01	from within						07:25
	02	kiss of life						04:40
	03	groundbound						05:24
	04	hole						11:08
	05	slow fire						07:26
	06	firefly						04:49
	07	the sun absolute						06:39
	08	for someone						03:30

Jan Erik Liljestrom, bass, voice;
Nicklas Berg, guitar, Mellotron, Wurlitzer, voice;
Peter Nordins, drums, vibraphone;
Anna Sofi Dahlberg, Mellotron, piano, Rhodes, cello, voice

Bob Eichler:
This album, the band's third studio release, is just as dark and brooding as first two (as indicated by the cover). There is a difference on this album though - the songs occasionally go into a trance-like pattern and stay there for a long, long time. The closest comparison from their earlier albums would be the first part of "Book of Hours", but even that had a gradual increase in volume to give it some tension. On this album, the groove just continues along forever without really developing into anything. The biggest example would be "Hole", which slips into a slow, sparse pattern around the song's midpoint and just lays there for five minutes.
That aside though, this is still a pretty strong disc. Lots of energy and intensity alternating with quieter passages, just like the earlier albums. The cello is unfortunately underused, except for a brief passage at the end of the short acoustic piece that closes the album. For the most part it's sweeping mellotron, thundering bass, angular guitar and pounding drums.
While overall this is probably my least favorite Anekdoten album to date, I do still like it enough to recommend it to those who enjoy the band's style of music. The title track stands up as one of the group's better songs, and "Kiss of Life" is pretty good too. The sudden ending of "Groundbound" still catches me off guard, even after a half dozen listens. "Slow Fire" rocks, and "For Someone" is a beautiful, if melancholy, way to end the album. If you're already an Anekdoten fan, odds are you won't be disappointed with this CD. If you're new to the band, it might be better to start with an earlier disc (my personal favorite is Nucleus).

Brandon Wu:
For those of you new to Anekdoten (where have you been?), this Swedish band plays some of the heaviest and grungiest progressive rock in the 90s. They use a heavily distorted bass, squealing guitar, and loads of mellotron to create their sound, which is somewhat King Crimson influenced but has become more distinct with each new album. This album takes the sound from Nucleus, the previous studio effort, and tones it down slightly, but otherwise keeps that familiar heavy, somewhat sloppy Anekdoten feel. Vocals are still a weak point - thin, weak, and generally ineffective - but the compositions are solid and there are some pretty good riffs here and there. At first I thought this disc was middling at best, but it's grown on me a bit. It's a little more consistent than Nucleus, with most of the songs being solid and enjoyable. I'd say the weak point is "Groundbound", a fairly simplistic rocker in 4/4 time with too many weak vocals and not enough of Anekdoten's trademark riffs. There are some softer, more laid-back pieces here also, neither of which come close to beating what is IMHO Anekdoten's most brooding, moody piece - "Longing" from Vemod, the debut album. However, the rest of the pieces rock out in grand Anekdoten fashion, a la the title track from Nucleus. There's nothing particularly new here, but fans of the previous studio release will find a lot to like here also.




Anekdoten - From Within

Released: 1999
Label: Virta
Cat. No.: Virta 003
Total Time:

Review courtesy John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg, January 2000
At last ! We can finally switch from nailbiting into listening to the latest studio album from our Swedish friends Anekdoten ! Right from opening track "From Within" you can hear the jazz influences in Peter Nordins drum playing. The voice of Nicklas Berg often reminds me of the uncertain "timbre" of David Byrne yet it alternates perfectly with the thick layers of mellotron and the repetetive character of the song. The music of Anekdoten is like the low and high tide of an untamed sea : far away yet so close, one time calm and peaceful the next ruthless, cunning and invincible. The hard Rickenbacker sounds of Jan Erik Liljestrom beacon as it were the layers of mellotron whilst Nicklas adds little accents on guitar. What a song, what an opener for this album !

