MAKAJODAMA

Here we have the self-titled debut album from Swedish instrumental quartet, Makajodama...and what an original, innovative beast it is. A sticker attached to the front of the minimalist digi-pak packaging states they are "Post Rock meets Prog Rock!" and recommended for fans of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, King Crimson, Can and Univers Zero. Add to that mix, in my own interpretation John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra and you'll begin to get the idea of what to expect in Makajodama's music. Brainchild of Mathias Danielsson, one-time guitarist of prog-rockers Gösta Berlings Saga, he apparently felt the need to begin a new musical venture with which to express his experimental creativity. Assembling a plethora of talent in recruiting cellist Karin Larsdotter, violinist Johan Klint and drummer Mattias Ankarbranth, along with an array of guest musicians performing flute, bassoon and saxophone among other instruments, the eight cuts on offer were recorded over a fairly lengthy period of time, between June 2007 and April 2009. Combining both composed and improvised passages, whether such an experiment works for your ears will obviously depend on your own proclivities towards both instrumental and experimental music. Personally, I think it works a treat and, despite aforementioned comparisons, it really is in a genre all by itself. Some will construe the fairly raw sounding production as flawed, although I think it perfectly fits the jam-vibe present in the music's execution and actually heightens the improvised effect inherent throughout. While the musicianship lacks the virtuoso flair of the likes of John McLaughlin, I would quite confidently label Makajodama as a Mahavishnu Orchestra for the Post Rock generation!

LABEL:

FORMAT:

The Laser's Edge

Album

MAKAJODAMA

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

56:51

RELEASE DATE:

4th Jan 2010

TRACK LISTING

1) Reodor Felgen Blues
2) Buddha and the Camel
3) Wolof
4) The Train of Thought
5) The Ayurvedic Soap
6) Vallingby Revisited
7) The Girls at the Marches
8) Autumn Suite

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Sweden

"...a Mahavishnu Orchestra for the Post Rock generation!"