Blonde Ambition

Dungen
July 15, 2008
Le Poisson Rouge
NYC



This acoustic performance by the Swedish group was announced only a few days before it was scheduled and was essentially an industry showcase to support the band's new LP, 4. Only a very limited number of tickets were supposedly made available for this special show, so I was surprised to walk into the venue without anyone asking me for a ticket to find that it was only about half full. I must say, the crowd didn't look very "VIP" or "industry." In fact, it seemed that many people in the crowd had just wandered in off the street. One person even asked me if I knew who was playing tonight right before the show started. I told him and when he asked what they sounded like, I was able to conveniently say, "they sound like this," referring to the band's new album (which sounded pretty great) that was being played over the PA. Meanwhile, I had seen posts on craigslist by people groveling for tickets to this show. The lesson I keep learning the more I attend concerts in this town is to not get discouraged by a sold-out bill. Just show up to even the most "exclusive" of dates and you'll probably get in. But I digress.

The band was reduced from its usual four-piece to just leader, Gustav Ejstes, and drummer, Fredrik Björling. They started off with Ejstes on grand piano. After a few songs Ejstes joined Bjorling at the front of the stage to play guitar, before returning to the piano for a solo number and then reuniting with Bjorling for another song as well as a culturally ironic cover of Nas' "Who's world is this?" Dungen are a semiotically rich band to experience. Ejstes, with his long blonde feathered hair and his naif-like features, resembles a 70s-era movie star, or Teen Beat pin-up from that era. And the music, likewise, is better than a time capsule. It offers an authentic-feeling experience of that European-appropriating-psychedelic-folk-rock-sound-and-making-it-
freakier-and-more-experimental kind of thing. Like the product of a scenester in exile, or a shut-in who heard one great rock song and then spends the rest of his days composing homages to that mesmerizing sound in isolation from the way it has evolved around him. Reminds me of a lot of awesome, obscure albums I've encountered on Mutant Sounds.

Because the set was acoustic, it was much more restrained than one might hope but it made up for the lack of electricity in sheer loveliness and nuance. A stripped-down approach is not a bad way to really hone in on how sweet Dungen's songwriting is.

I believe they said this was to be their only North American appearance this year (which is odd if they just released an album) but I look forward to seeing a full-on presentation from these guys in the near future.