You could easily put the sticker 'play loud' on a song like "Kiss Of Life" because this lifesaving sound comes pouring out of your speakers courtesy of even more mellotron, whilst drum and bass work alongside to create a hypnotising effect. I won't go into detail what the songs "Groundbound" 'and "Slow Fire" are concerned [with,] as they differ very little from the recordings on the Live In Japan recording, maybe only the details can be heard better this time round. A very BIG song is without any doubt "Hole" with - I don't dare to say it anymore - even more majestic mellotron entertwined with superb sounding guitar from Nicklas, as if it concerns a precious painting from a renowed museum. Soft rippling, the song searches its way amidst a thrifty sonority where Simon Nordberg adds a little bit of Hammond, a most welcome acquisition to the sound of Anekdoten, which is getting better and better and sounding here as the best Pink Floyd ever.

In "Firefly," Nordberg is able to add some piano to the heavy bass, snareless toms and thin voices which are to be found in this repetetive pattern. The repeating heavy bass sounds of Jan Erik introduce "The Sun Absolute," a song with an eastern atmosphere which grows and grows until it reaches an explosive height, bursting open and letting it roll with all its power and homogenity. The goodbye song is "For Someone," a fragile acoustic song with Nicklas Berg accompanied only by sparse percussive colourings and a soft : mellotron, completing the sound as if it were tiny snowflakes covering the ground.

From Within is not a flatting-mill like Nucleus or Live in Japan. The band has taken more time in order to work out the motto : 'more with less'. If the growth of this band continues then I'm convinced this band will one day release a number one album. In the meantime this album is their very best and I mean this : "from within !"
More about From Within:


Track Listing: From Within / Kiss Of Life / Groundbound / Hole / Slow Fire / Firefly / The Sun Absolute / For Someone

Musicians:
Jan Erik Liljestom - bass and vocals
Nicklas Berg - guitar, mellotron, Wurlitzer, and vocals
Peter Nordins - percussion and vibraphone
Anna Sofi Dahlberg - mellotron, piano, Fender Rhodes, cello, and vocals

Contact:

Website: www.anekdoten.se
Note: will open new browser window

Email: anekdoten@anekdoten.se

Discography

Vemod (1991)
Nucleus (1995)
Official Bootleg: Live in Japan (1998)
From Within (1999)






Anekdoten
From Within
Virta
1999
Wayside Music

The first thing one may notice about this new CD from Anekdoten is some decidedly bleak artwork on the cover and in the CD booklet. It's almost all black. Have the long Swedish winters gotten to Anekdoten? Is this CD even more depressing than their previous work? Not really, but From Within does signal a movement in a new direction. It shows the band reaching a new level of maturity as they continue to refine their style.

Those attracted to Anekdoten for their tendency toward heavy riffing may find a little less to get excited about on From Within. Sure, the album still has all the trademarks that made Nucleus and Vemod so excellent, but a new ingredient has been added to the mix - subtlety. In the past, the band was fond of frequent instrumental passages which would boil over with energy and complexity. Frenzied guitar solos and heavy, distorted bass stomped through beds of swirling Mellotron as Jan Erik Liljestrom bellowed his way through the lyrics. This album takes things down a notch. From Within rarely boils over, instead it simmers. The title piece is a perfect example. The verses, sung with dignified melancholy, are backed by a constant, tension building snare drum roll. This leads to a melodic instrumental section. This is dominated by a liquidy sounding guitar riff which is never too heavy, but is the highest point of energy for the song. Beautiful and pensive, but never really heavy or very intense.

The Mellotron drenched "Hole," is one of the last remaining vestiges of Anekdoten's once unabashed King Crimson affinity. Its long instrumental section is quite reminiscent of Crimson's "Starless." Another standout piece is the smoldering, goose bump inducing "Firefly," complete with piano and vocal harmonies courtesy of Anna Sofi Dahlberg. Also excellent is "The Sun Absolute," an instrumental dominated by a Magma-esque bass riff.

Overall, this album benefits from a stronger than usual effort for detail and a delicate touch. Many of the pieces are artfully adorned with piano, cello and shimmering, sometimes gauzy vibraphone. All are a nice touch. The lovely, ghostly strains of the celebrated Mellotron are even more pronounced on From Within than on past albums due to a decreased reliance on guitar and heavy unison riffing.

This album may prompt listeners to wonder: Is Anekdoten poised to mellow and/or sell out? After listening to this album, a degree of mellowing out seems inevitable. That may even be a good thing as long as heavy riffs continue to be replaced by more thoughtful, artful music. Selling out (or more gently put: breaking through) seems less likely, but is beginning to seem like a distant possibility. Songs like "Groundbound" confirm Anekdoten's influences outside of progressive rock, including current "alternative" rock. One may wonder whether the lure of more trendy styles of music, combined with Anekdoten's relative success and quickly accessible brand of heavy prog will ever amalgamate to elevate the band's profile to an alternative radio level. We may not know for years, but for now they play for us. Bless them.







