hold on to yr seats, because contrary to popular belief, Danmark has spurned at least one visceral band who not only pushes the envelope, but tears it to shreds & eats the pieces. Hallelujah! only, as fate would have it, they ended up going the way of the dodo circa 2006...
Carit BENIKE: ex-bass guitar & ex-vocals.
Lars EIERDAL: ex-drums.
Carl Christian TOFTE: guitars, mandolins, vocals, you name it. (also of NASA DUDE, NO GOD, & formerly SFU-MA-TO)
Heine: guitars.
here's a few more photos of them & their records:
while yr here, read my rough translation (from Danish) of one of their star-studded reviews:
"What is the most idiotic thing in the world?"
"Christian Rock bands!"
"Is there really nothing more ridiculous than that?"
"No, actually!"
This exchange of words is most likely not atypical. It's very likely that Christian Rock is the musical genre with least street credibility. Yet maybe this is a fact which is changing. In any case, throughout the nineties, Christian bands such as The Danielson Famile and Soul Junk (ex-Trumans Water guitarist Glenn Galloway's solo project) have released records which are exciting, ass-kicking, and innovative, which hopefully means that Christian Rock's checkered reputation can be improved.
The Kobenhavnian band Obstinate Esther has lurked in the Danish underground for many years now. They have released a few 7" singles - one as Obstinate Esther, two as Nasa Dude - which with a casual and humorous but simultaneously well-crafted trashrock have brought happiness to a select audience. 1997 saw the arrival of the ban's first album, the marathon affair The Reality of Alarm Clocks, which featured many good songs, but perhaps leaned a bit too much up against the American lo-fi rock which was considered modern at that point. Nonetheless, the record was more or less unique within the context of Denmark due to its irreverent lack of pretentiousness (i.e. "Crap rock is the edge of my ability" as they wrote on the cover).
Now Obstinate Esther's second record, Markens Liljer, has been released. There is talk of a Christian record, but a cool one, which can be compared (also musically) with the trippy Christians which I namedropped above. There are two things to fear when a band like Obstinate Esther suddenly makes a Christian record: 1) that they end up preaching (there's nothing more irritating), or 2) that the Christian gospel is a humoristic gimmick which belies a longing for 'cult record' status (which would be just as irritating). I won't discuss Obstinate Esther's religious beliefs here, but simply conclude that when they write religious songs so succesfully, it is becuase there is an obvious fascination with Christianity at work. A fascination which isn't lame, neither in a ridiculous religious nor indie-cult-status-seeking way. On the contrary, the scriptures are presented rather directly and actually contribute a certain atmosphere to the music. They suit Obstinate Esther's worn-down style.
Markens Liljer is quite a varied record whose highlights are numbers like Nazareth, Sennepsfrø, and Let's Paulus, where Obstinate Esther plays with punk energy. It works really well, because they are good at working with small, precise changes in the songs (for those who are taking notes, I can point out the very fine chord change just after the second verse in Sennepsfrø which unfolds the song in a lovely, melodic way).
Beside the fast and punchy songs can also be found (contrary to expectation perhaps) a bunch of beautifully sung and played, soulful numbers. Ved korset is a very fine song with a great guitar melody and slow, swoozy drums. Better ballads are hard to find. Saligprisningerne is another of these, but it simultaneously brings to light a problem which rears its head several places during the course of Markens liljer. At the beginning of the song, the guitar playing is actually almost fantastic. But it all undoubtedly starts getting a bit monotonous after almost six minutes' repetition. The same is the case for Fader vor, which in turn ends up somewhere near Jerry Garcia. It can all become irritatingly sloppy. Likewise, once in a while the mood gets quite around-the-campfire-like.
In reality, however, the shortcomings are few and far between. Markens liljer is a very fine, not to mention highly original, record. It has ambiance, humour, friendship, and is accessible. At times it is even a super good record.
4.5 out of 6 'U's.