable to be left unused. Neutral fans will obviously find a lot to like here (âVariationer Av En LĂ€ngtan Till Gudâ being my favorite at the moment), though anyone with a willingness to meet the artist on their terms should find something to enjoy within the rich, unvarnished environment. A couple of records a year force you to turn down/tune out everything else; Det Finns Ett HjĂ€rta Som För Dig is one of âem.
Buy the LP here. Fusetron typically carries releases by Omlott, so US citizens should keep watch. The Neutral 7âł on I Dischi Del Barone came out a few months ago and also comes highly recommended; itâs a perfect appetizer/room-clearer for the Enhet För Fri Musik LP.