BERGMAN ROCK BERGMAN ROCK ALBUM SILENCE RELEASE: DECEMBER 23, 2003 REVIEW: JANUARY 6, 2004

Bob hund’s oddball, off-kilter energy has always felt like a much needed force in the Swedish “indie” climate, especially as a freaky counterpoint against middle of the road bores like Kent (did I just swear in church?). With inspiration culled from bands like Kraftwerk, Pere Ubu and the great Captain Beefheart, they have in their best moments felt somewhat like a Swedish Devo.
Bergman Rock is bob hund’s English-language alter ego, and the name has been tossed around for a few years now. Rather than just re-recording selected bits of their back catalogue in English, bob hund have chosen to see Bergman Rock as an entirely new band with songs of its own. The elements making Bergman Rock up are familiar, though. The same idiosyncratic view of music and the world is on display here as in bob hund. But still it feels like a few pieces of the puzzle have gone missing. Bergman Rock sound comparatively muted, even lifeless. bob hund don’t always convince me, but at least they never bore me. In their best moments they’re an explosion of a dozen contradictory emotions, set to the sound of shards of a dozen contradictory bands. In a few places Bergman Rock rather sound, at least moodwise, like they’re revisiting the murkiest, most unpleasant corners of postpunk, the corners that weren’t revived even in the big retro-year 2003, and hopefully won’t be in 2004 either.
The transition to English hasn’t gone too smoothly either. I can take the Swedish accent, but not the fact that the language seems to be a barrier that keeps singer Thomas Öberg from reaching the listener. The lyrics neither penetrate nor stick. A very bland effort from a band that have always been everything but.

KRISTOFFER NOHEDEN