Let’s face it: you’re supposed to like Dungen. They embody exactly what a music fanatic should like…

It was unanimously agreed through both word of mouth and the music press that Dungen’s first album Ta Det Lung was a bit of a musical gem, on the frontlines of good new music and to bolster their coolness-factor they’re just balancing along that fine line of obscurity. First of all, they’re foreign and, like any arty foreign film/band, they’re just strange enough to make you feel like you’re the only fan in the world and just famous enough so that you’ll most likely find someone who’s heard of them and who’ll most likely agree that ‘Yes, Dungen are amazing’ (emphasis on the ‘amazing’). This of course then allows you to strengthen alliances with your newly found Dungen-compadre, bask in hedonistic conversation, reinforce the knowledge that you have an honourable taste in music and more importantly heighten your love for Dungen.

But anyway, when politics are put aside they’re actually pretty good, better than good, and your new comrade with the common love for these Swedish-psychedelians might just know it.

He or she probably doesn’t quite know why, though, and to be quite honest I’m struggling too. Whatever it is, Sweden seems to be producing a lot of ‘amazing’ music these days: Peter, Bjorn and John have been hailed by many as three musically gifted Swedes and indie favourites I’m From Barcelona are confusingly not actually from Barcelona.

For those of us partial to a bit of electro, there’s a pretty credible squadron in The Knife, Adam Beyer and Minilogue - and so for a population of nine million that’s a respectable performance they’re putting in. The country is also on the Scandinavian Peninsula, a major exporter of iron, copper and timber whose currency is the Krona (just in case you weren’t fully convinced I’d snuck onto wikipedia.com).

So, I’ve already stated in fairly explicit terms that that I’m a pretentious music fanatic who reviews bands with no clear understanding of the motives behind my Swedish listening habits yet will try and justify it armed only with Wikipedia.

I think (if you’re still reading, that is) that I’m going to have to reload and try and turn things around here. Muster up some basis for my claim that this album is one you should already own. So here goes:

1. Suitably Titled (Tio Bitar translates to ‘Ten Pieces’) – I say so because they feel like ‘pieces’ of music and not just over-rehearsed pop songs... Stockhausen wouldn’t have referred to his compositions as his ‘choons’… and I don’t mean because he spoke German

2. It’s got a ‘groove’ (their words, not mine) – I think if I understand correctly they mean the music has a certain swagger to it. The kind of soulful playing that makes you grind your hips to the feedback-soaked guitar and swerving intonation

3. Structure - there’s no verse chorus verse bridge chorus arrangement. Driving guitars and thundering drums can turn into a whisper as you (spiritually) prepare for the next onslaught of psychedelic rock

4. All nerves over whether they will fall victim to the ‘difficult second album’ phenomenon are crushed by the beautiful and cleverly titled opening track Intro

5. Singing in their native tongue makes it sound very natural (unlike ABBA)

6. Singing in their native tongue means if their lyrics are anything like ABBA’s you won’t understand them

7. Despite being described as psychedelia/prog, they still make rapid three minute songs with simple dreamy melodies; not twenty minute overtures of mayhem (it’s not a ‘difficult’ album to get)

8. Raw Untamed Sound: yes a cliché, but arrangements at times make it all seem like it’s crumbled and collapsed before swiftly evolving into something fresh. It’s also got that wonderful open drum sound reminiscent of the sixties with crashing spacey cymbals, yet crisp toms and a dirty snare which mould together with the raging guitar and other various instrumentation to create a wall of sonic bliss

9. Despite being one of those bands you’re supposed to like, all that’s forgotten when you put it on

10.  Did I mention that you’re supposed to like them?

So there you go, ten reasons (ten… you see what I did there?) why I think they’re good.

Release date: US - 15/05/07, UK - 21/05/07
Artist website: www.dungen-music.com
Label: Subliminal Sounds

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