Reviews Urskog
Reviews Urskog
”KAIPA: Urskog” 10/10 MASTERPIECE - Songwriting: 10 - Musicianship: 10 - Memorability: 10 - Production: 10
The songs are top notch and believe me, they are breathtakingly beautiful. There isn’t a note out of place, not one piece of music isn’t how you would expect it to be. And the further you get into “Urskog”, the more the sound evolves from the seventy’s vibe into the fusion and JOE SATRIANI feel, but always maintaining that delicate balance that gives the music that extra bit of brilliance.
To top all of that the two vocalists have a knack as to draw you in even further and tell your brain to come in closer and experience it all just once more. And if you think the length of some of the songs might seem to long, once you have listened to them, you’ll realise that it’s just not true. They are exactly the right length. Any shorter and some of the ingredients that are making it all extra special would have been missing, diminishing the absolute top performance that is being displayed by KAIPA. So, as you can gather, I am smitten with “Urskog”. It’s how it should be with good music 10/10
It’s a delightful experience from start to finish, filled with upbeat positivity – you can’t help but pick up on the vibe. The dexterity and taste of all the players gives the band the firepower to get the most out of Lundin’s source material, and wherever you look on this album, the musicianship is superb. The dynamics of this band are, in my view, beyond comparison with just about anyone. Millions of notes appear from nowhere and diffuse to the lightest of touches on deft turns of phrase, all of which only add to the wonder of the whole. Kaipa have successfully ticked so many boxes for me on their recent albums, and this one is no exception – in fact I’d go so far as to say it’s their best yet. Seriously good players revelling in the freedom to create long-form pieces that display their full capabilities, whilst being rooted in melody and purpose.
Kaipa again sound like no one but themselves, and for me they instil all that can be good about progressive rock. And if this isn’t at the top of my list of albums for 2022, I’ll be astonished.
Prog Magazine
Swedish prog pioneers on splendid form. It is hard to imagine a more sumptuous encapsulation of the lavish symphonic rock they have peddled since 1973.
Urskog, then, is classic Kaipa music. Melodic progressive rock informed by the neo-classical prog of a generation ago. Led by Lundin's expressive keyboard play, Kaipa infuses creative guitar lines, strong rock beat and groove from a potent rhythm (wherein the bass lines are strong and delightful, and melodic, nearly soothing, vocals. With these things, the musical skill and talent of the players is quite self-evident. These elements are, in turn, enveloped in songs with playful, mildly technical, arrangements shaped by significant melody and harmony, notably in how the the vocal arrangements carry both. Of the songs, most are vibrant, lively, and imbued with a modicum of twists and turns in tempo and changes. All said, for classic melodic and progressive rock, Kaipa remains one of the best players in the genre. Urskog is another accomplished and entertaining album of the same. Easily recommended. 5/5
Some fantastic drumming from Todd and brilliant bass work from Reingold, who demonstrate how compatible and versatile they are in the rhythm section. If you need a dose of prog-positivity, look no further than Kaipa’s Urskog. Their nature-inspired tunes will take you on an uplifting aural voyage. 5/5
An album of exquisite workmanship where each track is in its own way a small piece of the masterpiece that is this record. It is always a pleasure to be able to review works like this, where there are ideas of absolute value performed by masters of the genre, confirming how Kaipa are one of the best bands in the Prog genre. All the tracks are well constructed and performed with technical and sometimes virtuous passages that enhance the individual technique and the band. A must listen for all lovers of Progressive sounds, an album that contains the essence of the genre, in my opinion a real masterpiece.
This album is full of life, you can sense how the seasons change and how life develops as a result. The whole record is very life affirming and an absolute joy to listen to. I heartily recommend it to all prog fans, it’s not that folk oriented but does have a fair element of fusion type embellishments. However it’s all excellently overseen and thoroughly enjoyable as a result.
With ‘The Bitter Setting Sun’ the album gets a smashing ending. An instant classic if you ask me. Lots of keyboards and synthesizer tunes. Delicious vocal lines and finger licking good drumming. Some little reggae tunes and then suddenly this saxophone player steps in who brings me back to eighties pop music. New music that makes me feel melancholic, I have nothing more to wish for. 8/10
Deeply impressive album by Swedish veterans. My favourite here is the second track, In A World Of Pines, which has at its gorgeous core the lovely voice of Aleena Gibson. This track is ten minutes of pure, unadulterated pleasure. Lundin leads us into the track via a grandiose overture lasting a minute, before a delicate piano introduces Aleena’s voice. Just when you think that the scales her voice reach cannot be sustained, she does it. The lyrics themselves are as poetical as they come, and the track gives one a sense of wilderness and beauty in their native Sweden, and that beauty is very much exemplified by a fantastic performance on lead guitar by Per Nilsson. The final minute is as grandiose as we love, and the whole song is a triumph and one of my favourite pieces of music in 2022.
