GUNGFLY

(SWEDEN)

FRIENDSHIP

(2018)
LABEL:

INSIDEOUT MUSIC

GENRE:

PROGRESSIVE ROCK

TAGS:
Fusion, Groovy, Happy, Jazzy, Old School
"Barely a year after its predecessor, the new Gungfly is a very beautiful hybrid album, diversified and fiery that will delight lovers of the seventies."
DARIALYS (11.09.2019)  
5/5
(0) opinions (0) comment(s)
It was by finding an old picture of him as a child, perched in his hut at the top of a tree, that Rikard Sjöblom found the concept for his new album, "Friendship". The album is a nostalgic reference to the long afternoons that Beardfish's former leader used to spend in his hut with his friends of the time, the same friends who were so important in our lives when we were ten years old and lost sight of over the years. For a long time confined to a side project, Gungfly has gained ground and established itself as the main band of the Swedish multi-instrumentalist following the split of the late Beardfish. This new opus is released just one year after the excellent "On Her Journey To The Sun", the Scandinavian band's third album.

Musically, "Friendship" follows in the footsteps of its predecessor. However, Rikard Sjöblom's desire to synthesize the final work a little more since the disc lasts about twenty minutes less than the previous one. But if "Friendship" is shorter, it is no less twirling and unbridled. The Swedish spirit is definitely in permanent activity and as usual, the album is full of melodic discoveries, stylistic changes, assumed ruptures, and there is always a touch of madness, this eccentricity so characteristic and emblematic of the musician.

The first single,'Ghost Of Vanity', opens the album. As usually, it is a very seventies sound that is offered to the listener. If the song may serve as a standard for the album, it is nevertheless whimsical and changing. The jazzy verses give way to a very rock chorus and Rikard Sjöblom plays with the styles, intertwining them with the success he knows so well.

The diversity of writing is also reflected in the duration of the titles. Two songs stand out when you take a look at the set-list. The first, 'Friendship', is one of the album's main tracks. During the first eight minutes of its composition, the piece develops many diverse musical sections, sometimes jumping, sometimes slow with psychedelic accents, allowing the electric guitar to deploy a long and very appropriate solo. The vocals parts are perfectly in line with the continuity of this long instrumental prelude, giving rise to a high-flying finale. 'If You Fall Pt. 2' is a continuation of the first part of the previous opus and extends it with taste and enthusiasm. The stylistic figure is all the more successful when you see the ease with which the multi-instrumentalist master connects the two parts, although they are very different at first glance.

Two shorter and more concise titles also stand out. If the instrumental "Polymixia" is doing well with its many changes of atmosphere on the previous album, "A Treehouse In A Glade", in the same vein, develops adventurous guitar phrases in a style tinged with funk at times and Hammond organ sections of which the Swedish has the secret. Mention should also be made of the last track, 'Crown Of Leaves', thanks to its mysterious side and especially its very jazzy finish, carried away by a piano once again imperial.

Despite the increase in the cadences, Gungfly is once again releasing a very beautiful hybrid album, diversified, fiery, which doesn't stay in place, in a very pleasant 70's spirit. Nothing seems to stop Rikard Sjöblom!
- Official website

TRACK LISTING:
01. Ghost of Vanity
02. Friendship
03. They Fade
04. A Treehouse in a Glade
05. Stone Cold
06. If You Fall, Pt. 2
07. Crown of Leaves
08. Slow Dancer (Bonus Track)
09. Past Generation (Bonus Track)
10. Friendship (Utopian Radio Edit) (Bonus Track)

LINEUP:
Petter Diamant: Batterie
Rikard Sjöblom: Chant / Guitares / Basse / Claviers
David Zackrisson: Invité / Guitare (6,7)
Rasmus Diamant: Invité / Basse (1,5,7,9)
   
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READERS
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STAFF:
4/5 (2 view(s))
MY RATING
 
LAST INTERVIEW
GUNGFLY (SEPTEMBER 2020)
The hyperactive Rikard Sjöblom never stops! One year after our interview at the Crescendo festival, the Swedish musician gave us an appointment to talk about the release of his new album, "Alone Together".
 
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SONATA ARCTICA: Talviyö (2019)
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT GUNGFLY
GUNGFLY_Alone-Together
Alone Together (2020)
4/5
4/5
INSIDEOUT MUSIC / PROGRESSIVE ROCK
GUNGFLY_On-Her-Journey-To-The-Sun
On Her Journey To The Sun (2017)
4/5
3.5/5
INSIDEOUT MUSIC / PROGRESSIVE ROCK
 
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