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Kaipa: Sommargryningsljus
Kaipa: Sommargryningsljus Album Art

Kaipa: Sommargryningsljus

Melodic Progressive Rock
5.0/5.0

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InsideOut Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 28.06.2024 | Released: 28.06.2024

It's been over 50 years ago that keyboard player and composer Hans Lundin organized Swedish progressive rock band Kaipa. In their first decade, the band released five studio albums, the first three featuring a young guitar player Roine Stolt who would himself become a major legend in prog with The Flower Kings. After a long hiatus of 18 years, Lundin would resurrect Kaipa with a new group of players including Jonas Reingold (The Tangent, Steve Hackett, The Sea Within, et al and formerly The Flower Kings). What would follow this reformation is a 20 plus year relationship with Prog flagship label InsideOut music and a run of successful albums beginning with 2002's Notes From The Past to this year's Sommargryningsljus.

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Kaipa

Sommargryningsljus (Summer Dawn Light) features Kaipa's neo-classical melodic progressive music which includes of fusion of rock, folk, jazz, and symphonic influences. Lundin dug deep into his past for some original songs he had a fondness for. From midi-files saved on floppy discs and mixed on cassette, he refashioned and rearranged the songs to create Seven Birds and Spiderweb Train.


Thematically, Sommargryningsljus contains eight tracks portraying a nocturnal journey from dusk until dawn, with the first two tracks (Sommarskymningsljus and Seven Birds) representing the twilight and the closing two indicating dawn (Songs in Our Hands and Sommargryningsljus. This nighttime odyssey can be seen as a metaphor for the state between death and rebirth, or as an allegory of life told in reverse.

Musically, you can expect signature Kaipa: song arrangements that are exceedingly creative, playful, and innovative enough to be lightly complex yet always following song melody and harmony. These compositions are then fleshed out with vocal arrangements that include both female and male vocals, spry bass lines and efficient drum work, additions of violin, recorders, and saxophone and, of course, interplay between Lundin's keyboard melodies and solos with Per Nilsson expressive fret work. The latter which has always been a highlight for me. All the songs are terrific, but if I had to pick some favorites I would direct you to Revelationview, Songs In Our Hands, and Spiderweb Train, where you can hear Olof Aslund's saxophone work near the end.

All in all, and simply stated, Kaipa's Sommargryningsljus is another exceptional and enjoyable album of their signature and innovative, neo-classical, melodic progressive rock. If you love the genre, then listen to the masters. Quite recommended.



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The Take Away

All in all, and simply stated, Kaipa's Sommargryningsljus is another exceptional and enjoyable album of their signature and innovative, neo-classical, melodic progressive rock. If you love the genre, then listen to the masters. Quite recommended.

Support the artist, click the link below to buy the album at Amazon (US site) in your favorite format.

Purchase Kaipa - Sommargryningsljus at Amazon
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