Critic darlings Dungen [Official Site, Myspace] return this year with 4, their sixth offering in as many years. The band is still as laid back in their psychedelia influenced nostalgia as ever, and makes ample time for rolling guitar solos. What the world suspected of Dungen in their first offerings rings true on 4: Gustav Ejstes is no songwriter, his music has already been written for him. The man is more of a tinker than a composer, and he filters his varied influences through thoughtful, if mundane, hip-hop production.
Dungen’s varied influences have led critics to laud them as experimental, and to make the distinction of this band from dope rockers from the rest of western civilization. They get ahead of themselves. Raking together jazz fusion and adding pianos (as in “Satt Att Se”, the album opener), combining lullabies and sixties sitcom themes (“Marlera’s Finest”), or forcing together middle eastern sounds and employing prog rock guitar harmonies with exponentially less tact than Robert Plant (“Mina Dahmer Och Fasaner”) does not an experimentalist make. That title comes when your pilfered genres don’t come out sounding flat from the kiln.
And what is the motivation? Translated lyrics are not readily available, which is fine, as it does not appear to be the point. But an era (and indeed superstars from that era) was chosen to rip off, with no apparent cause other than that the weed told them to. Why steal formulas from Donovan and late-era Beatles for the inexplicably super-pop “Finns Det Nagon Mojlighet” if you have nothing to say. The music of the 1960s in the United States and Britain was not necessarily aesthetically pleasing, though some of it was. The point was to create a mood of dissonance that is inappropriate to duplicate in the 21st century. 4 reflects this, in its own ennui, its self-conscious lack of purpose. This is not because the world as a whole is not in a state of flux, it is, but this generation needs its own voice, not the sounds and drugs of forty-five years ago.
If the motivation behind Dungen is to recreate those stoned nights in college, in which everyone praises the sheer genius of Hendrix right after “going on a limb” for a band that would show up on your mother’s soft rock station (we’re all guilty), then go nuts. Turn on that lava lamp and pass the bowl, I’m in. Dungen is ambiance music, as much as everyone wants to pretend otherwise, fit for background noise for a conversation only the participants find interesting. I will be disagreed with, told I don’t get it, but I believe I do. I believe the music community as a whole has been had by this band, wanting to accept, for the sake of the seeming ability to cross the language and cultural divide and therefore appear more intelligent. In the meantime, we’ve been ignoring the fact that the cavemen from across an ocean have absolutely nothing original to say, and have not truly evolved in its tenure.
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7 comments for “Dungen – 4 Review”
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This review is ridiculous and shows a profound ignorance of any but the most obvious influences on Dungen’s sound. I think 4 is a remarkably mature work and a very rewarding listen after having heard it more than ten times.
I’m guessing this reviewer heard ‘4′ once, in the background of a one-sided conversation where he made wtf statements like: “The music of the 1960s in the United States and Britain was not necessarily aesthetically pleasing.” or “The point was to create a mood of dissonance that is inappropriate to duplicate in the 21st century.”
BS like that won’t help a music critic earn respect.
Great album, pathetic review.
Believe me, Mark heard it more than ten times.
I don’t know what I find funnier: that he took a while to do the review and then was accused of not really listening or that it took someone 11 days to comment on an article.
Funny stuff.
1. I don’t believe you; why should I?
2. The following phrases reek of ‘did not listen to the album more than once’:
-”mundane, hip-hop production”
wtf? don’t know where to start with this, its just too stupid for words.
-”forcing together middle eastern sounds and employing prog rock guitar harmonies with exponentially less tact than Robert Plant”
Whatever, it works for me and I love Arif Sag, Bunalim, Ersen, Edip Akbayram, Erkin Koray and Led Zep too.
-”nothing to say”
does Mark speak Swedish?
“ambiance music…fit for background noise for a conversation only the participants find interesting”
speak yourself, “participant”
I was really enjoying the music and wishing you would shut up!
Dungen is pop-rock-psych music that can be tuneful and adventurous and have both a high degree of craft and spontaneity.
Dungen are all very talented musicians with good taste and Gustav is a skilled producer/arranger.
I’m guessing (again) that the reviewer is about 25, doesn’t own a turntable or single vinyl lp more than ten years old and can’t play an instrument.
If I’m wrong, it’s because your reviewer writes exactly like that 25 yr. old would.
p.s. I didn’t see the review 11 days ago, I saw it five minutes before my first comment. Should I have not bothered voice a counter to this, I suspect, calculatedly provocative review even though no one else had called out this BS for ten days?
Just admit you din’t get it, Mark. Nothing wrong with that. You may learn better someday.
Wow, Larry, that’s biting. Since none on the staff speak Swedish, we have to make do with the language barriers we see. Unlike Sigur Ros, Dungen appear incapable of transcending those limitations in terms of lyrical content. Simply, non-Swedish speakers have a harder time connecting with the lyrical content because we don’t understand it, leaving us to connect with the music itself. Mark just didn’t dig it.
No, you’re still entitled to your opinion. I was just pointing out that it took you 11 days to notice
Hey man, sorry you didn’t dig the review. I suppose music appreciation comes with some degree of subjectivity. I hope it did not come across that I question the musicianship of the band, I simply meant these phenomenal musicians could have put their energy toward a more satisfying project. I’m not going to waste anyone’s time criticizing your critique, but perhaps there’s room for differing opinions without hostility. I’d love to discuss the merits of Dungen with you, but after so many listens, I doubt my mind will change. My email address should be posted with this comment. Go nuts.
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