KULTIVATOR

'Barndomens Stigar' CD (APM 9201)

Michael Draine (© 2003 Michael Draine)

Rescued from the limbo of high-priced vinyl rarities by the new label APM, this Swedish quintet's 1980 debut may be the Zeuhl / progressive reissue of the year. Wry, whimsical keyboard flourishes and a certain pastoral air allude to the Canterbury school, while the aggressive, pulsing bass lines, loping backbeat, and soprano scat vocals combine and combust in the best Magma-inspired tradition. Traces of Swedish folk linger in Kultivator's eclectic blend, but the group's influences are infused with an urgency and intensity entirely their own. Keyboardist Johan Hedren is the only name familiar to me, but the robust, fuzzed organ and lilting electric piano on display here is light-years away from the austere, abstract soundscapes of his Bauta LP, 'Kretslopp'. There's not a weak track among 'Barndomens Stigar's twelve, including an excerpt from Kultivator's first concert, and a fresh, vivid 1992 recording by the reformed group. Sound quality is rather coarse, with the left channel louder than the right, but with music this good, who cares?

Added: Kultivator Interview