Swedish singer/guitarist Hasse Fröberg has never been one to sit on his hands wondering what to do next. Starting his recording career with hard rockers Spellbound back in the ‘80s, and Solid Blue in the ‘90s, he joined prog project The Flower Kings in 1994, as it was evolving from a Roine Stolt solo project into a full band. This is probably Fröberg’s best-known position, and he is still there over 30 years later, although he has also been fronting his own band Hasse Fröberg And Musical Companion, aka HFMC, since 2009. HFMC’s new release Eternal Snapshots is out this year, being the band’s sixth full studio offering, while also marking the 40-year anniversary of Fröberg’s first album release with Spellbound.
Musical Companion doesn’t seem to be the most inspiring band name I have ever come across, and HFMC arguably even less so, but I don’t know, maybe it comes across as something snappy, slick and sassy in Swedish. But be that as it may, the music is a different entity entirely. What we have here is retro-flavoured 1980s-inspired prog pop in the vein of Asia or late-incarnation Genesis, complex yet melodic, imaginative yet accessible, and the production is pin-sharp perfect throughout. Of course, that also pushes it towards the softer end of prog – don’t expect strident ELP edginess or Dream Theater pounding beats – but solid songwriting and excellent musicianship combine on a concept album of sorts, which deals with subjects such as free will versus pre-determination, and how we become the people we are.
The heaviest, most bombastically ‘prog’ pieces are the opener and closer, two parts of the same number, named All I Wanted To Be Pts 1 and 2. The opening part runs to just over four minutes, with some great synth work from Kjell Haraldsson and complex timing artefacts; after two minutes, the music drops completely and Fröberg’s vocals come in over ambient acoustic guitar chords and sparse piano.
Second number Deserve To Be Happy begins with a complex, rapid-fire picked bass line, which ramps up to an unashamedly 1980s pop beat after a minute or so, reminiscent of ELO or ‘80s Genesis, although Fröberg’s vocals on this song have a definite flavour of Lou Gramm’s work for Foreigner. The ‘80s influences keep on coming with Wherever You May Go, with its synth solo that could have come straight from the Mike Post Coalition. No Messiah goes more electronic still, with vocoder effects in the intro, over massed backing vocals and sparse instrumentation.
Nautical elements start to make an appearance with Once In A Lifetime, which opens on crying gulls, with effects applied until the sound is twisted out of recognition and gradually climbs out of earshot. A bit of seaside oompah music at the three-minute mark brings the Beatles to mind, especially Mr. Kite from Sgt. Pepper’s. But then a scratchy guitar line with added honky-tonk piano smooths out to a creamy, more modern guitar solo courtesy of the excellent Anton Lindsjö, as the full band returns, making this number very Queen-esque. Gentle surf sounds introduce the next piece, Only For Me, followed by wailing guitar effects reminiscent of whale song – this number features a shuffled band line-up, with drummer Ola Strandberg moving to lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Alf Strandberg replacing Kjell Haraldsson on the keys, and bassist Sampo Axelsson shifting to pedal steel. A couple of numbers later, we have the instrumental A Sorrowful Mariner, which opens with an atmospheric slice of pseudo-Gothic chanting and a classical line played on a Hammond doing a creditable impression of a church organ, which builds, then drops back to pouring rain effects.
Blind Dog is arguably the most memorable song to these ears, opening as it does with a powerful rock organ riff and guitar line straight from the Deep Purple songbook. In fact it is almost a Purple/Rainbow homage, with Fröberg getting into the Dio spirit, and interpolating a slow rock section straight out of Mistreated, with a tortured guitar solo over the top. This has to be my highlight of the album, which is rounded off, of course, with the anthemic All I Wanted To Be Pt 2.
It’s an easy, accessible and yet musically imaginative piece of music all round, and at 47 minutes, sticks more or less to the traditional vinyl album length. A beautifully-presented 18-page lyric booklet with full musician credits is a great bonus, and I’m happy that Fröberg can run two such accomplished musical careers in parallel.
Eternal Snapshots by HFMC is now available in CD, Vinyl, Digital, Streaming, and Limited Deluxe Box Set formats via Glassville Records
