07 February 2019

BABY GRANDMOTHERS – Merkurius 2018 (LP/CD Subliminal Sounds)

This is one of the numerous occasions where the story is just EXCITING itself! These are such stories that make you wanna go back, way back, and dug deeper into the unknown depths of the Glorious 60s fields! But wait! The music here is even more exciting than the story! Baby Grandmothers were formed in 1967 in Sweden. They released their first record in 2007 (!!!) simply called “Baby Grandmothers” with recordings made back in 1967-1968. In 2018 they released their 2^nd LP with brand new ‘original’ compositions, entitled “Merkurius”!

A read to the press release explains most of your queries:

“Merkurius is the mind-melting new surprise album from the originators of Swedish psychedelia. The band launches into drones, avant-garde dirges, and fevered hard rockin’ wig-outs heavily overblown with jams rocketing into surreal spheres. All with an urgency of the now. Baby Grandmothers are bona fide psychedelic originators and these extraordinary musicians’ creations run like a red thread through Swedish psychedelic music history. The three-piece band consisting of Kenny Håkansson, Bengt “Bella” Linnarsson, and Pelle Ekman originally formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1967. Established after the dissolution of the R&B band, the T-Boones, the Baby Grandmothers group enjoyed a cult following as the house band at the legendary psychedelic music club Filips. Here they became one of Sweden’s original key psychedelic bands, together with Pärson Sound and Hansson & Karlsson. In 1968, the Baby Grandmothers were chosen as the support for the Swedish leg of the Jimi Hendrix Experience European tour. After releasing their first, and only, single (now one of the most priced records from the Swedish ‘60s psychedelic/progressive rock cannon), the band expanded to a four-piece and gradually morphed in to the Mecki Mark Men. This formation came to release two albums (one of them on prestigious US label Limelight) and became the first Swedish rock band to do a major US tour. After recording their last album in the Chess studio in Chicago, the band split up, but the original power-trio continued on with a new musical vision: to merge acid rock with Swedish folk music. And Kebnekajse was born. They became one of the most popular of all Swedish psychedelic/progressive bands of the 1970s and had a huge influence on young Swedish musicians, and are still active and very popular today. The originators of Swedish psychedelia: Baby Grandmothers, are now back at their power-trio roots, still consisting of the original band members led by the legendary Swedish psychedelic guitarist Kenny Håkansson. After 50 years in the service of psychedelic music this new album finds the Baby Grandmothers at their peak and as timeless as ever.”

“Merkurius” consists of 7 compositions and side ‘A’ takes off with “Peloton”, a fast n’ furious maximum overdriven super powerful tune that shamelessly flirts with punk n’ roll! (For a moment I thought I should check the record if it suits with this release!!! Hehehe…) On “ADHD” the music coming out of the vinyl grooves is mellower sweater with a groovylicious beat while the band’s “attitude” still remaining to their familiar beloved improvised jam-like standards! “Intervall” with its powerful & dynamic drumming and the adventurous ‘psychic’ guitar riffing makes your brain projecting various geometrical patterns visible just in front of you! The atmosphere becomes weird and kind of eerie with “Elefant”, really psychedelic, while the band experiments with various sounds, feels like they’re trying to play music in order to open the “time-gates” so we can be teleported back to 1968. A deeply rhythmic tune that gives the guitar all the time and space that needs to step deeper into the endless darkness! Side ‘B’ opens with “Dojjan”, a tune that is taking us back to the opener “Peloton”, similar soundscape, rough & heavy with tribal-like drumming and some really hot guitar outbursts! Not only the name of the next song but also the music on “Kraftverk” refers to the German band who were true innovators and beyond of their times. “Kraftverk” has a space-krauty intro with a rather motorik touch and dives into the early 70s “Swirl Vertigo” years creating a unique psychedelic-space-rock-experimental-Kraftwerk atmos! The album closes with the self-titled “Merkurius”, the scenery becomes dreamy, semi-acoustic, emerging a nostalgia feeling while the band starts to jam under a psych melancholic vein, introducing huge amounts of guitar reverb sounding. The wordless vocals are adding a somehow proggy-folk shade! Merkurius is the Swedish word for Hermes. Hermes was one of the 12 Olympian Gods and was god of trade, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, and border crossings, guide to the Underworld.

Baby Grandmothers released “Merkurius”, an Album that all you psych-heads out there ought to grab it, it will help you to cross borders and visit different spheres! The sure thing is that you will Turned On and Tuned In… It’s up to you if you Dropped Out! RECOMMENDED (TimeLord Michalis)

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Heavy Psych Sounds Records

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, Black Vinyl, Silver foil sleeve, Insert sheet, 700 copies

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, Purple Vinyl, Silver foil sleeve, Insert sheet, 300 copies

Format: CD, Album, Digipak

Release Date: 23 Nov 2018