01	Ingenting / Nothing						02:10
	02	Liten Dialektik / Small Dialectics						10:08
	03	Sucken / The Sigh						01:14
	04	Langt Ner I Ett Kaninhal / Way Down A Rabbithole						04:15
	05	Kom Lite Narmare / Come A Little Closer						01:29
	06	Musmjolkningsmaskinen / The Mousemilkingmachine						06:36
	07	Influenser / Influences						07:00
	08	Klossa Kapitalet						01:22
	09	Ramlosa Kvallar / Framless Nights						05:25

Silence Records SRS 4627 - 1974 LP
Silence Records SRSCD 3617 - 1995 CD

Recorded the 6,7,8th November 1974



Klossa Knapitatet

Personnel:

Lars Hollmer: Piano, accordion, yodelling, vocal
Lars Krantz: Bass, vocal
Coste Apetrea: Guitars, vocal
Hasse Bruniusson: Drums, vocal

with Brynn Settels: Accordion


Third album from the interesting, eclectic Swedish group.
Samla, perhaps most known for being the Swedish representative in the original Rock In Opposition (RIO) bunch, makes a very unique brand of music which incorporates elements of Scandanavian folk music, pop, fusion, as well as humor, and group improv. Accordians, yodels, and an overtly homemade sound make their presence known in most of the music on the album. This is not to say that the band are silly or cute, as workouts like "Liten dialektik" ("Small dialects") attest to their instrumental prowess (particulary drummer Hasse Bruninsson and guitarist Coste Apetrea), as well as their focused group interaction.

Two of the tracks are group free improv, but neither is the kind of chaotic, kitchen-sink variety that has given this genre a bad name. Unique and not the least bit pretensious.


Representative tracks
Musmjolkningsmaskinen: Translated as, "The Mousemilkingmachine", this tune encapsulates the dexteritous folk-prog for which the band is best known. It begins with a frantic fanfare, effortlessly segues into the melody, and comes back again at twice the speed. Very tight, and full of grin.

Influenser: Coming immediately after "Musmjolkningsmaskinen", this is a lighthearted group improv piece. In addition to the usual crash, shuffle, and bang, we have some disembodied melodizing, a restless beat that never quite gets off the ground, and more than enough general craziness to go around.





review added 4-6-00
Samla Mammas Manna: Klossa Knapitatet
Silence (SRSCD 3617)
Sweden 1974

Lasse Hollmer, pianos, accordion, yodelling, song;
Lasse Krantz, bass, song;
Coste Apetrea, guitars, song;
Hasse Bruniusson, drums, song;
with Brynn Settels, accordion

Tracklist:
1. Ingenting - 2:09
2. Liten dialektik - 10:10
3. Sucken - 1:14
4. Lang ner i ett Kaninhal - 4:13
5. Kom lite narmare - 1:30
6. Musmjolkningsmaskinin - 6:36
7. Influenser - 6:58
8. Klossa Knapitatet - 1:23
9. Ramlosa Kvallar - 5:30

total time 39:39


Jack Hesse:
Those wacky Swedes! What'll they think of next? Well, okay. This isn't quite as wacky as Maltid, their previous effort, but it seems apparent that these guys had a lot of fun doing this kind of thing. They would later become part of the "Rock in Opposition" movement founded by Henry Cow, but for now, they banged away at their rather unique style of prog-polka, or whatever you call this. Hmmm... I guess it's my job here to call it something. So, well, here goes.
Well, unlike other prog bands around this time, these guys don't seem to have as much of a classical influence to rock out to, as much as folk music. Not the pastoral goth kind of folk music, but the "Happy Happy Joy Joy," polka, drinking song kinda thing. But, listening to "Influenser," it's hard to say exactly where they get inspiration from. :-) Most of the album is upbeat, full of rollicking piano and guitar, melodic in a sing-song kinda way, and a rather happy mood most of the time. Instrumentation is usually guitar, piano, bass, and drums, with occasional accordion and voices, and other assorted noisemakers. The musicians are all excellent players, and the compositions are fairly dense, but not particularly hard to figure out. It's generally goofy, happy, upbeat music. Polka-fusion perhaps? Sometimes they'll sink into something pretty serious for a while, but they do it so smoothly, I barely notice until I realize I'm not grinning anymore. Then a hop, skip, jump, and back into something happy again. I love it. :-) Though it gets pretty serious after "Musmjolkningsmaskinin." It takes a different frame of mind to get into. "Ramlosa Kvallar" is a dark number that sounds like it might have been improvised. Kind of a downer, and kind of an odd way to end a kinda odd album. But definitely well done throughout.