=======================

What was King Edward?
Between May 1990 and August 1991 (before Anekdoten was formed)Nicklas, Jan Erik and Peter played (mostly) King Crimson covers under this banner.


What is Morte Macabre?
Morte Macabre is Nicklas Berg and Peter Nordins teamed up with Stefan Dimle and Nils-Reine Fiske from Landberk. The project released the album "Symphonic Holocaust" (1 CD/2 LP), which mainly consists of covers of soundtracks from horror-movies, on the Mellotronen label in October 1998.


Will Morte Macabre ever be ressurected?
They are looking for material for another album, but there are no immediate recording plans at the moment.


What does Anekdoten mean and how is it pronounced?
It means the Anecdote. It is pronounced like the German equivalent "die Anekdoten", i.e. something like "Unacdauten".


Why was that name chosen for the group?
When Anna Sofi had joined the group we felt that the change of musical direction towards more own material demanded a new name for the band. All four members did a list of name-suggestions. Nicklas came up with Anekdoten, which we all liked, but we weren't too keen on having a Swedish name of the group as all the tunes were sung in English. We thought about the names for a while before we decided that Anekdoten simply was the name that stuck from the list, but the name wasn't fully accepted until shortly before the CD was released.


What albums has Anekdoten released?
- VEMOD
CD (Virta 001), September 1993
LP (Colours, COSLP 017), Dec 1994 [deleted]
MC (Prog Rock Music, PRM 015), Feb 1995
Japan-CD (Arcangelo, ARC-1001) with one bonus-track, Aug 1995
Picture-disc LP (Record Heaven, RHPD 2), June 1996

- NUCLEUS
CD (Virta 002), December 1995
LP (Gates Of Dawn, GOD 003), October 1996
MC (Prog Rock Music, PRM 036), October 1996
Picture-disc LP (Record Heaven, RHPD 9), May 1997

- LIVE EP
Mini-CD (Arcangelo, ARC-1035), September 1997
- OFFICIAL BOOTLEG - LIVE IN JAPAN
2-CD (Arcangelo,ARC-1036/37), February 1998

- FROM WITHIN
CD (Virta 003), October 1999
LP (Virta LP 003), March 2000


Is Virta(levy) your own label?
Yes.


What does "Vemod" mean and how is it pronounced?
It is a Swedish word, meaning [tender] sadness / [pensive] melancholy. It is pronounced something like "Veamood"


What does the cover-art of "Vemod" mean?
We don't know.


What is that thing on the "From Within" cover?
It is a man inside a giant balloon.


What does Rubankh mean (song title off "Nucleus")?
Rubankh doesn't mean anything, but "rubank" is the Swedish word for trying plane.


What does Tabatah mean (song title off "Official Bootleg - Live in Japan")?
Tabatah doesn't mean anything, but "Tabata" was the name of a subway station in Tokyo. (And Tabatha Cash is the name of a porno actress, but that's another story)


How old are you?
Birthdates -
Jan Erik: 15 September 1967
Nicklas: 9 July 1969
Peter: 23 January 1970
Anna Sofi: 19 July 1970


Do you have daytime jobs?
Yes, Nicklas and Peter work in record shops, Anna Sofi works with production and consulting, mainly as web-designer, Jan Erik is a systems engineer.


Can you list 10 of your favourite albums?
NICKLAS:
Black Sabbath - "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath"
Mark Hollis - "Mark Hollis"
Motorpsycho - "Angels And Daemons At Play"
Darius - "Darius"
Pharoah Sanders - "Karma"
Hendrix - "Band of Gypsys"
Magma - "Live (Hhai)"
Can - "Tago Mago"
Amon Duul II - "Yeti"
Jack Bruce - "Songs For A Tailor"

ANNA SOFI:
To be updated...

