Långfinger Premiere “Feather Beader” from Live LP out May 24
Posted in audiObelisk on May 14th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
On May 24, Swedish heavy rockers Långfinger will release the limited LP Live in an edition of 200 copies only. It arrives through Beduin and Sound Pollution less than a full month after Långfinger‘s new split 7″ with JIRM (formerly Jeremy Irons and the Ratgang Malibus), and presents a show that took place on Xmas 2017 in the band’s hometown of Gothenburg. In short, it sounds like a holiday. In total, Långfinger rip through eight songs and every bit sound like they knew they were going to end up releasing the gig. Rising to the occasion and all that.
Mixed and mastered by guitarist/backing vocalist Kalle Lilja and with Lukas Väremo sitting in on keys for “Fantasy Ridge” and “Atlas” — from their first album, 2010’s Skygrounds, and their third album, 2016’s Crossyears (review here), respectively — along with bassist/vocalist Victor Crusner and drummer Jesper Pihl, Live lives up to any live album cliché one might be tempted to apply. Whether it’s “capturing a moment in time” or presenting the band’s studio material in raw and raucous fashion, whatever. It’s all true. It’s all there. It all works. By the time they’re through “Fox Confessor” and “Caesar’s Blues” from Crossyears and into the winding riffery of “Feather Beader,” the sense of witnessing a kickass classic heavy rock show is palpable, and it seems like no coincidence at all that in talking about the record below, Lilja would shout out Deep Purple‘s Made in Japan or Thin Lizzy‘s Live & Dangerous.
Anyone who encountered Skygrounds, 2012’s Slow Rivers, Crossyears or any of the handful of shorter outings they’ve had along the way can tell you Långfinger work to a pretty high standard. Live demonstrates plainly that the same applies to their stage work, and for someone like me, who’s never been fortunate enough to see them live, hearing the no-nonsense strut of “Crossyears” and the arrival of the telltale guitar and key line of “Atlas” is a boon that only emphasizes the pivotal forward-looking nature of their approach, as rooted in the classics as it is. Somewhat curiously, Slow Rivers isn’t represented at all on Live, but I guess there are only so many spots in the set, and with the fact that Långfinger were playing a special gig in their hometown, maybe the blend of old(est) and new(est) was something they decided to go with to make the night stand out all the more. Can’t argue with the reception the older songs are given, though one might say the same of the newer ones as well.
Either way, Skygrounds opener “Herbs in My Garden” and closer “Ragnar” make a righteous final pairing for Live, the latter of them taking the three-piece into a flowing final jam that carries smoothly to the end of the set. By then, Långfinger have handed the Musikens Hus its ass, and that’s all there is to it. There is less embellishment than in some of the ultra-classic live records from the earlier masters of the form — maybe that’s where Unleashed in the East comes in — but I considered Långfinger to be underrated before, and that’s only become all the more the case with Live. Even with the recent JIRM split and this offering, they’re due for a new studio album sometime soon, and whether or not it happens this year, you’d be wise to keep an eye out. And as for the 200 copies of Live that have been pressed to orange-colored vinyl? I wouldn’t expect them to last long either.
Good band. Good show. Good record. What the hell more would you ask?
Check out the premiere of “Feather Beader” below and hear what I mean:
Kalle Lilja on Live:
We all grew up listening to live albums. Whether it was Made in Japan, Unleashed in the East, Yessongs or Lizzy’s Live & Dangerous. It remains so powerful hearing a band (100% live or not…) cranking it up and delivering a grand snapshot of a moment in time. It’s embedded in our DNA as a group by now, to always portray everything of what we are on stage, and Live is a grand envoy for that directive.
Out May 24 on Beduin & Sound Pollution Distribution.
Limited to 200 copies on orange 180g vinyl…
Jesper Pihl – Drums
Victor Crusner – Vocals/Bass
Kalle Lilja – Guitar
Lukas Väremo – Keyboards (Track 5 & 6)
Recorded live at Musikens Hus, Göteborg, Dec 25, 2017.
Engineered by Sven Jansson
Mixed & mastered at Welfare Sounds by Kalle Lilja
Produced by Långfinger
