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Old 09-30-2009, 02:41 PM   #30 (permalink)
Guybrush
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Euroboys - Long Day's Flight 'till Tomorrow (1999)


  1. Deliverance - 8:28
  2. Filadelfia - 4:06
  3. Down the Road of Golden Dust - 4:32
  4. Transatlantic Phonecall - 4:36
  5. Gallery Oslo (A Long Day's Flight 'Till Tomorrow) - 5:58
  6. Sex Kabin - 4:17
  7. Invisible Horse - 3:56
  8. Rock 'n' Roll Farmacia - 6:46
  9. In Farfizium - 5:32
  10. 99° - 4:06
  11. Black Fez - 5:37
  12. Ambulance Cruiser - 6:02
  13. Gibraltar - 5:14

Listen : Spotify



Introduction :

Norwegian Kåre & The Cavemen did a lot before their debut album was released in 1997. They started out as a Beastie Boys inspired hip-hop/punk act, but soon turned to 50s and 60s sounding garage rock around the fall of 1990. Later in the early 90s, the band rooted themselves deeply in the norwegian underground and in 1993, they were writing and recording jingles for popular music radio channel NRK P3. According to experts specializing in 90s pop culture history, an increase in interest in older music supposedly sparked by 90s movie Pulp Fiction helped renew interest in Kåre & the Cavemens movie-soundtrackish sounds and by 1996, they became the house band on norwegian comedy/talk-show "Direkte Lykke". It was also around that time they got a record deal with Virgin. Their debut album "Jet Age" got overall good reviews and contains a lot of cover material in excellent surf rock fashion.

Also back in 1996, lead guitarist Knut Schreiner joined up with "death-punk" band Turbonegro under the stage name Euroboy. Turbonegro became smoking hot in the 90s european punk underground and after Kåre and the Cavemen's debut, the band laid low while Knut spent his time with the denim denoms. However, not long after Turbonegro's classic album "apocalypse dudes" in 1998, singer Hank Von Helvete had a mental breakdown which gave Knut the time to once again focus on Kåre & the Cavemen and their second album.

(Kåre & the Cavemen would later change name to Euroboys, basically to get their music out there. Thus, their official name today is "Euroboys". Norwegian appreciators like me still call them by their old "norwegian" name.)

Their second album, the instrumental "Long Day's Flight 'Till Tomorrow" released in 1999, is by everyone I know considered a cool and classic norwegian surf/psychedelic/lounge rock album. So let's review it!


Song for Song Review :

The album is off to a gentle roll like waves on a beach as the harmonica from Deliverance comes probing. It's a slow song and perhaps not the most exciting start on an album, but it does show that they've surely developed since their debut adding soft-rockish lounge to their repertoir. The result is, for me, instantly likeable - especially when the bass, guitar, drums and organ enters the stage. I love that it somehow manages to sound so norwegian, yet I can't put my finger on why. Moving on, if there's a pop "hit" on this album, it's definetly the funky Filadelfia, one of two songs on the album that has sung lyrics although these appear only in the chorus. Although it may not have the most replay value, the production is excellent and the sound is groovy with laid-back ease. Bass complements guitar complements organ for great dynamics. Schreiner's guitar playing is easy, clean and sounds wonderful. However, things get much more exciting as the song slows down to a near standstill before it explodes into the next track, Down the Road of Golden Dust. This retro-sounding 60s west coast rock song sounds like the perfect soundtrack to a cool road movie. It's got the funky guitar, the funky bass, awesome horns and killer organ. Fortunately, I found it on youtube as well (though not in the best quality) so here's a chance to get some ears-on insight as to what I'm trying to describe to you.




Although you may not be able to tell from the youtube vid, the production is excellent and every instrument comes to it's crisp right. This might just be the album highlight. However, quality is still very high indeed when the next track "Transatlantic Phonecall" comes on. Deliciously lush, retro loungy guitars and the once again unmistakably norwegian (imo) sound make this track maybe as good as it's predecessor. It lacks some of the energy, but it's still reasonably funky and gains points for pure aesthetics.

Gallery Oslo marks a slight change in the album as it leaves behind muche of it's surfy funky energy and relies more on laid-back, lazy instrumentals. It still has appeal and the guitar now shares the center stage with a lovely flute. However, it doesn't quite manage to excite so much as the highlights before it. Neither does Sex Kabin which is not as juicy as the name might imply. Invisible Horse works well with easily likeable guitar sounds and a 5/4 time signature but might get a bit boring if treated as something else than background music .. Well, until the middle of the song when it suddenly changes to a standard timing, picks up speed and throws us into a wild guitar solo followed by a go at the organ. Is it good or out of place? Not sure.

Rock'n'roll Farmacia brings back the funk and mixes it with with once again delish guitar sound and trumpets that sound like they've been stolen right out of a mexican mariachi band. Not bad for norwegian gringos! In Farfizium starts deceptively gently, then ups the amp and gets plenty of drive. The organ takes center stage in another song which is thoroughly enjoyable. The slightly progressive 99 is the other song to have lyrics and while it's more weird than awesome, it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of this album. Black Fez is maybe even stranger. As it opens up to you, it almost sounds like it could squeeze in on Massive Attack's Mezzanine. Not quite, but you'll hear what I mean. It's slow, heavy and features a mystic sounding eastern theme with some awesome sitar-playing thrown in for great potency and justice.

The rock song Ambulance Cruiser sounds suspiciously traditional in it's simple verse / refrain themed setup and does not add much new to the table. I prefer the slower, more melodic and more unpredictable closing track Gibraltar whose sound at times remind me, aside from usual influences, a bit of swedish rock band Bob Hund. That's it.


Review Summary :

The album ticks in at 1 hour and 10 minutes which is a long time to try and keep someone interested considering this is an instrumental album with a lot of laid-back sounds. However, they do a surprisingly good job at it, certainly better than my last reviewed album before this (Madrugada's Industrial Silence). It's been a while since I listened to this in it's entirety and once again the album took me by surprise. I didn't expect it to be this good!

While it is a while since I listened to the whole album, some songs from this album still get a decent amount of plays from me. The duo "Down the Road of Golden Dust" followed by "Transatlantic Phonecall" is a must-listen for anyone and is a good enough reason on their own for anyone to get this album. When the cavemen are at their best, they ooze of musicality. Instrumental performances are sound and production is nice and clean while still sounding sufficiently old and retro.

So who would I recommend this to? Everyone! Especially those who like instrumental rock, cool 60s/70s sounds and movie soundtracks.


Toretorden's Treasure Trove score : 5/6


favourite songs : Deliverance, Filadelfia, Down the Road of Golden Dust, Transatlantic Phonecall, Rock'n'Roll Farmacia.

Almost all these tracks are from the first half which is definetly the strongest in my opinion.
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