The debut Munch album was originally released in Norway in 1987, and then reissued the following year on the German Dossier label, featuring a different mix to the original, two of the tracks were re-recorded, and they also added the song “Mouse” while also changing the running order. So what we have here is the Norske Albumklassikere reissue of that version, again with copious notes in Norwegian which I cannot understand at all. Named after Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (famous for “The Scream”), singer and band leader Ivar Mykland wanted a band which would create the same sorts of feelings as the artwork, and to that end brought together a group where only two people could actually play instruments.
This is music which is uncompromising in the extreme, and will never be enjoyed by a wider audience. Imagine if you will music which encompasses influences as diverse as Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten and Talking Heads and movements such as industrial and Krautrock while pushing even more into the experimental and then you may have some idea of what this is like. Due to its very nature this is music which is completely timeless as it is actually out of time, so is as powerful now as it was when it was first released some 35 years ago. There is a simplicity in many ways, a singular aversion to following any sort of standard musical rules and must have been quite shocking when it was released as it still feels that way now. This is not something for the fainthearted and although I have been playing this quite a bit the jury is still out for me as while I cannot say I have really enjoyed playing it, there is certainly something quite compelling about it which has seen me return to it even where there was other music to listen to. If you enjoy your music to be pushing the boundaries and enjoy the bands or genres mentioned above, then this may well be worth discovering. This crowdfunded label is certainly reissuing some lost gems, and long may that continue.
Rating: 7/10
