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Groupa
Lavelek
14.99
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| "Lavalek is the most expansive and curious excursion the band has ever taken, working with a broader ambiance, an interesting mix of gentle, natural acoustics and aggressive use of percussion and electric keyboards. ...the record delivers surprises and delights.... finds remarkable secrets in the music and hurls them into the light. This record could be a blueprint for a lot of other bands who think that "modernizing" is a goal unto itself. Groupa knows how to embrace the ancient muse while roaring forward." - CF, RootsWorld |
The record label rap:
Lavalek assumes the mantle with strong, high-energy performances of original compositions in the traditional style.
This time, rounding out the Groupa sound is singer Sofia Karlsson, yet another extraordinary Swedish female voice fresh on the scene. Her addition to the band brings another ingredient to an already potent mix of fiddle, keyboards, flutes and percussion. This is Groupa's most vibrant recording in their long career.
Groupa speaks about their music:
Some say they saw it go flying out of an open window, early one clear and cloudless summer morning.
Others say they have seen it in a myriad of forms; such as a balloon-animal duck in a brilliant shade of pink or a tastefully crafted piece of porcelain decorated with motifs from ancient Egypt.
It was seen to have found a place among the shopping malls and galleries amidst Yuletide shopping stress and the many colored candles made of wax, which can be poured into the decorative mold of your choice and offers up to twenty-five hours of burning time.
It was even seen at roadside gas stations, not among the cans of motor oil and the glossy covers of magazines but out among the fuel pumps in colors of black and yellow.
One man spoke of having read of it and later of having picked up the trail of its scent, which later turned out to only be a closed hamburger shack. The truth lies somewhere amid all these reports.
It is odorless and invisible.
Extreme concentration is necessary in order to do so much as notice it, such as when you put in your contact lenses, when preparing a recipe of immense complexity or the feeling of wonder you get from an unbelievable conversation.
For our own part, we have had it with us for a long time now. One must be careful with it. We already know that the farmers and craftsmen of old showed tremendous respect and esteem for it.
The weak field of static electricity generated by it can create disturbances for passing objects. To isolate or captivate it can prove extremely difficult if not altogether impossible.
However, should one manage to captivate it, the resultant joy known, for the one as well as the many, is only greater. If one bends down and presses an ear to the soft moss, then it can be rendered, if not wholly visible, at least almost audible.
Let us speak no more of it.
Let the music speak for itself.
-- Groupa 1999
Groupa return with a renewed energy and a new member. As veterans of the Swedish folk revival (as documented on 15 Years, a retrospective compilation of their career), Groupa has been a name long associated with innovation and leadership.
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