Kaipa Da Capo Darskapens Monotoni Review by Gary Hill
You really can't beat Roine Stolt if you like melodic prog rock. This album is a brand new set from a variant on his 1970s band Kaipa. If you require your music to have lyrics in English, you'll probably want to look elsewhere: the ones here are in Swedish. But, if you skip this release, it will be your loss. It's exceptionally strong.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Dårskapens Monotoni
Mellow sounds bring this into being. It gets into some melodic prog from there. After that takes it for a time they shift to a crunchier jam that really rocks. It's still full prog, but there are hints of metallic fusion in the mix. It's about four minutes in before we get any vocals. The cut drops to a more mainstream, stripped back arrangement for that. It continues to shift and evolve in cool prog stylings from there. We get some really powerful moments. The ending section is poignant and rather classical in nature. It has a symphonic texture to it.
En Pojk There is a bit of a funky groove to this cut. It has an almost soulful feeling to it. It's classy stuff that feels very 70s like. It's mellower in that opening segment and works forward in great style. I like the balance between more sedate and rocking stuff that ensues as the track keeps evolving. The keyboard solo is quite classy. I really love the climbing section as the guitar solos, too. A trippy segment ends this.
Vi Lever Här The mellow movement that opens this makes me think of Gabriel era Genesis. The tune grows out from with a rather folk prog kind of vibe. As one expects with anything Roine Stolt helps to compose, this doesn't stay in one place. It works out to more traditional prog rock and keeps reinventing itself is great ways. It's another powerful prog rocker.
Det Tysta Guldet This very much feels like Yes in a lot of ways. It's a powerful piece of music. When it drops back to the vocals, that Yes vibe is gone as it's more like folk prog. It continues to grow outward from there. It's a killer number that's surprisingly accessible given that I have no idea what is being sung. I love the vocals. I love the melody. I just love this song. Oh, did I mention that there is some great melodic guitar soloing, too? Well, I did now. There are some more Yes-like things in the resolution near the end of the cut.
Spår Av Vår Tid Mellow acoustic guitar based sound is the start of this number. It's very pretty and balladic. It's a cool tune and a bit of a reprieve. Sure, it builds up, but remains fairly constant and sedate.
Tonerna This opens with a serious powerhouse of sound. It's part jazz, part bombast and all cool. There is some Frank Zappa to be found in the mix. There is a lot of old school rock and roll from the early 70s, too. The organ solo brings some seriously retro stuff to the table. We're about four minutes into this mini-epic (17:20) before it drops back to a folk prog styled arrangement for the vocals. It continues to evolve from there. The cut builds back out to some great melodic prog rock. It's soaring and works out nicely as it continues to shift and evolve. This makes good use of the extra time, packing the cut full of great stuff. I love the guitar soloing and backing vocals on the closing movement. It really pushes the cut into the upper levels of the atmosphere and beyond.
Monoliten This is more of a straight-line tune. It starts rather mellow with a more folk prog kind of sound. It builds outward through some great melodic prog territory. The cut is listed as over seven minutes long, but it actually ends well before that. The last couple minutes are weird with bits of silence that also get some breathing that is punctuated by a piano drop at the end. The result is something that feels a bit like you are in the middle of a horror movie.
