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Reviews

Panzerpappa — Landsbysladder
(Apollon Records ARP090, 2025, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-09-16

Landsbysladder Cover art

Returning with a new studio album after last year’s live release, Skjeringspunkt, a generally acoustic affair with guests. Panzerpappa back in full force with Landsbysladder, doing what they excel at: complex instrumental music with touches of Canterbury in the mix, straddling rock, jazz, and chamber music in a most intriguing way. If you’ve been following the band and think the title sounds familiar, you’re not imagining things. Back on their 2000 album Passer Gullfisk there was a track by the same name, and Pestrottedans featured “Landsbyladder 3.” I’m not sure where the second part of the series went — maybe it’s actually here in the form of “Landsbysladder Pas de Deux.” I guess “Landsbysladder” is Panzerpappa’s version of King Crimson’s “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic,” a suite of related pieces compiled over the years. The title translates to “Village Gossip” in English, though as with all instrumental music, the thematic connection is not direct. Four of the seven tracks on the album refer to the title directly, with the others being the opener, “Ah, Nyhetspamp” (“Oh, Newsboy”), “Kuldeskrik” (“Cold Scream”), and “På Jolla, til Nordafjell” (“By Dinghy, to Nordafjell”). The core of the band is Steinar Børve (saxophones, EWI), Trond Gjellum (drums, percussion), Anders K. Krabberød (bass guitar), Jarle G. Storløkken (guitar), and Torgeir Wergeland Sørbye (keyboards), and they are joined by guests Rannveig Djønne (accordion), Silje Hveem Lofthus (flute), Håkon Stene (tuned percussion), Håkon Børve (alto clarinet), and Ståle Storløkken (synthesizers). The group retains their light touch on the material in spite of the number of musicians involved, and there are plenty of delicate moments to balance the denser sections. Landsbysladder is a fine album all around, and a worthy addition to the catalog of this outstanding band.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Panzerpappa, Electrond (Trond Gjellum)

More info
http://panzerpappa.bandcamp.com/album/landsbysladder

 

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