I came across Kalandra, from Norway, via Prog magazine, who had the band as part of their Limelight feature promoting new and upcoming artists and, from this, via our Progzilla Radio partnership with the magazine, where we play artists featured in this and the All Around the World feature.

The band released A Frame of Mind via By Norse in September, which is their second studio album, a work which has filled me with joy since I first heard it, and that affection has only grown with the passing of three months. You can familiarise yourself and buy it at https://kalandra.bandcamp.com/album/a-frame-of-mind and their website is at https://kalandrashop.com/en/

The band are Katrine Stenbekk (vocals), Jogeir Daae Maeland (guitars), Florian Döderlein Winter (guitars), and Oskar Johnsen Rydh (drums). A word about the stunning artwork, which was created by Elen Alien.

So, ten tracks to unpack, which the band themselves describe as an introspective journey about life’s experiences and how they shape the way we perceive the world. It explores what we put within the frame of our day-to-day lives, but also what is excluded. The band has combed through their memories and written about past traumas, cherished childhood memories, and a wariness about the future and the state of the world.

We start with I Am. The acoustic guitar sets the mood nicely, and when Stenbekk enters you are instantly aware of a mighty fine vocal talent. I do like the soundscapes which are created behind her voice, especially the work by Rydh on his machine and the synth effects. The song references what created the person the subject is, from childhood to lived experiences, and the guitar bursts, when they briefly arrive, hint of a distinct post rock sensibility, harmonies at the forefront of this as well. The extended burst confirms this in a track which is such a rich fusion of pastoral and riff-infused rock, the vocals soaring. A tremendous start for which we have a video I have embedded below.

Untie the Knot follows, starting with such a light feel, the strumming against some ethereal vocals talking about memories, highs and lows, but seeking to untie these in the present. The electric guitars fill your head when they present themselves, and this is another interesting mix of the pastoral and distinctly heavy, the drums very much at the core of that. It is embedded below.

Are You Ready is rather trancey, the loop talking about there being no pressure in a place to heal,  where you can be who you want, a selling point, of course, of much of the modern wellness industry, and there are big explosions of noise looking within for the answers and an ultimate rejection of the cult, but disturbing viewing and listening with the clear analogy with Christianity for believers. Big expansive riffs here in a track I embed below with another video from the band. Quite stunning visually and aurally.

The State of the World follows. Said state is indeed weighing on many minds, and not in a positive, light-filled way. Mankind’s perennial enemies, war, pestilence, famine are amplified everywhere by the noise-filled electronic ether (at least in older times, you only had to worry about yourselves – now, you see something the other side of the world instantly). There is a Celtic feel to this track from a Scandinavian outfit, the vocals aching in their fragility, and, critically, talking about a hope, us rising to force the change which is critical. Let’s hope. There is a room-filling sound as that message is delivered.

Bardaginn is Old Norse for fight, or battle, and we have another stunning video embedded below for you to marvel at the genius inherent in this band. I think this is a natural follow-on thematically from the previous track in that we do have an inherent inclination to fight, to survive, and this, incidentally, is why I believe that we will survive the present State of the World. History teaches us that we might go through tremendous hardships, but we ultimately survive. This is dramatic music at its finest and most intense, the spirit of the Nordic people flowing through its veins. Astounding. Cinematic. Violent. Expansive. Modern rock infused with the spirit of the ancient, and about as good as intelligent music gets.

A Life Worth Living opens with dystopia incarnate, whirling strings and dark notes to the fore. It sounds utterly lush, but as dark as a typical ant’s backside – however, there is still that chink of light as the band continue to talk about the change required, the guitar riffs lifting the bleakness and three minutes in that is realised with massive force with an incredible musical lightness in the soundscapes taking the listener up, beyond the clouds and the gloom. Stunning.

I’ll Get There One Day could be a metaphor for my personal commentary on life, the universe, and everything. I try, but, by gum, I try the patience of many around me. The start of this is very pensive, the drums leading a throbbing meditation on the world getting louder and the impact of this on us. There is a rich middle eastern feel to this, a modern take on the Kashmir era Led Zeppelin, the riffs underneath the lead sounds actually rather menacing. Some four minutes in, the veil is lifted, and the keys and orchestrations alongside the voice herald a new beginning, getting there, a promise of new life, the positive/good overcoming the negative/bad. The orchestration is lush.

Hytta I believe refers to custom-made tiny houses. Certainly, the effects provide for a homely atmosphere, functional kitchen and a happy family enjoying the trappings of a nice life, the notes providing for a pastoral wonderland, this only exemplified by the gorgeous voice soaring above it all. Some 35 years ago, Peter Gabrial revolutionised world rock music, and this beautiful piece of music takes me to that exciting place, a fusion of sounds, influences, jams, and a joy of life through the medium of music, the waves washing over the listener.

The penultimate piece is Segla, and this is a mountain on the North Norwegian mountain, Senja. I have embedded this piece of beauty below. The vocals are so delicately lovely on a piece which is as good a roots delight as you are ever going to hear. Allow Kalandra to lead you on a hike in nature’s wildness, and marvel at the expansion of sound as you reach your goal.

We close with I Remember A Time. Wistful in its doubts about our place in the world, and whether, in fact, we actually belong here, but there is still that core sense of hope in togetherness and forgiveness. As you get older, it is easy to think that things were intrinsically better “back in the day”. They weren’t, and only by positivity and pulling together can we overcome the fear and loathing. That is what I take from this really rather lovely piece of music.

A Frame of Mind is simply staggering as a work of art. There are many who have a go at Prog magazine for taking the “easy” route of plonking the likes of Messrs Anderson, Gabriel et al on their front cover, but this is a simple commercial necessity, a means of selling product to get readers in. Once there, they can read about artists such as Kalandra and explore a whole new world of intelligent modern rock music.

I know this. As long as we have artists such as Kalandra, music is safe. Kalandra might not sell in the manner of the likes of Adele or Taylor Swift, but, by God, their contribution to culture is absolutely assured. A towering work of art.