Ritual - Think Like A Mountain


Year of Release: 2003
Label: InsideOut
Catalog Number: SPVCD 65602
Format: CD
Total Time: 00:00:00

Think Like A Mountain is Ritual's third studio release, and it's a fairly strong album. Having been playing their Live CD so much, those performances are still on my mind and playing in my mind's ears, so in a way it's hard to go backwards to their studio incarnations, and certainly isn't fair to make a comparison since the live versions seem to have much more oomph. But, let's step away from that and view this album on its own merits.

The music on Think? remains engaging from the get go, each one easily serving as a highlight, though I have my personal favorites, which I'll identify later. In style the music ranges from the powerful to the subtle. "What Are You Waiting For" is an expansive, energetic, catchy rock number and like the other rockers here, holds nothing back. The arrangement itself is busy, in a good way, not just with the up-front instruments of guitar and drums (Patrik Lundström and Johan Nordgren), but with the swirling keyboards (Jon Gamble) that fill in the spaces, too (esp. during the chorus). "Explosive Paste" is just that - explosive; it's a slab of hard progressive rock with waves of whiny-droney guitars, boomy drums and crashing percussion, stabs of shrilling organ, and scratchy vocals (Not rough and gruff, just a bit scratchy). "Infinite Justice,"* the other heavy rocker, mixes the strident (chorus) with a sparse, folksy section (verses). That strident comes from the stomping attack of bass (Fredrik Lindqvist) and guitar, punctuated by percussion; the folksy comes from lightly chiming guitar; a gentle, drum tattoo and Lundström's crooning vocals.

"Shamanarama" is a modern rock like piece, one that, while strong, seems generic compared to the other material. Throbbing bass; churning, droning guitars; and crashing drums and percussion, all wound up in a tight bundle. If "What?" seemed busy in a good way, this one seems busy in a less than good way. It's claustrophobic, only leaving room to breathe during the "breakdown" which features just vocals. It's not a bad song, it's actually very good, but it's just that it, in comparison to other material, leaves you ho-hum afterward. It's energetic, so your pulse will elevate, but?

On the "lighter" side, we have the symphonic and epic, yet folksy, "Humble Decision," which features a searing and sad violin solo from guest Lovisa Hallstedt. As we hear throughout, some watery organ phrases can be heard, here as a major element, aside from the orchestral swells that carry us along on a track that is anything but humble, and has every right not to be. This has a dreamy, hazy quality to it, giving it a very romantic feel.

"Once The Tree Would Bloom," is a lively, acoustic guitar number (at times, almost breathless). Not so much folksy, as there is a hint of a more middle-eastern feel to the arrangement, perhaps made all the stronger with the addition of flute or recorder at the 3-plus minutes mark. The only other accompaniment is percussion, which is woven in so well, that at times I wasn't quite sure if all I was hearing was a percussive aspect to the strumming or actual percussion. At any rate, this piece moves along at brisk pace. By contrast, we get the somber mood of "Mother You've Been Gone For Much Too Long," this played at a more relaxed pace, despite its explosions of guitar and percussion. It is sometimes slinky piece, especially in the vocal delivery. There is also a hint of sadness, as the title would suggest. There's an interesting instrumental section here that it'd describe as squelchy? springy. Throaty, odd-toned guitars grind beneath a layer of chiming guitar and keyboards; this takes it out of the folk realm and into? an avant garde/melodic rock hybrid. This leads into a reprise of the chorus, made all that much sadder with the addition of violin.

The fairytale like "Moomin Took My Head" is yet another highlight; lots of light percussion (chimes or xylophone) and the wispy use of keys and piano create a fantasy atmosphere. Moomin are the featured peoples of Tove Jansson's tales which can also be found referenced in past Ritual works. Fairytale like it may be, it also has some dark moments, too, musically, when churning guitar and screaming keyboards duke it out? mild malevolence, not a full-on conflagration? For the most part, however, it is a sweet and sweetly sung piece that shies away from being too sweet. It doesn't pertain to a particular Jansson story, according to the band in an interview with Arlequins (found here); but is "[?] about the very inspiration itself, the inspiration she gave us and inspiration in general. It is a song to honor the memory of Tove Jansson, who passed away in 2001."

"On" is a showcase for the acoustic guitar work of Lundström, showing his dexterity on a relatively short instrumental. "Off" is wavery, watery organ and subtle nature like effects (not quite chirping birds, but the effect of chirping birds). It's a piece that feels uncertain, hesitant - not in performance but in effect. In between these two (along with "Shamanarama") we get "Breathing," a sweeping romantic piece, complete with breathing keyboards, crying and soaring slide guitar elements, and a delicate vocal delivery. The solo here has a sharp preciseness that comes across as quite direct and pointed. No wasted flourishes for sake of being fancy - it's the kind of just-enough playing heard from Gilmour, Rothery, et al, with out sounding tonally like either. (Actually, it reminds me of "Strawberry Fields" such that if he Lundström started singing "won't you take me down to?").

And now for something completely different, to quote Monty Python. The title track, "Think Like A Mountain" is almost a country hoedown, but has enough of a quirky slant to make me think a little bit of folks like French TV, Miriodor, etc. And also a bit Beatles-like, well more specifically, John Lennon-like, a bit more experimental. In fact, Lundström sounds a bit like Lennon here, crooning over this angular hoedown-like arrangement. Throw in a bit of psychedelia with a shimmery bit of organ for a short passage and you have what makes for a rather eccentric, eclectic piece.

So? my favorites? I'd have to say? well, basically everything. Maybe my least favorite is "Shamanarama," but it's really only a matter of degrees. But, I find I lean most towards "What?," "Humble Decision," "Infinite Justice," "Mother?," and "Moomin'" though "Breathing" is quite a stunning track? so really, I get back to the fact that each has it's charms. So? seek it out and discover for yourself.

* while this may be a reference only relevant to the American viewing audience, I kept thinking during the chorus of this song of that Fruit of the Loom commercial where the apple is singing about "blue underpants," although that commercial's song is a bit mellower.
Tracklisting:
What Are You Waiting For (3:58) / Humble Decision (4:01) / Explosive Paste (5:02) / Once The Tree Would Bloom (3:57) / Mother You've Been Gone For Much Too Long (7:03) / Think Like A Mountain (5:01) / Moomin Took My Head (4:32) / Infinite Justice (6:35) / On (2:58) / Shamanarama 4:34) / Breathing (4:17) / Off (2:16)

Musicians:
Patrik Lundstr?m - lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
Fredrik Lindqvist - bass, bouzouki, recorder, whistles, hammered dulcimer
Johan Nordgren - percussion, drums, mallets, nyckelharpa
Jon Gamble - organ, synths, piano, mellotron

Guest:

Lovisa Hallstedt - violins, viola

Discography:
Ritual (1995/2004)
Ritual (1996) (Japanese version)
Did I Go Wrong (EP) (1999)
Superb Birth (1999/2000/2004)
Think Like A Mountain (2003)
Live (2006)
The Hemulic Voluntary Band (2007)
Glimpses From The Story Of Mr. Bogd (2020)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin SE

Added: January 26th 2008
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.ritual.se
Hits: 2565
Language: english

  

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