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Dennis — De Gales Dal
(Apollon Records AP059, 2019, CD / LP / DL)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2020-05-10

De Gales Dal Cover art

70 year old Norwegian rocker Sven Johan Reksten AKA Dennis Reksten AKA Dennis returns with his first new release since 2002. Listening to his new album De Gales Dal or The Gales Valley, you would swear this was performed by a man a third his age. The only thing that might belie his age is his voice, but only subtly. The new band Dennis is Reksten (guitar and vocals), Tom Kogstad (drums), Harald Pallesen (synths), and various unamed guest musicians. The nine songs are strong psych / prog pop tunes. These are fun songs to listen to with various sonic references to the 70s and 80s, some that are singalong tunes. Some interesting moments occur, like on “Djevelen Danser” or “Devil Dance,” with its majestic chords and its similarity to The Crystals’ “Da Doo Ron Ron.” For me, the best track on the album is the closer, “Vet Du Hva Kjærlighet Er” or “Do You Know What Love Is?” This is by far the longest track, clocking in just over seven minutes, and it features melodic guitar lines, synths, wordless female singing, and sax to deliver a strong cinematic song. There is a lot of energy percolating throughout. And normally this would not raise an eyebrow, but the album cover art seems to have anticipated today’s COVID-19 precautions, as emergency workers haul off a crazed Dennis. De Gales Dal is an album well worth investigating.

Filed under: New releases, 2019 releases

Related artist(s): Dennis Reksten

 

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