MEEK MEN (CD)
DUMDEDUM
Kenneth Holmström, Jonas Lundberg
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MEEK MEN – progressive folk-pop from Sweden!
Meek Men is a songwriting collaboration between a therapist [Jonas Lundberg] and a janitor [Kenneth Holmstrom].
The music of Meek Men is a mixture of different musical influences. The core is a kind of folk-pop with a touch of country, singer-songwriter and Irish music. Add to that some unexpected harmonies and exciting sounds. Some would call it progressive folk-pop!
On Meek Men's debut album “Dumdedum” you will hear songs about living in a relationship filled with violence, how to be restrained by social phobia, about Syrian refugees with parlous experiences, about young girls with performance anxiety, and about the search for meaning and forgiveness. In the midst of these stories Jonas and Kenneth have their own perspective – simple, slightly overweight middle aged men who has been married to their wife for more than two decades – happily humming songs about being content and thankful. Meek in mind!
Jonas Lundberg is a therapist, teacher and singer and has been teaching psychology and drama for many years at Hjalmareds Folkhogskola. His lyrics has been inspired by many interesting therapy sessions!
Kenneth Holmstrom, who wrote most of the music, is a bassist, guitarist, composer and janitor! He is familiar with all kinds of styles ranging from pop, gospel, rock, jazz and blues to folk music. He is one of few who has toured with Sixto Rodriguez, the Detroit based songwriter who was portrayed in the Oscar awarded documentary „Searching for Sugarman“ by Malik Bendjelloul.
CHECK US OUT IN THE PRESS
Folking.com
October 18, 2016
You can listen to, and enjoy, Dumdedum on a superficial level enjoying the shifting styles and musical textures from the jazz of ‘Diggin’’ with its superb electric guitar by Markus Karlsson to the Middle Eastern rhythms of ‘Another Kind Of Spring’. But then you’ll want to dig into the lyrics rather more deeply. The opening track, ‘I See The Horizon’, tells of an old ferry captain who, reaching the end of his career, starts to look beyond his limited world. You could take it into any folk club with an acoustic guitar and everyone would want to know where you got it. Wisely, you’d smile quietly and say nothing.
...
Dumdedum is an album you have to take your time over. It’s musically varied with some gorgeous solos on saxophone, flute, oboe and mandolin and the mood shifts from track to track but it all holds together in a satisfying way and is guaranteed to contain no four-chord songs.
– Dai Jeffries
Off-centerviews.blogspot.se
Dec 21, 2016
The lyrics are poetic and their album Dumdedum is centered on the idea–in their words–that "the difference between a good life and a good lie is a single letter." Got that? You should, because even on the rare occasion in which this album doesn't work musically, the lyrics are more literate than most of what comes from native English speakers.
...
But if this sounds like Scandinavian angst, that's not quite accurate. There are several quiet and tender songs, but mostly the Meek Men seek poignancy by hitting us with feathers instead of bricks. It's an accomplished album musically with loads of instruments, including accordion, dobro, guitars, fiddles, mandolin, pedal steel, saxophone, and penny whistle. Even if you find the vocals a bit too subdued for your tastes, Dumdedum remains one of the year's smartest albums.
★★★★