ANEKDOTEN

“Gravity”
(Virta, 2003)

Tracks:
Monolith. 6:07
Ricochet. 5:45
The War Is Over. 4:42
What Should But Did Not Die. 6:43
SW4. 6:04
Gravity. 8:20
The Games We Play. 3:25
Seljak. 5:16

Line Up:
Anna Sofi Dahlberg : mellotron, voice, piano, Farfisa, organ
Nicklas Berg : voice, guitars, mellotron, Fender Rhodes, Farfisa
Jan Erik Liljestrom : bass, voice
Peter Nordins : drums, cymbals, vibraphone, mellotron

Finally, after four years, we have the new work here of one of the bands but important of the progressive of the 90. Anekdoten has evolved enough from its beginnings. “Gravity” it is the less progressive album of the group, but it is not necessary to worry for that Anekdoten continues being the same ones. 

In fact the transformation suffered by the group has not been so abrupt if we listen its previous album, “From Within”, an enough but rested work that its first two disks. In “Gravity” the calm is imposed definitively in the whole album, and the tracks become less complex and changing. Some I criticize it has already hurried to make sound the alarm in the face of an abandonment of the progressive one on the part of Anekdoten, that which I find very precipitate and outside of place. 
I believe that “Gravity” it is a disk but or less comparable to the “In Absentia” of Porcupine Tree, in terms of progressive intensity and capacity to attract to new fans. 

The tracks are not too changing, but the mellotrons continues being but that never, and the organs, and the guitars always, and we are before one of the disks but symphonic of the moment. Also, I believe that Jan Erik Liljestrom believes that he sings better than never in this album. 
But everything has it a smaller importance if we compare it with the compositions. And that compositions. It is incredible that they have made such a good song as “What Should But Did Not Die”, perhaps the song of the year for my pleasure, and the same thing says of “Monolith” and “Gravity”. These three big tracks that unfortunately will surely happen inadvertent outside of the progressive universe, they are already worth for whole disks of other bands. 

Without forgetting the beautiful semi-acoustics “The War Is Over”, the atmospheric and psychedelic “SW4”, the environmental one “The Games We Play” and the speedy one “Seljak”, the only track where the band is really disheveled. 
The only track perhaps conflicting, serious “Ricochet” whose vocal melodies remember to groups like The Smiths or REM, but equally it is not a bad song. 

I believe that Anekdoten has thrown the ideal album to enlarge its fans legion outside of the progressive one and to continue being themselves. Who it knows if they will be able to come closer to the popularity that they have gotten Porcupine Tree lately. Again, an indispensable album.

Ferran Lizana
rockomic@vodafone.es