Label: Virta

Tracks:

1. Nucleus - 5:08
2. Harvest - 6:50
3. Book of Hours - 9:58, a. Pendulum Swing, b. The Book
4. Raft - 0:58
5. Rubankh - 3:07
6. Here - 7:23
7. This Far From the Sky - 8:47
8. In Freedom - 6:27

Musicians:

• Peter Nordins, percussives
• Jan Erik Liljestrom, bass, voice
• Nicklas Berg, guitar, Rhodes, clavinet, pump organ, Mellotron, voice
• Anna Sofi Dahlberg, cello, Mellotron, voice

Guest musicians:

• Helena Kallander, violin
• Tommy Andersson, Rhodes

In this second album, King Crimson's influences and others remain more diluted, and the group is gaining even more in personality. Compared to "Vemod" there are more contrasts in this second release, being the hard parts, harder than those in "Vemod", and the soft parts, softer.

In this work, some accused the group of turning aside towards the grunge, I suppose that is due to the fact that some tracks are harder and dirtier. Maybe the above mentioned affirmation is somewhat true, but over all, this is undoubtedly prog-rock and Anekdoten's own sound. "Nucleus" is the perfect evolution of what they presented us in "Vemod".

In my opinion, in this album there are two exceptional tracks, which would be among the best of last decade's prog bands. The suite "Book of Hours", whose first part might be perfectly an influence of the post-rock bands, and the second part where mellotrones stand out. The other one would be the melancholic and extreme beauty "Here", with the characteristic pump organ soft atmosphere.

The rest of the album is not just to forget. Some hard enough tracks like "Nucleus" or "Harvest", the dark "Rubankh", the dynamical "This Far From the Sky", and "In Freedom" precious melodic mid-tempo, with an almost Bossa Nova rhythm.

Definitely, one of the best progressive recordings of last decade. And from a creative point of view, possibly Anekdoten's best album.

Rating: 9.5/10

Ferran Lizana