Nevärlläjf : Interview

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Interview: Nevärlläjf

Interview Nevärlläjf, Sep 2010: Nevärlläjf was born in Mora, Sweden in late 2005.

Biography
	Nevärlläjf was born in Mora in late 2005 as a small project by the band members who were then high-school comrades. After the very first show they all agreed that the band was something worth continuing to work with and to explore further. In the following two years some minor shows were played, songs were written and there was a lot of rehearsing. It was not until the year 2007, however, that the band really started to grow, when Nevärlläjf won the national contest called Musik direkt. The prize was the opportunity to play at Stockholm Jazzfestival and Sandviken Bangen Jazzfestival.		Just before christmas 2007 Nevärlläjf met up with Beardfish and Hot Scandinavian Dirt for some really great gigs. During spring the same year, the second demo was released. The demo was the start of what would later become the debut album Klusterfloristen. In late 2008 Nevärlläjf negotiated a contract with Musea Records and it was then decided that they would record their first album. The recording took some time and there were some nice gigs played during spring 2009 and endorsement deals with Lakland and Woodo Guitars. In the summer Nevärlläjf managed to get things finished and on the 29th of november the album finally was released at a great release party with Klotet and Mad Artwork at Stampen in Stockholm.

The Recordings with Nevärlläjf

2009 Klusterfloristen
		TrackList: 01. Hem-O-Röj [5:57] 02. The Carpet [2:46] 03. Ove Och Det Tjockaste Sminket [6:21] 04. Flourtantskosmos [5:26] 05. Knölpåksinhalator [5:09] 06. Fusionlök [7:42] 07. Kaskelottkotte [6:45] 08. The Sacrifice Of Gluteus Maximus [3:31] 09. Kyskhästsdisco [11:05]
	- Your debut album, Klusterfloristen, feelings about it? We are very pleased with the result. The tracks have been written and reworked constantly over a period of four years, and some of them have been previously recorded on two demos and later on a studio recording which we never used the material from. It feels very good to finalize the songs (though we will keep the Nevärlläjfian tradition of always changing some parts for live performances, just to keep the material fresh). The record not only means that we finally have an end result that we are pleased with, but also that we can now start writing completely new material, which feels great! - Favourite Songs(and why)? Although we like all the songs on the album, our two favorites would probably be the following: *Ove och det tjockaste sminket* – A song where the writing process worked out just the way we wanted it to. It is quite aggressive and has a good drive to it, yet ends on a mellow note without losing continuity in between. We enjoy the mixture! *Hem-o-röj* – This is the first song we ever wrote, and yet perhaps the last song to be completely finished. Today’s version does not sound anything like the original, and the fact that we have played it live so many times and had the opportunity to reflect on the song contents for so long has caused it to crystallize into something that we both enjoy playing, and that the audience enjoys hearing. - Any anecdotes /special memories from the recording sessions? We actually recorded twice for the album. The first recording was done by hiring a studio and a sound technician for a week. However, we were not that pleased with the end result, and did not like the method of finalizing everything during a single week. We decided instead to try something different, and after hiring our own equipment, we recorded the instruments separately over an entire summer. It gave everyone time to reflect on the material and replay things until they felt just right. We will definitely work this way in future recordings as well. Fredrik has a specific memory from the drum/bass recording session, where due to time pressure they had been recording constantly for nineteen hours. It was 5 am, and the only part left to record was the bass solo. After recording and listening to the result, Olle and Fredrik, while laughing and crying at the same time decided both that it sounded completely silly and that it should be on the album! 'Klusterfloristen' review by BigRedMachine(Rockprog) 'Klusterfloristen' is Nevärlläjf's debut album. The band, hailing from Mora, Sweden is an incredible tight combo, literally bubbling with playfulness. Their (instrumental) music is a mix between jazz-fusion and progressive rock. When listening to the album a myriad of influences can be heard. Names like Frank Zappa, King Crimson, UK pops up in my head. Many of the tracks is chock full of twists and turns. From power-chords to melodic jazz and back in a joyful mix. This kind of music can sound tiring if it's not done right, and on some occasions they try to be to clever, but for the majority of this album the band succeeds in avoiding that. Altogether very impressive and absolutely one of the most captivating albums I have come across this year. Be sure to check out “Klusterfloristen”, out now on the Musea label.

