Konkurs

After two albums of fiddling around with depressive black metal and rock with decent results, Lifelover’s third effort, Konkurs, is where the band hit their stride, before they began dumbing themselves down and back into mediocrity.

I used to think Nackskott was their best song (on the whole, Erotik isn’t really worth considering since it’s just a weaker Pulver), but the introductory Shallow immediately made me reconsider its standing. It cycles through three sections of desolate tremolo riffing (with the occasional dashes of piano) before introducing some heavier chugging amidst steady, rolling percussion in a way that strongly reminded me of a more streamlined Silencer. Guitarists B (R.I.P.) and H. have largely done away with the relaxed, bouncy vibes of Pulver, going straight for the throat (or wrists, rather) with razor sharp melodies that are able to leave a more lasting impression.

Another comparison to Silencer is in due order, as ( )’s crazed howls sound like a subdued version of Nattramn’s bizarre caterwaul. The schizophrenic performance here (especially on Mental Central Dialog) is definitely his strongest so far, unlike in the past where he just came off as a drunk hobo complaining really loudly. The drum machine still possesses that uncanny mechanised aura thanks to the blatantly uniform cymbals, but the drum parts are much more fluid yet intense, with plenty of involved double bass sections that lend themselves to the thicker sound – probably the best they’ve ever achieved, as it’s got a nice amount of punch without falling prey to the crippling sterility of 2011’s Sjukdom.

That said, Lifelover have never really been one for consistency, even here; tracks like Alltid - Aldrig, Stängt p.g.a Semester and Mitt Annexia are content with simply lazing around and not really doing anything significant. What irritated me most on their previous efforts – aside from the particularly dreadful attempt at experimentation that was Nitlott – were the inexplicably pretentious moments that would appear seemingly out of the blue, such as toddler folk at the end of Nackskott, or the 46-second fuzz bomb of Medicinmannen. While these flickers of weirdness are still very much present on the first half of the record (specifically Mental Central Dialog up to Konvulsion), they’re slightly more tolerable than before.

Konkurs may not be the pinnacle of depressive black metal, but it’s certainly the finest cut of the band’s rather middle-of-the-road selection. Lifelover aren’t doing anything they haven’t done before, but here they’re at their most confident, blending bleak, penetrating heaviness with a deep sense of introspection.

Lifelover is one of those bands you will either love or hate; their style is definitely not for everybody. Their exact genre is pretty hard to pin point, but could be described as a combination of depressive black metal, ambient, and post-punk (of all things). This gives Livelover a very unique and interesting sound that is easily recognizable, while this blending of very different genres might have garnered the band some criticism from elitists and the like, it gave the band a unique and distinct style that is completely their own and I have not heard any other band that sounds quite like Lifelover. Anyways on with the review, Konkurs is Lifelover's third full-length album, and I would say that this is quite an exceptional album and I would say this is their best to date.

The hardest thing for many to get into about Lifelover would be the vocals. The vocals range anywhere from whispers to black metal screeches to vocals that sound like they're on the verge of sobbing and even clean singing. Often times the vocals will have mood swings and swing from one style to another in a matter of seconds. While reading this you might think "crying" or "sobbing" vocals will just be over-dramatic and cheesy, but in the music they are surprisingly convincing and fit in extremely well into the music. The vocals help add to the overall bleak and depressive atmosphere of the album, and are an integral part of the music.

The first song on the album Shallow is good example of all their styles in one song, it has all the vocals styles and combines the black metal, post-punk, and it has an atmospheric and ambient outro all of which we will see on later songs. The rest of the songs vary, the first half of the album contains song somewhat similar to shallow, Konvulsion being an exception as the song is primarily softer. Many of these songs have mood changes in the music, what I mean is that the music will be soft and Kim the vocalist might be whispering or singing quietly and then will be screeching the next moment. This really gives a unique feeling to the music and adds to the overall effect, the mood swings feel so real as how someone who has clinical depression or other emotional problems might act.

The second half of the album is a complete change in pace from the first half. Musically this part of the album is much softer. The song Alltid - Aldrig is the the start of the second half and the perfect way to start. It is one of the most emotional songs I've ever heard and is a very depressing song, it is also my favorite song on the album it gets me every time I hear it, also this song still has harsher vocals which really add to the desperation and misery of the song. The next songs are all similar; original is an instrumental song and is pretty atmospheric. The exception to all this is the album closer Spiken I Kistan, which is similar to first half of the album and is a perfect way to end the album and has some of the best lyrics on the album and is a very emotional song. I really can't think of a better way to end the album.

Lyrically this album is really good. Only two of the songs are in English, the rest are in Swedish, but the translations can easily be found online and I recommend you do so as I find them to be work of genius and reading them while listening to the music enhances the effect. The lyrics deal with depression, drug abuse, happiness, joy, misery, and life. Overall the lyrics fit the music very well and only enhance the effect of the music.

It is very hard for me to find a fault with this music. All the parts of the album just come together so well. But for there is one hiccup on this album, and its the song Brand. Brand is the third track on the album and musically it is quite good and possibly the heaviest song on the album. What I don't like about the song though are the lyrics which are just childish in my opinion. Here's an example: "I am the fat stuck to your pizza plate, I am the hair that is stuck in your sink," anyways it’s only a minor hiccup and it is pretty easy to forget the lyrics to the song since it isn't in English.

Overall Konkurs is a monumental album and unique a experience. All the songs are important (except the final track which really isn't a song, just a minute of silence), and make up a musical journey like no other. This album conveys so many emotions such as depression and hopelessness to happiness and joy and can even switch between the two. It is a shame B (RIP) passed away and thus ended the band, but this album will always remain a masterpiece and is what I will remember the band by.