JAN ERIK:
Tim Buckley - "Happy Sad"
Comus - "First Utterance"
Nick Drake - "Five Leaves Left"
Peter Hammill - "Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night"
Magma - "Live (Hhai)"
Curtis Mayfield - "Curtis"
David Sylvian - "Secrets Of The Beehive"
Talk Talk - "Spirit of Eden"
Van Der Graaf Generator - "Pawn Hearts"
Robert Wyatt - "Rock Bottom"


PETER:
Marvin Gaye: What's Going On
Nick Drake: Five Leaves Left
Magma: Live Hhai
Bo Hansson: Sagan Om Ringen
John Coltrane: Coltrane
Linda Perhacs: Paralellograms
Comus: First Utterance
David Sylvian: Secrets Of The Beehive
Frank Zappa: Hot Rats
Jack Bruce: Songs For A Tailor


What covers has Anekdoten played live?
Starless, Easy Money, Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part 2, Lament, Cirkus (all by King Crimson), Pilgrims (by Van Der Graaf Generator), extract from De Futura (by Magma) and Mars (by Holst).


Have any Anekdoten songs been covered by other artists?
There was (is?) an Anekdoten cover band in Tokyo called An-Utu-Cho-On-Kaku who did cover versions of Karelia, The Old Man & The Sea, Where Solitude Remains, The Flow and Nucleus. Gonin Ish, also from Tokyo, has played Nucleus, Dead Dino Storage from Norway has played Wheel and Hoyry-kone once did a very personal version of Nucleus with Finnish lyrics.


Have the members of the band contributed to any other recordings?
NICKLAS -
Mellotron, Fender Rhodes, Theremin, sampler, guitar, bass on Morte Macabre "Symhonic Holocaust"
(CD: Mellotronen, MELLOCD 008, October 1998,
LP: Mellotronen, MELLOLP 001, April 1999)

Mellotron on Space Age Baby Jane's CD-single "Earthless"
(Telegram, 0630-15305-2, June 1996)

ANNA SOFI -
Cello on the Rootvalta song "Rootsaga" from the CD "Songs From The Fallen Tree" (Bolanche Records, BOL CD946, 1994)

Cello on the Mojobone song "Southpaw" from the 10"-vinyl "Tales from the Bone" (Hippodome Records, HR0199, 1999)

JAN ERIK -
Bass, vocals (and lyrics) on the Junction vinyl-single "Living Without You"/"Flying High" (Junk records, JR-001, 1989)

Vocals on the Junction song "Underneath My Waterbed" featured on the 2-CD compilation "Eleven-On-A-One-To-Ten" (Meantime Production, BLGE CD 1-2, 1993)

PETER -
Drums, percussion, Mellotron on Morte Macabre "Symhonic Holocaust"
(CD: Mellotronen, MELLOCD 008, October 1998,
LP: Mellotronen, MELLOLP 001, March 1999)

Drums and percussion on the songs "Lumisaha" and "Tottele" on the Hoyry-kone CD "Huono Parturi" (Ad Perpetuam Memoriam, APM 9720 AT, 1997)


What equipment do you use?
NICKLAS -
Guitar: Gibson SG, '61-reissue
Amp: Hi-Watt modified by Marcus Resch
Cabinet: Marshall JCM 900, Lead-1960
Effects: Fuzzface, Line 6 DL4 Delay modeler, Octavia, Wah, Univibe and volume pedal custom made by Marcus Resch
Strings: Ernie Ball, Regular Slinky, 0.11, 0.13, 0.17, 0.26, 0.36, 0.46
Picks: Clayton, 1,26 mm

ANNA SOFI -
Cellos: Custom-made electric cello, Acoustic Hofner with Fishman pre-amp and pick-up system
Effects: Boss ME-5 Guitar multiple effects unit, Lexicon Jam Man loop-device, Colorsound Wah, Volume pedal by Marcus Resch

NICKLAS & ANNA SOFI -
Sampler: Ensonic ASR-10
Mellotron: M400-S, modified by Marcus Resch and equipped with tapes from Mellotron Archives
Fender Rhodes Piano
Theremin: Big Briar Etherwave Theremin

JAN ERIK -
Basses: All-Parts/Chandler Precision, Rickenbacker 4001
Amp: H/H guitar-amp with built in distortion, Custom made bass-amp by Marcus Resch
Cabinets: Sonic B115T/SCF 200 and Malmberg
Effect: Morley Wah
Strings: Rotosound Swing Bass 66 Roundwound, Standard gauge
Picks: Dunlop 1,5 mm