Nevärlläjf Links

  Nevärlläjf Homepage
  Nevärlläjf at MySpace
  Nevärlläjf at Facebook

Nevärlläjf interview Sep 2010 by Claes Hassel
General Questions:
Can you describe the sort of music the band is playing, influences!
	Our sound is the result of five people with different musical backgrounds and influences coming together and creating music. Some of us enjoy music of the fusion and jazz variety, while others are more into rock, stoner and funk. Instead of limiting ourselves to writing a specific musical style, we try to experiment with new approaches to songwriting and to incorporate each band member’s ideas and different styles into our songs. Our listeners often describe us as progressive rock or fusion, which is perhaps partly true.
List five albums of the bands/artists that you like the most and why!
	Since we all have quite varied musical tastes, we decided to do one album each here! Daniel: *Tingsek – Restless Soul* I switch favorites often, and this is an album that I currently listen to a lot. Tingsek and his band are very talented musicians playing spirited, soulful music. Good in particular because of the beautiful and quite unique vocal harmonic work, and the many interesting and creative melodies. Fredrik: *Mars volta – Frances the Mute* The way this album is laid out, with mystical soundscapes in between songs, makes the music very exciting to listen to. Many fantastic harmonies and a unique high-pitched singing voice. Martin: *Grandaddy – Sumday* An album that is perfect in its simplicity. Olle: *Billy Cobham – Spectrum* Seven fantastic compositions with excellent arrangement, with spotless contributions from all the musicians involved and with a few hellishly good drum solos squeezed in between the songs. Add to that a magical sound and atmosphere and you have an album that never gets old. Tor: *Mahavishnu Orchestra – Visions of the emerald beyond* A true masterpiece combining all the good elements of rock, jazz, funk and classical music.
What time was/is the most interesting for the rock music, in your opinion and why - 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s or 00s?
	We have varied opinions regarding this. A general subtle consensus in the band is that the 70s were something special, in that a lot of good things were happening and many new things were being tried out during that time. Perhaps the fact that music was not as organized and standardized back then caused people to experiment and broaden their musical thinking more, and many timeless records were created in that way. However, we can all find good music in all of the decades. Perhaps the most interesting time is right now, the “10s”, as we cannot know what might come within the next few years. Great new music is being created all over the world at this very moment!
Your dream band (living or dead ;), who would they be, vocal/bass/drums/keyboard/lead guitar/rhythm guitar/producer?
	After a heated debate, we have decided on the following: Vocals: Jesus Choir: James Hetfield and Mike Patton Bass: Juan Alderete Drums: Tomas Haake Saxophone: Arnold Schwarzenegger (he does not have to play it, just standing there is good enough!) Guitars: Django Reinhardt and Allan Holdsworth Keyboards: Mats Öberg Producers: Frank Zappa and Fredrik Thordendal
Nevärlläjf related questions:
- Many have compared your music to the band Beardfish, what is your relation to them? Were they an influence in the writing of your album?
	Beardfish is a great band. They are all incredible musicians, and we are happy to consider them good friends with us. We've played a few shows together and working with them has always been a good experience. Many of our listeners mention similarities in our music styles, and we have a lot in common when it comes to taking a humorous approach to music without sacrificing writing quality. That said, we would still say that our sound and songwriting is rather different. We had written around seven of the songs on our album before we met and heard Beardfish's music, so it cannot truthfully be said that our music was inspired by them, even though we've been loving their music since we met them.
Nevärlläjf

Many Thanks to Nevärlläjf for this interview!