, which is hardly surprising given Anekdoten's roots as a tribute band. Its instrumentation of viola, distorted Rickenbacker bass, highly pitched drums, Frippy guitar, and mellotron all evoke this era of art-rock; the smoky English vocals only add to the effect.
All the stranger, then, that they should hail from Sweden in the 1990s.
Anekdoten formed in 1990 in the town of Borlänge, where bassist and vocalist
Jan Erik Liljestrom and guitarist and keyboardist
Nicklas Berg teamed with drummer
Peter Nordin to play such
Crimson chestnuts as "Cirkus," "Mars," and "Starless."
Anna Sofi Dahlberg, a cellist with a background in folk and classical music, joined the following year. In 1993 they self-released a debut album,
Vemod; the first pressing sold out within a month and garnered favorable reviews. The
Crimson influence was obvious, but others also noted similarities to
Anglagard,
Ruins, Il Balleto di Bronzo, and
Magma. With their use of electric piano, mellotron, and melancholy lead vocals, though, the band can also sound much like late-model
Radiohead.
After touring Europe and the United States in 1994, the band released a second album,
Nucleus, in 1995. Although it has had some trouble reaching an American audience, the quality of
Nucleus has only strengthened their credibility in progressive rock circles, where they maintain a small but devoted following.
–
Paul Collins, Rovi