PETER -
Drums: Sonor Phonic, red mahogny - 10", 12" Toms, 14", 16" Floor toms, 20" Bass drum
Snare: 14" x 8" Sonor Signature Series HLD588
Cymbals: Zildjian New Beat 14" Hi-Hat, Zildjian A Custom 8" Splash, A Zildjan 10" Splash, Efx #1 8", Icebell LP. #10, K Zildjan 15" Dark Crash, K Zildjan 17" Dark Crash, K Zildjan 18" Dark Crash, Zildjan Boy High 18" China, 21,5" China, Paiste 2002 20" Heavy Ride
Heads: Toms: Coated Emperor (top), Coated Diplomat (bottom)
Snare: C.S. Batter
Bass drum: Coated Weather Kings
Sticks: Vic Firth 7A
Vibraphone: Mastern (Made in Sweden)


Who sings what on the albums?
THE OLD MAN & THE SEA: Jan Erik
WHERE SOLITUDE REMAINS: Jan Erik
THOUGHTS IN ABSENCE: Jan Erik
THE FLOW: Jan Erik
WHEEL: Jan Erik and Anna Sofi
SAD RAIN: Jan Erik
NUCLEUS: verses - Nicklas and Anna Sofi, chorus - Jan Erik
HARVEST: Nicklas
BOOK OF HOURS: verses - Jan Erik, wordless chorus - Nicklas
THIS FAR FROM THE SKY: Jan Erik
IN FREEDOM: Jan Erik and Anna Sofi
FROM WITHIN: Nicklas
KISS OF LIFE: Nicklas
GROUNDBOUND: Jan Erik
HOLE: Nicklas
SLOW FIRE: Nicklas
FIREFLY: Jan Erik, chorus - Anna Sofi
FOR SOMEONE: Nicklas


What mellotron-sounds are used on the albums?
KARELIA: bassoon, churchorgan, flute, 3 violins
THE OLD MAN & THE SEA: 8 choir, churchorgan
WHERE SOLITUDE REMAINS: 3 violins, flute, churchorgan, oboe
THOUGHTS IN ABSENCE: flute, oboe
THE FLOW: sound FX, vibes, flute, 3 violins
LONGING: bassoon, oboe
WHEEL: GC3 brass, bassoon, oboe, 300 strings, 8 choir
SAD RAIN: Mk 2 brass, 3 violins, clarinet, flute, viola, cello
NUCLEUS: 3 violins, flute, vibes, 8 choir, viola
BOOK OF HOURS: flute, 3 violins, oboe, viola, vibes, Mk 2 brass
RUBANKH: 3 violins, flute, viola
THIS FAR FROM THE SKY: flute, vibes, 3 violins, oboe, 8 choir
IN FREEDOM: vibes
A WAY OF LIFE: flute, 3 violins
ROAD TO NOWHERE: flute, 3 violins
TABATAH: vibes, chamberlin male-choir, chamberlin trumpet
FROM WITHIN: 3 violins, solo violin
KISS OF LIFE: 3 violins, flute
GROUNDBOUND: vibes, 3 violins
HOLE: 3 violins
SLOW FIRE: 3 violins
FIREFLY: Chamberlin female choir, Chamberlin cello
SUN ABSLOLUTE: Chamberlin male choir, Chamberlin cello, Chamberlin clarinet, Chamberlin trumpet, Chamberlin flute, solo violin, 3 violins.
FOR SOMEONE: solo violin.
[These Mellotron-tapes are available from Mellotron Archives]


Are there any video-tapes of the band available?
There are no official Anekdoten video-tapes available, but the band is featured on the "Progfest '94, Day Two" compilation-video.


How can I get hold of the "This Is An Orange" compilation (which includes a live-version of the King Crimson-song "Cirkus")?
We don't know. It was only made in a limited edition of 250 copies and was almost immediately sold out.


How can I get hold of the "Vemod" LP?
We do not know. It was made in 1 000 copies and has been sold out for quite a while.


Where can I get hold of the rest of your catalogue?
Check out the distributors-list on the homepage or send us an email and we'll try to help you out.


Are the Swedes unusually gloomy people?
Yes, but Finns are even gloomier. :-)