Freak Guitar: The Smorgasbord

Last updated

Freak Guitar: The Smorgasbord
Freak Guitar The Smorgasbord.jpg
Studio album by
Released13 March 2013 (2013-03-13)
Label Favored Nations
Producer Mattias IA Eklundh
Mattias IA Eklundh chronology
Freak Guitar: The Road Less Traveled
(2005)
Freak Guitar: The Smorgasbord
(2013)

Freak Guitar: The Smorgasbord is a double-disc studio album by Mattias IA Eklundh, released on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label on 5 March 2013. [1] [2] It features close to two hours of eclectic, mostly instrumental guitar music, with a variety of influences. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Reception

The album was reviewed in the April 2013 issue of Guitarist magazine, where it was given 4.5 stars out of 5 and recommended for fans of Vai and Frank Zappa. Total Guitar gave it 4 stars out of 5. [7]

Guests performers

The album features a number of guest musicians, including: [8]

Track listing

CD1

  1. "Amphibians Night Out" – 3:32
  2. "Musth" – 3:12
  3. "Mattias – The Beautiful Guy" – 2:27
  4. "Hells Bells" – 3:40
  5. "The Smorgasbord" – 2:52
  6. "Friedrichs Wahnbriefe" – 3:08
  7. "Sexually Frustrated Fruit Fly Flamenco" – 0:41
  8. "Daily Grind Disco March" – 2:46
  9. "Lease sith an Option to Buy" – 2:23
  10. "The Swede and the Wolf" – 4:20
  11. "Mambo Italiano" – 2:18
  12. "Mind Your Step (at Schiphol Airport)" – 3:34
  13. "Crossing the Rubicon" – 7:48
  14. "That's Amore" – 2:27
  15. "Keep it in the Dojo" – 2:41
  16. "Infrared Jed" – 0:33
  17. "Peter, I Won't Drive Another Meter" – 4:35
  18. "Larvatus Prodeo" – 1:15
  19. "Blaha Blaha" – 2:31
  20. "Lullaby for Gabriel" – 2:25

CD2

  1. "In the Goo of the Evening" – 3:12
  2. "The Dogs of Delhi" – 2:16
  3. "Special Agent Bauer" – 2:07
  4. "Mahavishnu John" – 3:34
  5. "The Harry Lime Theme" – 1:28
  6. "Dark Matter" – 2:48
  7. "Trumpet Lesson" – 0:53
  8. "Mandur and Morgan's Camel Safari" – 3:13
  9. "Shore Thing" – 2:14
  10. "Captain Smith's Moment of Truth" – 1:35
  11. "Mah Nà Mah Nà" – 2:39
  12. "The Nigerian Gynecologist" – 3:25
  13. "6 Rue Cordot" – 1:17
  14. "Kali Ghat" – 4:37
  15. "Safe to Remove Hardware" – 1:30
  16. "Did You Actually Pay for That?" – 2:45
  17. "Those in Badiyah" – 3:46
  18. "The Essence of Emptiness" – 4:37
  19. "Meralgia Paresthetica" – 4:51
  20. "Guano Afternoon" – 1:46

Credits

All songs are written by Mattias IA Eklundh, except the following:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Johnson (guitarist)</span> American guitarist and recording artist

Eric Johnson is an American guitarist, vocalist and composer. His 1990 album Ah Via Musicom was certified platinum by the RIAA, and the single "Cliffs of Dover" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dweezil Zappa</span> American rock guitarist and actor

Dweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Zappa developed a strong affinity for playing the guitar and producing music. Able to learn directly from guitarists such as Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen, Zappa released his first single at the age of 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Hellborg</span> Swedish bassist

Jonas Hellborg is a Swedish bass guitarist. He has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Ustad Sultan Khan, Fazal Qureshi, Bill Laswell, Shawn Lane, Jens Johansson, Anders Johansson, Ginger Baker, Michael Shrieve, V. Selvaganesh, Jeff Sipe, Mattias IA Eklundh, Public Image Ltd, and Buckethead.

Jason Eli Becker is an American composer and guitarist. At the age of 16, he became part of the Shrapnel Records-produced duo Cacophony with his friend Marty Friedman, and they released two albums, Speed Metal Symphony (1987) and Go Off! (1988). Since the dissolution of Cacophony in 1989, Becker has undertaken a solo career, releasing seven albums since his 1988 debut Perpetual Burn. He later joined David Lee Roth's solo band and recorded one album with him, A Little Ain't Enough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freak Kitchen</span> Swedish rock band

Freak Kitchen is a Swedish rock band from Gothenburg, formed in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fredrik Thordendal</span> Swedish guitarist

Fredrik Carl Thordendal is a Swedish musician, best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the extreme metal band Meshuggah, of which he is a founding member. Along with Meshuggah's rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, Thordendal was rated No. 35 by Guitar World in the top 100 greatest heavy metal guitarists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. Selvaganesh</span> Musical artist

V. Selvaganesh is an Indian percussionist working in the Carnatic tradition and one of the leading kanjira players of his generation. He is also known as "Chella S. Ganesh."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guthrie Govan</span> English musician (born 1971)

Guthrie Govan is an English guitarist and guitar teacher, known for his work with the bands the Aristocrats, Asia, GPS, the Young Punx and the Fellowship, as well as his solo project Erotic Cakes. More recently, he has collaborated with Steven Wilson and Hans Zimmer. He is a noted guitar teacher, working with the UK magazine Guitar Techniques, Guildford's Academy of Contemporary Music, Lick Library, and formerly the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. Govan was named "Guitarist of the Year" by Guitarist magazine in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattias Eklundh</span> Swedish guitarist (born 1969)

Mattias Bernt Johannes Eklundh, also known as IA, is a Swedish guitarist and vocalist. He is known for his work with Freak Kitchen, Jonas Hellborg and Art Metal, and he has also produced several noted solo Freak Guitar albums released by Steve Vai and Favored Nations, and holds his annual Freak Guitar Camp in the woods of Sweden every summer for dedicated guitar players from all over the world. He was also prominently featured playing his trademark-style solos on the first four Soilwork albums.

