Ensemble Nimbus - Scapegoat


Year of Release: 1998
Label: Record Heaven
Catalog Number: TAP/RHCD 12
Format: CD
Total Time: 46:24:00

I don't know if your holiday is already booked but I think I'll go for the beautiful nature and the vastness of Skandinavia this time. A couple of years ago the Swedish Ensemble Nimbus was able to surprise friend and foe with their talented album Key Figures. Featuring on drums the ex-Samla Mammas Manna drummer Hasse Bruniusson, the '94 debut was mixed by Roine Stolt. Stolt would later on "use" Bruniusson as his percussionist in his own Flower Kings whilst Ensemble Nimbus would experiment more and more. Follow up Scapegoat let us hear a much "darker" sound due to the inclusion of violinist Kirk Chilton and the clarinet courtesy of Lars Bj?rk.

The eleven original compositions are very diverse which makes it difficult to put a "general" label on this album. Little bits of Univers Zero such as in "Three Figures," parts of Mahavishnu Orchestra and especially the unexplainable [style] of Zappa take the upperhand. In the same way that Bill Bruford uses his Earthworks to try out various experiments, so does the song "Algebra Of Needs' form the crossing where rock and jazz meet. Now and again you could compare it with Djam Karet. In "Useless Passion" Kirk Chilton lets loose the gypsy in his soul. With a small guest role for the other Flower King, Tomas Bodin, Scapegoat is not your everyday cup of tea and by no means an "easy" album. However for those of you out there on the lookout for something completely "different" and not afraid for some technical complexity, then this Ensemble Nimbus wil certainly score !


Tracklisting:
Burning Arrows (8:48) / Three Figures (5:30) / Empty Chairs (2:39) / Algebra Of Needs (3:43) / Useless Passion (3:43) / Offering (7:22) / The Cross Of Infamy (1:55) / Trial By Error (4:42) / Middle Of The Moment (1:59) / Wooden Tuxedo (5:17) / Epigram (3:26)

Musicians:
H?kan Almkvsit - guitar, bass, keyboard, loops, fx and vocals
Lars Bj?rk - clarinet, bass-clarinet, altered clarinet, and loops
Hasse Bruniusson - acoustic-electric drums, percussion, and computers
Kirk Chilton - viola, violin, and voice

Discography:
Key Figures (1994)
Scapegoat (1998)
Garmonbozia (2000)

Genre: RIO

Origin SE

Added: January 1st 2000
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.tap-records.com/Nimbus.htm
Hits: 2502
Language: english

  

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