Dominique Leone:
Third album from the interesting Swedish group. Samla, perhaps most known for being the Swedish representative in the original RIO bunch, makes a very unique brand of prog which incorporates elements of Scandanavian folk music as well as humor, and group improv. On this album, de facto leader Lasse Hollmer's penchant for traditional Swedish folk music begins to take center stage. Accordians, yodels, and an overtly homemade sound make their presence known in most of the music on the album. A lighthearted, playful ambience gives Samla's sound a very endearing quality missing from most prog. This is not to say that the band are silly or cute, as workouts like "Small Dialects" attest to their instrumental prowess (particulary drummer Hasse Bruninsson and guitarist Coste Apetrea, both inventive virtuosi), as well as their focused group interaction. Two of the tracks are group free improv, but neither is the kind of chaotic, kitchen-sink variety that has given this genre a bad name. Unique and not the least bit pretensious.

Brandon Wu:
Let's be real simple: if you like Maltid, you'll like this one. It's basically another album in the exact same style. Similar disarming and seemingly simple melodies, punctuated with lots of craziness and those same borderline annoying high-pitched voices. The upbeat folk-music influence is as heavy as ever, but there are a few more hints of the band going more and more prog. Though I don't have Maltid with me as I write this, it seems that electric guitar takes a more important role in this album, particularly in the 10-minute second track. I noticed that the acoustic guitar takes the lead melody role less frequently, which was somewhat disappointing to me, but the pianos fill in very well. In any case, while the melodies aren't quite as catchy as those in the debut, Klossa Knapitatet may actually have a bit more depth. I still like Maltid better, but for fans of that album, this is a must-get eventually.







KLOSSA KNAPITATET

1. Ingenting/Nothing
2. Liten dialektik/Small Dialectics
3. Sucken/The Sigh
4. Langt ner i ett kaninhal/Way Down in a Rabbithole
5. Kom lite narmare/Come a Little Closer
6. Musmjolkningsmaskinen/The Mousemilkingmachine
7. Influenser/Influences
8. Klossa Knapitatet
9. Ramlosa kvallar/Frameless Nights


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Lasse Hollmer: Piano, accordion, yodelling, song
Lasse Krantz: Bass, song
Coste Apetrea: Guitars, song
Hasse Bruniusson: Drums, song
Brynn Settels: Accordion (on song #8)
Cover by Frequent Form

Silence Records SRS 4627 - 1974 LP
Silence Records SRSCD 3617 - 1995 CD



Klossa knapitatet: pressrelease (the original, from 1974)
Samla Mammas Manna will soon release a new album!

It will be their third, and it will be released in a few weeks. The first album was released in 1970 and did not reach that many. Much due to that Silence was a new record company and did not function that well. The second album Maltid was released about a year ago and has been much appreciated. Before and at the time of Maltid SMM tried to get out and play live at all available places. This turned out extremely well and the band has now toured throughout Sweden for almost a year. Round and round the country. For those who have experienced one of their concerts this story is probably just a confirmation: "Samla Mammas Manna, who ended the night, was the height of the concert. Their humour, technical skill and sense of music created an irresistable collaboration, which made the audience both laugh and applause spontaneously after complicated musical parts. The band started with a satire of groups trying to get famous abroad, with an introduction in Swedish, English, German and French, plus a fantasy language. A real contact with the audience was established right away, a thing that is rarely experienced at concerts... They managed to present rather advanced music without appearing to be perfectionists or that they were playing just to show off."
Dagbladet in Norway after a concert at Chateu Neuf

Maltid was as positively recieved by the press as by the ones that had purchased the album. The response of Maltid has been that it is an incredibly advanced LP musically. That it is brimming over with a catching joy and spontaneity.

Now there is, as we said, a new album on the way. It is called Klossa Knapitatet!
The band talks about the album and about their music:
"When we write this, we are at a breach - the spontaneous, collective way of creating music that we wrote about on the last album is stuck in our throats because we can not do it, right now."
How can you be spontaneous every night, after traveling for 300 kilometers. How can you create with the audience, when you notice that most of them has come to check out the idols in SMM? How can we explain that the spontaneous creation of music that is our job, demands compensation in proportion to the general standard of living?
A year of constant touring after the last album made us aware of these and other problems, which we all after analysis, realised as being caused by the society we live in. This experience has made us think of it as a task to make ourselves politically conscious...In our own rate."

This album reflects what has happened with the group during the past year and the music is here and there more restrained than in the last album, maybe a bit more pondering. But they still have their lively imagination and their a bit impudent way of treating time and words. And the new album is more filled with drama and suspense.

Well, it will soon be out.