One story after another, Kaipa are still growing stronger and keeping these continuous stories, more tighter than ever. And they still have it, many years later.
German
In immer länger werdenden Abständen kredenzen, dennoch ein um's andere Mal und immer wieder wuuunderschööön. Ich LIIIEEEBE dieses Zeuch! 10/10
Ein Meisterwerk des Retro-Prog 9.5/10
Das knapp 19-minütige ´The Frozen Dead Of The Night´ erinnert mit seinem Gesangs-Intro dermaßen stark an Queen, dass man sich als Fan der britischen Pop- und Rock-Legende prompt in KAIPAs Bann geschlagen sieht - und dieses Vertrauen in die Band soll sich lohnen, denn "Urskog" fesselt über fast 70 Minuten hinweg und gehört locker zu den drei besten Werken in der nun 14 Studioalben umfassenden Diskografie der Gruppe.
Mit neuem Drummer und alter Frische wirken KAIPA im Jahr 2022 wie eine junge Retro-Prog-Band, obwohl sie diesen Sound mitgeprägt haben. "Urskog" zeugt von einer Gruppe, die nicht bereit ist, sich auf ihren Vorreiter-Lorbeeren auszuruhen und nur ihren Schuh herunterzuspielen, also steht die Platte obligatorisch auf dem Einkaufszettel jedes Genre-Fans. 13/15
Mit Urskog melden sich Kaipa aus den schwedischen Wäldern zurück und veröffentlichen ein Album mit sechs Mini Epen, die für sich aus einem Guss sind und dem Fan progressiver Rockmusik kurzweilige Unterhaltung bieten. 8/10
Diese sechs Tracks sind gut aufgebaut, es gibt unzählige Details, Wendungen und Stilwechsel. Urskog' verdient einen Platz in den Top-Ten-Listen des Jahres 2022. 9/10
Gewohnt verbindet Kaipa auf exzellente Art und Weise melodisch symphonischen Rock mit schwedischem Folk, Progressive und Jazz Rock zu einem lebendigen Hörerlebnis. Ergiebige, zeitweise komplexe sowie lyrisch, epische Instrumentalpassagen bestimmen das Album. Dass eine legendäre Band der Siebziger auch im Jahr 2022 noch zu äußerst frischem und variantenreichen Retro Prog fähig ist, zeigt in eindrucksvoller Weise die schwedische Formation Kaipa. “Urskog” gehört ohne Frage zu den bislang interessantesten Veröffentlichungen des Frühjahrs. An den folkig, progressiv, jazzigen sowie radiotauglichen Songs dürften nicht nur die eingefleischten Fans ihre helle Freude haben. 12/15
Spanish
Lo que es raro y arriesgado para cualquier otra banda, para Kaipa es la norma, como comenzar el CD con la pieza más extensa del mismo, algo que la mayoría se guarda para el final de sus discos. Con “The Frozen Dead Of The Night” arriesgan doble, porque, además, la pieza comienza con un sencillo fondo de teclados que le da la posibilidad a Patrik Lundström de mostrar sus cualidades vocales a todo trapo. Luego de escuchar sus versos durante minuto y medio antes que se sume el coro y luego la instrumentación, te das cuenta de que todo esto ha sido a propósito, y que te basta minuto y medio para saber que este es un disco de altos vuelos musicales que no solo no te defraudará, sino que además te señalará como miembro de una élite que sabe comprender este tipo de música y su belleza.
Cada canción tiene su propia alma y aun cuando en el disco hay homogeneidad, es tal la diferencia entre el acercamiento a las composiciones, los timbres utilizados y la concepción musical, que escucharlo es como abrir los ojos a un paisaje interminable, donde la música sabe muy reflejar el verdor de los bosques y hasta el aire limpio que los rodea.
Lo interesante y siempre distinguible de una banda rock progresiva de esa época dorada, es que a pesar de que los años pasen, su música siendo impactante y destacable, y este “Urskog” de Kaipa es todo lo que esperas de un álbum de ellos y envasado en las mejores memorias de aquellos años, donde todo es disfrutable muchas veces y se encuentra un placer adictivo con cada nueva vuelta al álbum. 9/10
En conclusión, auténticamente esta obra nos provoca la sensación de una aventura por tierras suecas a lo largo de las estaciones del año. Una experiencia sonora bastante agradable de principio a fin que involucra una exquisita paleta de sonidos, un mensaje lleno de energía positiva, una maravillosa composición y una ejecución impecable.
