Album of the Week (that you're not already tired of reading about): Dungen - Tio Bitar

In the grand scheme of things, and especially here locally, the big story this week is obviously the arrival tommorow of the brand new Wilco album, Sky Blue Sky. However, you already know that and have probably read at least 2 or 3 feature-length profiles of it by now. So, with that mind, we instead bestow album of the week honors today to Dungen's latest release Tio Bitar (that's "10 pieces" for those not fluent in Svenska).

Once again, Gustav Ejstes, the one man band who essentially is Dungen, has amassed another brilliant and highly textured psychedelic journey's to rock's past. Like his last Dungen record, Ta Det Lugnt, Ejstes essentially wrote and performed everything himself on Tio Bitar with the help of his genius lead guitarist Reine Fiske, whose name I believe translates to "Norse God of Guitars." As mind blowing as it is that Ejstes puts together these rock epics almost single-handedly as the band's singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, I continue to be almost equally as blown away by Fiske's guitar playing. It's probably every bit as much as the sound he gets out of his guitar as it is his actual technique that I'm drawn to, but  whatever it is, I love it.

Overall, again like on Ta Det Lugnt, what's fascinating about Tio Bitar is how amazingly vintage it sounds without coming across as tired or derivative. It's a very fine line that few retro-rock bands can tread, but Dungen continues to do it masterfully.

Stream: Dungen - "Famij"

Download: Dungen eCard with "Famij" MP3

Comments

[cinchel]

this album has been the single most played record at work this past week for me. inbetween plays of andrew hills blue note sessions and the ayler box set. oh and that new stars of the lid record.

[Brad K]

damn, i'm really glad now I didn't actually feature Wilco as the album of the week. finally sat down to listen to the full album stream yesterday and it did, in fact, make me want to take a nap like a lot of people have been saying...and not even in a good Stars of the Lid-kind of way either. I was really annoyed with the backlash Wilco started to get when Ghost is Born came out (still dig that record, BTW), but I think I may have a hard time defending Sky Blue Sky.