Whereas several of my critical collaborators sported major erections over the previous albums of this Swedish band, I was never quite impressed enough to feel any blood rising in my nethers.

Well ... as a wise man once said ... schwing. I can now add my own throbbing man-staff to the choir, rubbing heads among a sea of purple headed warriors. The event is Konkurs, the third full effort of this entity. Not quite a 'super band', but you get the drift: Lifelover's own members are swollen from the rank and file of Hypothermia, IXXI, Dimhymn and Ondskapt.

The 14 tracks presented here aren't the easiest to describe, I like to think of them as a fascinating middle ground between tortured, minimal black metal and the more romantic, melodic doom you might find in the earlier works of a band like Katatonia. The vocals of ( ) are unmistakable, could you imagine the wailing screams and barks of the depressive black metal multitude, only 'accessible'? Right on. The guitars are the real stars of the show here, they are driving and unforgettable as they hammer through the majority of the tracks with threatening grace. But this isn't enough for the discerning Lifelover, who also embellish many of the songs with tasteful piano licks and a dense, longing atmosphere.

Konkurs is a playground, and the manhood of its progenitors has free reign over the rides and attractions. You can never expect exactly what is going to happen, but it always happens for a reason and it is pleasing to the palette. The freakish snarls in the bridge of "Cancertid". The gothic tinged, sexy tongue of "Stangt p.g.a. Semester" or the post-rockish, luminous bridge of "Spiken I Kistan". Or how about the pure ambience of "Mitt Annexia" with its lapping shores and delightfully distant guitar sirens. Throughout the entire length of play, they are the masters of whatever they conceive. Some of these songs are instantly infectious, the rest aren't far behind.

All this would be hot sex, except that they even go so far as to write decent lyrics...you'll just have to translate the majority of them. I'm going to sum this album up with the following statement:

If 'emo' didn't suck, and melodic doom and black metal came along one night at the club and knocked it up, and then emo didn't bother with a paternity test, what you would have is Konkurs.

Live it.
Love it.
And pass me some tissues while you're at it.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Lifelover delivers a very bleak view of modern urban life and relationships in Sweden and its effect on human psychology in "Konkurs". Previous album "Erotik" had moments of humour and lightness and sometimes the music there suggested hopeful optimism. Here on "Konkurs" we seem have mental torment and confusion trying to find relief which all too often turns out to be temporary and leads to more despair. Not having an English translation of the Swedish lyrics to hand, I will concentrate on the music from here on.

The music is urgent and brisk in a dark, hellish kind of way. The Lifelover style is very distinctive: clean-cut smart riffs with even the black metal elements that do appear (not very much) sounding sharp and clean at their supposedly buzziest, medium-fast rhythms, piano melodies that often run counter to the rest of the music and interludes of field recordings or ambience when you least expect them. Some songs like "Konvulsion" and "Narcotic Devotion" probably could be slower in their rhythms so that in "Konvulsion" the sardonically cheery accordion music that comes at the end would hit you in the face harder and in "Narcotic Devotion" the wobbliness that suggests delirium in some passages makes more of an impression. On some tracks like "Shallow" and "Mental Control Dialog", the really outstanding feature is the vocals which are full of anguish and torment and give the impression of the singer on the brink of a mental breakdown. The quaking singing sounds convincing enough without being melodramatic and strained and the bleak stark nature of the music and its pace provide a context and contrasting backdrop that reins in any tendency to overdo the histrionics.

From "Stangt P.G.A. Semester" on, the album grows colder and more downbeat, the singing can become deranged ("Bitter Reflektion" and "Spiken I Kistan") and an urban-blues desolation dominates the mood ("Stangt P.G.A. Semester" and "Mitt Annexia"). There is also more willingness to experiment with space within the music, atmosphere, field recordings and sound and a couple of tracks are instrumental ("Original" and "En Tyst Minutt") and less emphasis on strict melodic song-based musical structures.

The album is self-contained in its bleak mood, its use of alternating styles of singing (either tormented and shaky on the one hand, or alienated, indifferent and lethargic on the other) and the clean, almost smooth lines of the music. Melodies do abound but are not very catchy or bright. The tracks that attract more attention than others tend to stray from the Lifelover template: there are the melancholy piano-dominated "Original", the garage-sounding "Brand", the almost country-and-western rock of "Konvulsion" followed by the folksy ending, the squalling "Twitch" and the cheerless, solitary urban blues ambience of "Stangt P.G.A. Semester" and "Mitt Annexia". With a number of songs, the music travels a bit too quickly and briskly for listeners to soak up the mood and atmosphere so a song like "Stangt P.G.A. Semester" ends up making less of an impact than it should, plus there is an annoying lead guitar solo that detracts from the overall mood.

Perhaps Lifelover like their melodic and structured post-rock / black metal blend too much for them to fully exploit emotion, ambience and the potential of post-rock and black metal to contrast with and highlight strengths of each genre. Black metal provides the anger and aggression, post-rock provides an interest in ambience and mood and both genres have a history of experimentation: Lifelover could be using all of these. The musicians make a strong and consistent effort in bringing across the stresses and agonies of modern life but the result doesn't quite match their ambition. There is emotion and suffering but it's mostly all in the singing and the music isn't as intense as it could be. If they can get away from writing song-based and structured music and more into a loosely structured kind of music with an emphasis on mood, atmosphere and using the percussion as a sound generator equal to guitars, instead of the usual time-keeping and pace-setting role that it has, Livelover might hit on creating something intense and heartbreaking that does exactly what they're aiming for.