Pasaron 5 años desde el “Children of the Sounds”, y después de un cambio en la batería, Kaipa vuelve a sonar como nadie más que ellos mismos. La destreza y el gusto de todos los músicos le dan a la banda la potencia para sacar el máximo provecho del material original de Lundin, y mires donde mires en este álbum, la maestría musical es excelente.
Italian
Scherzi a parte, è increbile vedere come la vena creativa di Hans Lundin e soci non solo non si esaurisca, ma migliori col tempo. Dalla reunion avvenuta nel 2002, questa band ha ricominciato a crescere, evolversi, restando sempre fedele ad un prog rock che sa di folklore svedese lontano un miglio, ma che è poi così 'British' negli arrangiamenti, tanto da riuscire ad essere pop (nel senso migliore del termine) pur costruendo architetture sonore complessissime ed intricate. E poi, alla chitarra, non mi stancherò mai di ripeterlo, c'è quel Per Nillsson che, per me, è forse uno dei 5 migliori chitarristi attualmente presenti in giro, così bravo tecnicamente e così versatile, una sorta di Vinnie Colaiuta della chitarra! Questo disco andrebbe acquistato solo per sentire cosa combina Per nei 77 minuti a disposizione...
Un album da ascoltare per duecento ragioni: l'incredibile drumming del nuovo arrivato, il basso di Jonas Reingold sempre da incorniciare, le prestazioni vocali suggestive e sempre commisurate al momento musicale, e le inconfondibili tastiere di Hans Lundin, di cui questa band è la figlia primogenita, e alla quale si deve l'espansione di un filone, il prog rock di matrice svedese, che tante gioie ha regalato alle orecchie di noi appassionati.
Insomma, per farla breve: "Urskog" è l'ennesima perla nella discografia dei Kaipa. Da ascoltare, riascoltare, gustare, avere. Che meraviglia 9/10.
“Urskog” è l’album numero 9 dalla reunion del 2000 ed è un dei migliori album non solo della band, ma di tutto il progressive rock dell’ultimo ventennio. 9/10
Veri e propri pionieri, appartenenti alla cerchia di coloro che hanno creato e sviluppato sin dagli inizi il prog-rock svedese, i Kaipa si reinventano per l’ennesima volta, fedeli alle proprie origini ma capaci di guardare avanti, di vivere l’oggi senza eccessive nostalgie, traghettando nel presente buona parte di ciò che è stato il loro passato, ma guardando avanti, al prossimo domani.
Concludo quindi dicendo che il loro intento ha avuto – con me, per lo meno – pieno successo. Seduto con delle buone cuffie, tutto concentrato su Urskog, sono stato letteralmente rapito per un’ora abbondante. Un’esperienza che consiglio a tutti gli amanti della buona musica (non abbiate paura di qualche cambio di tempo, suvvia!), per staccare un attimo dai ritmi frenetici moderni. Tanta roba! 8/10
French
Puis les voix du groupe s’accompagnent jusqu’à l’explosion d’instruments qui laisse place à l’orgue et au synthétiseur. Magnifique introduction d’une exploration narrative et musicale qui nous transporte de l’hiver froid et morne aux promesses de vie du printemps. C’est un morceau qui rassemble et propose ce qu’on aime du groupe, un premier après cinq ans d’attente. HANS LUNDIN y fait montre d’une ferveur toute printanière en insufflant toute sa sève dans ses multiples claviers. Son utilisation abondante et sa maitrise des synthétiseurs sur cette pièce, ou tout au long de ce « Urskog », est à souligner. Passages délicats, grandeurs symphoniques, instruments et voix qui s’unissent, illustrent cette harmonie de la renaissance, tant celle du retour du groupe que celle du retour de la vie en forêt. 9/10
Ainsi se termine le périple sous les frondaisons de cette Suède superbement mise en valeur par des musiciens brillants et un Hans Lundin des grands jours. Claviers, guitares, vocaux féminins et masculins, et bien sûr une rythmique basse et batterie de premier ordre, tout cela fait d’Urskog un grand moment musical. C’est ça le son Kaipa : un prog symphonique majestueux, qui sait se parer d’accents folkloriques tout aussi bien que de beaux moments jazzy, et qui sait nous faire partager sa vision ! 4.7/5
