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Agusa Premiere “Ganglat Fran Vintergatan” from Agusa 2

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Veterans of Roadburn and Copenhagen Psych Fest, Swedish five-piece Agusa will release their second album, Agusa TvåAgusa 2 — on July 24 through The Laser’s Edge (CD) and their own Kommun2 (LP) imprint. In the tradition of their krautorock and psychedelic forebears, the band works quick. They formed in 2013 and have already established a quick LP-per-year pace and have played sporadic fests, in addition to the two mentioned also appearing recently at Electric Moon Fest (which doesn’t seem related to the band of the same name), Säljerydfestivalen in Ingelstad, Sweden, and Kildemose Festival in Denmark.

Listening to Agusa 2 or its 2014 predecessor, Högtid, it’s easy to understand why one might want to add them to a bill. Agusa 2 further gels the chemistry Agusa showed on their debut into two extended pieces — side A’s “Ganglat Fran Vintergatan” (20:22) and side B’s “Kung Bores Dans” (18:17) — rife with progressive complexity, agusa 2accomplished melodies of guitar, organ and flute, and quick-turning rhythms driven by a classic sense of movement that fits smoothly into Agusa‘s method. As one might expect, both cuts offer plenty of sprawl, but the band operate from a sense of purpose as well, and it’s not merely exploration for its own sake, but an expression of a naturalist instrumental ideal, and one gorgeously conjured and languid in its flow but not at all sonically lazy.

Both “Ganglat Fran Vintergatan” (“Marching Tune from the Milky Way”) and “Kung Bores Dans” (“King Winter’s Dance”) unfold gradually, with the organ as a figure no less prevalent than the guitar, and engage in a crisp but progressive bounce. There’s no mistaking a heavy sense of groove, but they’re also capable of jazzy turns when called for, adding a sense of spontaneity to the proceedings and allowing the band to shift fluidly from one movement to the next while also expanding the context of the album overall. Not bad for two tracks on their sophomore outing, and by that I mean Agusa 2 offers both proggy substance and a psychedelic aesthetic that makes their work eminently listenable.

To wit, I have the pleasure today of hosting a premiere for “Ganglat Fran Vintergatan,” which you’ll find on the player below.

Please enjoy:

The Laser’s Edge has signed Malmo, Sweden-based psychedelic/prog outfit, AGUSA, for the release of the eclectic outfit’s impending sophomore album this Summer.

With almost forty minutes of new material, AGUSA delivers a wide array of seamlessly-executed, organic rock on the aptly titled Agusa 2. The band’s tranquil output blends tripped-out psychedelic and progressive rock structures are inspired by more folk than occult influences, instilling visions of nature, the cosmos, and dreamlike passages, meandering into realms of a possibly supernatural or parallel existence. While not a fully instrumental recording, backing vocal mantras only seep in through purposeful cracks in the construction of these immense movements, adding an even more spacious feeling to the overall flow of the album.

US progressive label, The Laser’s Edge, will release Agusa 2 on CD and digital platforms on July 24th, while AGUSA will issue the album on vinyl through their own Kommun2 label. Stand by for additional info on the album to be released in the coming days.

Having just performed at this year’s Roadburn Festival, invited by curators, Enslaved, followed immediately by a set at Copenhagen Psych Fest, AGUSA will continue taking their enigmatic live set to fans across Europe with additional performances in the coming months.

AGUSA:
Tobias Petterson – bass
Mikael Ödesjö – guitar
Tim Wallander – drums
Jonas Berge – organ
Jenny Puertas – flute

Agusa on Thee Facebooks

Agusa on Bandcamp

The Laser’s Edge website

The Laser’s Edge on Thee Facebooks

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