ENSEMBLE NIMBUS: Garmonbozia

Released : 2000

Label : TAP / Record Heaven

Catalogue number : RHCD 25

Total playing time : 53’15”

Tracklist:

Three stories from the blue cage (11’59”) / Song for salman (2’11”) / Specific curtain (3’10”) / Radiant brains (2’51”) / Emergency landing (1’38”) / Ducks in paradise (3’01”) / Absolute zero (3’41”) / Turmoil (0’49”) / The arrow of time (4’23”) / Rouge mon (1’23”) / Scapegoat (4’20”) / Tornado hunting (6’01”) / Anita’s scarf (4’19”) / Nose painting (2’54”)

Musicians:
Hakan Almkvist : guitar, bass, keyboard, loops, effects, voice
Lars Björk : clarinet, bass-clarinet, altered clarinet, loops
Hasse Bruniusson : acoustic drums, electric drums, percussion, voice
Kirk Chilton : viola, violin

Guests :
Tomas Bodin : keyboards on track 3 & 4
Stefan Carlsson : keyboards on track 2 & 7

The Swedish lunatic fourfold Ensemble Nimbus strikes again hard under the belt of the unsuspecting music lover with their third release. Listening to a full album by these lunatics certainly requires a physical effort which equals the completion of a real triathlon! Ever since Key Figures in 1994 and Scapegoat in 1998, Garmonbozio looks to continue in the same vein. Strange turns with Zeuhl and RIO elements which has the clarinet of Lars Björk to extra underline this comparison. The powerful engine behind it all is drummer Hasse Bruniusson known from his stint with Samla Mammas Manna and Flower Kings.

Those in the know say that Garmonbozio is the remains of the Scapegoat recordings, which was intended to be a double album all along. The long opening track “Three Stories From The Blue Cage” does contain a lot of variation of which the alternation between clarinet and violin is a highlight, reminding us of a mix between King Crimson and Zappa. The interest of the band in contemporary Russian composers sometimes shines through such as in “Specific Curtain”. That’s where Flower Kings magician Tomas Bodin steps in as in “Radiant Brains” whilst he also wrote part of “Emergency Landing”. The same power and originality which we find in bands such as Djam Karet, Ozone Quartet and Kopecky can be found all over in this superb original all instrumental music. The classicaly trained Lars Björk (not related to the Icelandic vocal queen) got in touch with Eastern music by means of an Indian guy who lived in Uppsala. Together with guitarist Hakan Almkvist he sneaks these influences into the Ensemble Nimbus music in a secret way. Not so evident, avant garde kind of elements in the same league as Henry Cow, Univers Zero, Art Zoyd, Leloublan or Etron Fou are scattered all over this album. From a technical point of view there’s plenty to be amazed about such as “The Arrow Of Time” written by Bruniusson, which probably contains every possible rhythm ever to be invented. By means of the inclusion of a choir this song can also be named in the same way as Magma. Then again "Scapegoat" is a mixture of playful elements whilst in “Tornado Hunting” the violin is put to the rack as an experiment.

Once again very mad music which is of course more groundbreaking than any general release. Then again Ensemble Nimbus composes Ensemble Nimbus music, compositions which contain both vast structures and weird improvisations making this kind of music ideal fertile ground for a label such as Cuneiform. Keep the strait-jackets ready !

Reviewed by: John 'Bo Bo' Bollenberg