Ulver "Live At Roadburn (Eulogy For The Late Sixties)" 2013***

A Norwegian Black-Metal-turned-Stoner-Art-Rock band playing barely rehearsed covers of 1967 garage-psychedelia in an one-off festival in Tilburg, Netherlands? Of course I'd have the CD, are you kidding me? Ulver (Norse for “wolves”) began as a black metal/pagan folk band in 1993 but slowly progressed to experiment with every genre under the sun from progressive rock to electronica to classical. Not surprisingly then, they made a detour with Childhood's End, an album of garage-psychedelic covers which they presented at the Roadburn 1967 Concert. In their own words it "felt quite invigorating after the doom and gloom of the last few years". Given that the arrangements were hastily worked out, the live album of that concert holds out incredibly well. Garage nuggets "In the Past" and "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" are played relatively straight while "Soon There'll Be Thunder" and "Today" are given a slow-and-heavy twist with Jim Morrison-esque vocals. "Velvet Sunsets" and "Magic Hollow" are beautifully executed psychedelic ballads (cool choices, by the way!). The Elevators' "Street Song" and the Troggs' "66-5-4-3-2-1" are heavy rock à la Monster Magnet, something arguably closer to Ulver's home. Gandalf's "Can You Travel in the Dark Alone?" (another inspired choice and one of my favorite songs from the era) is a flower power ballad that gradually wanders off to outer space, while the album ends with a (Can-inspired) instrumental improvisation. Ulver were strangers to me before I heard this album but now I'm intrigued to learn more about them. They've obviously got some chops!

**** for Today (Jefferson Airplane), 66-5-4-3-2-1 (The Troggs), Magic Hollow (Beau Brummels)

*** for In the Past (Chocolate Watchband), Can You Travel in the Dark Alone? (Gandalf), Velvet Sunsets (Music Emporium), Street Song (13th Floor Elevators), I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) (Electric Prunes), Impromptu Performance (Dedicated to Can)

** for Bracelets of Fingers (The Pretty Things), Soon There'll Be Thunder (Common People)