Skraeckoedlan Premiere “Pärlor” Video; New Single Due in Jan.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 18th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Swedish progressive heavy fuzz rockers Skraeckoedlan aren’t that far removed from their last album — their second, Sagor (review here), it came out about a year ago as their debut on Razzia Records — but the Norrköping four-piece have apparently wasted little time in looking forward. Come January, they’ll release a new two-song 7″ titled Pärlor that leads with a titular cover of long-running countrymen Kent. Coupled with “Eldfagel,” which was recorded during the Sagor sessions and by artwork from Johan Leijon, the new single is very much Skraeckoedlan‘s own despite being a cover. One can hear their Truckfighters-meets-Mastodon sonic blend pushing forward melodically in the hook of “Pärlor” itself, even as their penchant for tonal density and crash continues unabated.
Skraeckoedlan‘s last video, for the Sagor track “El Monstro” (posted here), found them working at a more cinematic level than they had before, and their new clip for “Pärlor” follows suit. Directed by Mats Ek, it seems to tell the tale of a pilgrimage and ultimately an offering being made, though to whom or for what, I’m not sure. Along the way we see a lot — I mean really, a lot — of snow falling on gorgeous Swedish forests and hills, beautiful countryside through which our journeying protagonist traverses at his apparent peril. Sleeping in the snow looks cold as hell, is all I’m saying. But he endures and seems to get where he’s going, and “Pärlor” ends on a creepy enough note to make me wonder if it wasn’t intended to be a sequel in some way to “El Monstro,” which Ek also helmed and still had some performance footage in it, where this one seems to have left that conceit behind entirely.
Bottom line, as the band explains below, is this is their way of paying homage to Kent, who are calling it quits this year after more than a quarter-century of work. Preorders for the 7″ version of the single are available now, and you’ll find those links underneath the clip itself, which I’m thrilled today to be able to premiere.
Please enjoy:
Skraeckoedlan, “Pärlor” official video
The song is a cover version of “Pärlor” written by Sweden’s biggest rock band Kent, who after 26 years together have decided to call it quits. Through a farewell tour this Fall, covering most of Scandinavia they are saying their good byes to a whole generation of people deeply touched and influenced by their music.
For Skraeckoedlan it started out as a somewhat crazy idea that grew more and more intriguing and eventually the song was recorded in an old missionary church in Dalarna, a region in the midst of Sweden very close to their hearts. By recording this version the band was able to try something new and invited them to get in touch and explore their admiration for pop music. By putting their specific stamp on the song this is a shout out to the great masters – Kent – and a tribute to Swedish music in general.
Skraeckoedlan on Kent and “Pärlor”:
During their 26-year long career Kent has really made a huge impact on the music scene in Sweden.
Their way of composing music has always felt free and without rules and I think that’s why this song in particular attracted us so much. I’ve always considered it a heavy and mighty song and it was so much fun to put our stamp on it.
Even though this cover started out as a goofy idea, it turned out to be so much more for us. A tribute to Swedish music and one of the biggest bands this country has ever produced.
The video is made by the amazing Swedish film maker Mats Ek and is also a tribute. We wanted it to portrait the beauty of Sweden – the glorious nature, from which we get so much inspiration from as a band.
So here you go, a homage to the place where we grew up – both musically and visually.
Skraeckoedlan is:
Henrik Grüttner (Guitaring, backup singing)
Martin Larsson (Drumming)
Robert Lamu (Singing/guitaring)
Tim Ångström (Bassing/backup singing)
