Anekdoten are one of those bands who prove that the term ‘progressive rock’ really does cover a huge area of music. While there will always be some comparisons with King Crimson, their instrumentation and background and bringing in of some folk roots will always mean that they stand apart from the crowd. They came together in 1991 as a quartet comprising Nicklas Barker (vocals, guitar, Mellotron, Moog), Peter Nordins (drums, percussion), Jan Erik Liljeström (vocals, bass) and Anna Sofi Dahlberg (Mellotron, organ, Moog, Rhodes, cello, piano, vocals) and five studio albums later it is still the same four people. The use of a very strong rhythm section providing support for hard rock guitars and two mellotrons (along with cello) means that this is a very powerful band indeed. This two CD set brings together songs from their last three albums on CD1 along with a new recording (which features Per Wiberg of Opeth) while CD2 contains music from the early years along with unreleased demoes etc.
The music is often challenging, never content to sit within any expected norm, yet also manages to have an immediacy and depth that brings the listener in a there is always more to investigate and discover. The music twists and turns with a vibrancy and depth often missing from many bands. It is clear with great production, each instrument can be clearly heard and defined yet it is the combining of all of these elements that make it such a tour de force.
If you have not come across the music of Anekdoten before (and if that is the case then you should be ashamed of yourself and rush out and get ‘Vemod’ immediately) then this is a great way to discover more. And of course if you already know the band then you realise that this is an essential purchase. The set is in a nice digipak with good artwork and a booklet with details of where every song has been taken from, players etc.
