Ankaret (Kaipa, 1975)

The gracious baroque intro of "Ankaret" ("The Anchor" in English) seems to be the prelude to a classically inspired track. Well no, there's more than this. True, the intro theme comes back and its chamber music measure is one of the highlights of the song. But there are many others: rock, jazzy, choral, even pop moments delight the listener and show how diversified and unpredictable these Swedish musicians were in 1974... and all along their career.

I reckon this is one of the best debut albums ever...

Tomas Eriksson's bass guitar is everywhere and provides a pulsing background to Roine Stolt's guitar and, of course, to Hans Lundin's keyboards. The solos and the interplays between all the musicians are simply perfect and each change intriduces something new. So, if I'm fond of "Ankaret" it's just because it is a brilliant specimen of what progressive rock is in my very, very humble opinion. Waiting for yours...

Mindrevolutions (Kaipa, 2005)

When it comes to technical skills, we all agree that Kaipa are among the best performers out there. That said, sometimes there's a lack of emotion in their music and this is their only flaw to date, something one can ascribe to The Flower Kings too. This beautiful suite, however, includes all I'm looking for when I put a prog song into my CD reader (or in my playing list, to be a little more trendy). Imagine this "Mindrevolutions" as a musical sandwich, where the main theme - a higly emotional one - acts like the two slices of bread and the central section is like meat (or everything else that's tempting for you).

 

A beautiful and disquieting cover, I daresay.

 

Actually, this is a super stuffed sandwich, where Roine Stolt and his guitar play an essential role, perfectly supported by Jonas Reingold. But the main theme - sung by both Aleena and Patrik Lundström is a real treat to me, so intense and moving, with so well found variations, especially in its final reprise, that I rarely listened to something better recently. A great epic for all my experienced friends, but also for the romantic ones.

First Distraction (Kaipa, 2012)

When Kaipa came back with their new "Vittjar" album, I was pleased by their somewhat surprising new songs. They were getting back to folk roots and on to new, harder sounds. This strangely titled song perfectly illustrates both directions. It begins with an acoustic section, featuring Aleena Gibson's beautiful voice, then the electric guitars come in and the rythm rises up for a few moments. A third mid-tempo section features two sung verses divided by a guitar driven instrumental part and ends up with an enthralling violin solo by guest musician Elin Rubinsztein.

"Vittjar" was the 11th studio album by Kaipa

and the sixth one after their reunion in 2002.

The following violin - electric guitar interplay is one of the best moments of the track and the abrupt reprise of the first theme is also excellent and closes such a multi-coloured song. A bit of this and a bit of that, but also a clever pattern, increasing the main theme value and its unpredictable variations. Javisst!

Musiken Är Ljuset (Kaipa, 1975)

Probably one of the best Swedish prog tracks ever and certainly one of the best Kaipa's compositions, this "Musiken Är Ljuset" ("The Music is Light", in English) really brings a new kind of light on our favourite musical genre. Full of different atmospheres, this 7 minutes opening track of the band's debut album is a clever mix of the main prog trends of the golden era. You'll enjoy in it vocal harminies, creative keyboards, unpredictable bass lines, a spiritual background and, of course, the inevitable tempo changes.

Kaipa: The Way We Were...

All is there and with a massive dose of good taste, something you won't find everywhere. What's more, there is plenty of good melodies and catchy riffs in this song, cleverly combined in a solid and coherent plot, where also a very young Roine Stolt finds his way to show his guitar skills next to predominant Hans Lundin's keyboards. The lyrics are in Swedish and I really like this: they add some slightly exotic sonorities to the lot and enhance the Nordic magic and legendary aura of the track.

Visan i sommaren (Kaipa, 1978)

A very short song, maybe not among the most famous ones from Kaipa, but a perfect example of the fusion between progressive atmospheres and nordic folk elements this Swedish band perfectly knew (and sometimes still knows today). It's an aerial ballad made of wind and water, woods and ground. Don't expect here the intricate plots you'll easily find in so many other Kaipa's songs; just enjoy the calm and unswerving melody, the gentle touch of a guitar on the splendid but plain keys work. 

Kaipa in 1978. Roine Stolt was 22... far before the Flower Kings days.

The lyrics (in Swedish) perfectly fit in the music, giving an ecstatic description of an early summer sunset and as song's title means "Summer's ballad", we needn't go into further details. If I decided to present  today this song instead of all the "perfectly prog" songs I also like in the "Solo" album it's because it's made of the stuff the dreams are made of. And it lasts the time the dreams last.