MP3: Existensminimum - 1993
Sad truth: Existensminimum are solely a critic's act. Perhaps he'll get his proper due sometime down the road (as often happens for similarly cursed artists), but for now I think that Magnus Henriksson is doomed to empty acclaim. A perfect 5/5 review in Dagens Nyheter? Sure! Popular support from hip young bloggerati? Naah, not gonna happen. His music is too different, too belabored, too lacking in immediate satisfaction. There are no easy shortcut reference points. "1993", my favorite track from the new album "Ok boys", has an obvious Krautrock feel, but it's much more than that. The phrasing of the vocals and the shouted asides amp up the immediacy while the drums and piano continue to pound on relentlessly. Drugs! Death! MTV! What's it all mean? Where's it going? New sounds sneak in, closing in the walls, creating claustrophobia and panic. It's not pop exactly -- I don't know what it is -- but it's good.
Existensminimum - 1993