Swedens Anekdoten have been around for nearly 20 years now, releasing 5 studio albums on their own label. Now however, they've finally been snapped up by KScope, so it's a great time to release this two CD retrospective.

Disc One, which concentrates on the three most recent albums, starts with Ricochet, from their 2003 album Gravity, which is probably their most accessible and radio friendly song. Not that it would get radio play over here despite the swirling keyboards, delicate guitar work and restrained vocals as they're not some trendy indie band who suck up to our so called DJ's. We played it though, and we're proud of that!

The album then takes us on a ride through the best of their back catalog, with jazzier tracks like The Great Unknown and impressively mellow songs such as The War Is Over showing the diversity of their style. The CD finishes with the previously unreleased and nearly whimsical When I Turn, originally from 1997 but recorded last winter.

Disc Two meanwhile contains a selection of "demo versions" and "alternate mixes", along with a couple of tracks from their earlier albums.

This excellent collection has something for everyone. It serves as a great and concise introduction to the band for newcomers out there. For fans there's the "new track". And for the OCD amongst you, a whole disk of demo's and mix's.

Let's hope this new partnership breeds a new Anekdoten album soon.

In this age of instant downloads, the "Greatest Hits" format can be redundant. KScope should therefore be applauded for making this such a decent collection with a wide appeal.

Share on Facebook