Dungen: Allas Sak
Dungen is a musical anachronism, the definition of un-hip. And that’s precisely what makes them so essential. It’s been five years since the Swedish psych-rock quartet’s last LP, 2010’s Skit I Allt, and their latest doesn’t offer any radical reinventions. But it’s another elegant echo from prog’s past—conjuring the dimly lit basements, lava lamps and weed-perfumed weekends that spawned rock’s wildest experiments. Gustav Ejstes leads his versatile band through pastoral Latin-folk (the congas and strummed acoustics of “Sista Festen”), post-rock balladry (the ethereal textures of “En Gång Om Året”), clattering jazz (flute-driven “Franks Kaktus”) and punishing Kraut-rock freak-outs (“En Dag På Sjon”). Closer “Sova” summarizes the sprawl in eight minutes, building cathedrals of sound from swirling Hammond organ and tom-tom fills. Indulgent? You betcha. And that’s precisely the point. Dungen lure you into a dream space—part memory, part fantasy, complete hypnosis.