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Larsen and the Coloured Dreams — Bucket List
(Apollon Records APO, 2022, CD / LP / DL)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2022-04-28

Bucket List Cover art

Norwegian guitarist and singer Kjell B. Larsen was a member of Ruphus and their primary song composer in the 70s. In the 80s he released his first solo album, Larsen, and he has remained active over the decades with various bands and projects. Since 2014, Kjell has been playing with The Greens. And now, 50 years since forming Ruphus and recording their first song “Coloured Dreams,” Kjell’s new band is Larsen & The Coloured Dreams, and a new album The Bucket List. To be honest, I never heard of Ruphus or their music, so  I have nothing to compare The Bucket List against. According to Discogs, Ruphus was a progressive rock band with fusion and jazz influences. However, that explanation doesn’t really help, as The Bucket List is a collection of ten 70s pop rock inspired songs, a mixture of blues rock, soul funk, West Coast pop psych, and dub. The one word that comes to mind that can describe this album is “pleasant.” There are lots of apparent influences. Bob Marley’s “One Love” on “Mr. Fantastico,” Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing” on “Moody Rudy,” and Les Paul on the smooth 50s blues jazz song “Pandemonium Blues.” Nothing really exciting here for our Exposé readers, other than some catchy pop rock songs.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Larsen and the Coloured Dreams

More info
http://larsenthecoloureddreams.bandcamp.com/album/bucket-list

 

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