Detektivbyrån – Wermland [2008]

What do you know about Northern Europe? Damn right, it’s cold. Last summer I went to Denmark and had to wear three shirts at once, while the locals walked around in shorts and tees. That’s pretty hardcore, and probably has a lot to do with their Viking heritage (btw, they pronounce “Viking” as “Wiking” – haha that’s hilarious). Those people knew how to live – eat tons of meat, have sex with blonde chicks and kill people. ‘Course, times have changed, and nowadays the North (including Iceland) are better known for their music. Give Scandinavian people musical instruments and they’ll either create some gay crap that you’ve heard a million times before or something truly special, that shines out like the Northern Lights. Also, some of them worship Satan, but may be included in either of the aforementioned categories.

Detektivbyrån hail (you always have to use the word “hail” when referring to Vikings) from Sweden, a country sadly upstaged musically by its neighbours, ever since ABBA split up. I’d like to be able to say that their music is influenced by Swedish folk tunes, but I can’t imagine people gathering around igloos and playing the accordion, I just can’t. So to me Wermland sounds like some sort of carnival music. Or, rather, it makes me think of and old organ grinder, playing his ditties in the street, as a dance troupe of graceful polar bears perform ballet.

See, it’s like this. First we hear the glockenspiel. In this context it sounds like someone is gently tapping icicles, while inside a cave atop a mountain. This is the point where the polar bears come in and do their merry acrobatics. The audience is relaxed; a few people smile and go “Heh.” Helga takes Harald’s hand for the first time. A child looks at his grandpa and believes him dead; the old man is just caught up in reverie. A man yawns, but just then the accordion kicks in.

Now, the song becomes either a bittersweet lament (Sista Tryckaren) or a good old polka (Generation Celebration – not polka really, but you get the picture). Most of the time the instruments play in unison; occasionally one of them cedes the spotlight to the other, but only for a brief moment, and the lead part one musician plays is repeated (yet still sounding fresh) by the other, a little later. Fom time to time, a synth that kinda sounds like a theremin takes over lead duties from the accordion. This change is seamless, and in no way detracts from the folk beauty of the music.

By the end of the album, I found the accordion a bit tiring (we’ve all heard that pam-ram-pam, pam-ram-pam thing). I played it again and concluded that as it was both melancholic and full of mirth, it must be about as much fun as you can have wearing three shirts at once.

– moceanu

9.3/10

detektivbyrån @ myspace

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