Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Mats / Morgan Band — On Air with Guests
(Ultimate Audio UAE DISC 15, 2002, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2003-08-01

On Air with Guests Cover art

Keyboardist Mats Öberg and drummer Morgan Ågren, with at least four discs already to their credit, have pulled out all the stops for an all-instrumental tour-de-force which also features a second keyboardist and bassist as regulars, plus notable guests Frederik Thordendal (guitar, from Meshuggah), Jimmy Ågren (slide guitar), Simon Steensland (theremin), Jonas Knutsson (saxes, percussion). Their style varies between an aggressive and complex angular rock to funky math-fusion to something approaching jazz-infected metal, to styles that are beyond any convenient description (the track “Advokaten,” with its percussive intro on spoons is definitely one of the latter). Not just content to anchor the sound, Morgan’s creative percussion attack is far more than just a part of the rhythm section, jumping out and becoming the star of almost every piece, certainly informed by his tenure working with Frank Zappa in his final years. Some of his rhythms are so complex I’m at a loss to describe what time they are in — perhaps multiple meters simultaneously. Öberg is no slouch either, driving all the melodic aspects of their sound, and contributing to the blaze of complexity woven into every piece. Jimmy Ågren’s slide guitar on “She’s Louder Than Me, But I’ve Got the Microphone” is a highlight; they should have utilized his talents more, as he fits in so well. My only complaint, very minor at that, is that the disc (at nearly 70 minutes) is almost too much to absorb in a single sitting. That said, this will certainly kick your ass!

Filed under: New releases, Issue 27, 2002 releases

Related artist(s): Morgan Ågren, Simon Steensland, Jimmy Ågren, Mats / Morgan Band

More info
http://morganagren.bandcamp.com/album/on-air-with-guests-2001

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.