1982 would see the release of Nattdjurstid, the fifth studio album from Swedish progressive rock veterans Kaipa, and as it would turn out, it would be their last album until their reunion in 2002 after 20 years apart. Listening to this mess of an album, it's easy to figure out why they split up; founding drummer Ingemar Bergman left the band in 1981, replaced by Pelle Andersson, and vocalist Mats Löfgren also split to pursue other ventures, leaving keyboard player Hans Lundin to once again resume vocal duties. With a changing musical climate, Kaipa's time as a top prog act was coming to an end.
As it was 1982, new wave, pop, and electronic music was all the rage, and Kaipa followed suit. Hearing Kaipa attempt a style not far removed from Talking Heads or Peter Gabriel's solo work is somewhat painful, those exquisite passages of old replaced with synth programming and electronic beats. Occasionally it works, as on the tasty instrumental "Identitetskris", complete with nimble synths from Lundin and Max Ã…hman's energetic lead guitar, but for the most part the results scream of a band trying way too hard to fit into an industry that has seemingly left them behind. In addition, Lundin's vocals do not fit with this style of music one bit, making many of these songs almost unbearable to listen to.
Kaipa would silently disappear shortly after, not appearing again until the early 2000's, and once again with Roine Stolt back in tow for another round of vintage sounding progressive rock. As for Nattdjurstid, it's been pretty much forgotten for a reason, and the less said about it the better other than a questionable curiosity in the history of Kaipa. Tempus Fugit's remaster sound good, and has a packed booklet for those wanting to read and investigate further.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
- "Galen" - 2:45
- "Nattdjurstid" - 5:52
- "Timmar av glas" - 2:12
- "Zepapo" - 3:23
- "Identitetskris" - 4:37
- "Inom oss" - 3:28
- "Speglarna" - 5:45
- "Närmare" - 4:40
- "Väntar en storm" - 5:40
- "Cellskrack" - 5:04 (bonus)
- "Blandad Ikvall" - 4:13 (bonus)
- "Arme Av Lust"- 4:21 (bonus)