<i>Giant Robot</i> (Buckethead album) 1994 studio album by Buckethead

Giant Robot is the second studio album by avant-garde guitarist Buckethead and loosely following the same "amusement park" concept as his previous album (Bucketheadland). It has some re-recorded songs from Buckethead's band Deli Creeps, as well his earlier demo tape Bucketheadland Blueprints. Giant Robot has a more professional sound than its predecessor in terms of recording and production value; the re-recorded tracks have lost their initial "basement" or "video game" sounding beats and guitar licks. As with Bucketheadland, the album was originally only released in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Ågren</span> Swedish drummer (born 1967)

Morgan Ågren is a Swedish drummer who plays with the progressive rock band Kaipa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christophe Godin</span> French guitarist and singer (born 1968)

Christophe Godin is a French guitarist and singer, known for his work with the French bands Metal Kartoon, Gnô and Mö

Art Metal is a progressive metal band based in Sweden and led by Jonas Hellborg. Some of their line-ups have included guitarist Mattias Eklundh of Freak Kitchen fame, the Johansson brothers who have both contributed to the solo career of Yngwie Malmsteen, and Jonas Hellborg, an influential musician and solo artist in the jazz music scene. The band's music also has plenty of Indian music influence.

<i>The Boys Wont Leave the Girls Alone</i> 1962 studio album by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

The Boys Won't Leave the Girls Alone is a collection of mostly traditional Irish folk songs performed by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. It also includes several songs from other countries, such as the Scottish folk song, "Marie's Wedding". It was their third album for Columbia Records and was released in 1962. It was also their first studio album for the label. Its title is taken from the song, "I'll Tell My Ma". The original LP featured liner notes by Tom Clancy.

<i>Art Metal</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Jonas Hellborg

Art Metal is an album by bass guitarist Jonas Hellborg, released in 2007 through Bardo Records. It is the debut recording by Hellborg's project of the same name, Art Metal, borrowing the aesthetic of contemporary metal expanded with Indian and jazz improvisational disciplines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacky Vincent</span> British guitarist

Jack Casey Vincent is a British guitarist. He was the lead guitarist of the post-hardcore/metalcore band Falling in Reverse from its formation in 2008 until his departure in 2015. After his departure, he founded power metal band Cry Venom. Since then, Vincent has concentrated on his solo career and teaching. He has two solo albums: Star X Speed Story, came third in the Guitar World 2013 readers poll for Best Shred album, and Life Imitating Art released in 2018. Vincent won the Alternative Press Guitarist of the Year award in 2012 and came third in the Guitar World "Best Shredder" readers pool awards in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nita Strauss</span> American guitarist (born 1986)

Vinita Sandhya Strauss is an American rock musician. She is currently a touring guitarist for Demi Lovato and Alice Cooper and has a successful career as a solo artist. Strauss was the first female signature artist with Ibanez guitars and is regularly featured on the covers of worldwide print magazines including Guitar World and Guitar Player. She was ranked No. 1 on Guitar World's list of "10 Female Guitar Players You Should Know".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Vivaldi</span> Musical artist

Angel Vivaldi is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer. Voted "third best guitarist" in 2014 by Prog-Sphere, he began his solo career in 2003. Vivaldi has self-released five records, Revelations, The Speed of Dark, Universal Language, Away with Words: Part 1, and Synapse. In 2015, he released a cover of Joe Satriani's "Crystal Planet" single. Vivaldi is known for his virtuoso guitar playing style and cinematic music videos.

"YYZ" is an instrumental rock composition by the Canadian rock band Rush from their 1981 album Moving Pictures. It is one of the band's most popular pieces and was a staple of the band's live performances. The live album Exit... Stage Left (1981) and the concert video recording A Show of Hands (1989) both include versions in which Neil Peart incorporates a drum solo – as an interlude on the former, and as a segue out of the piece on the latter.

References

  1. "Mattias IA Eklundh to release Freak Guitar: The Smorgasbord!". Favored Nations. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  2. "Exclusive Interview: Mattias IA Eklundh". Volumen11.com. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  3. http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/the-20-greatest-shred-guitarists-of-all-time-461030/13/ [ dead link ]
  4. "Mattias IA Eklundh to release 'Freak Guitar: The Smorgasbord' March 5". Guitar Player Magazine. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  5. Jon Bloomer (13 February 2013). "Mattias IA Eklundh to release new album 'Freak Guitar: The Smorgasbord'". Guitarnoize.com. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  6. "Freak Guitar – The Smorgasbord – Chronique – La Grosse Radio Rock – Ecouter du Rock – Webzine Rock". Lagrosseradio.com. 29 March 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  7. Monk, Laurie (29 March 2013). "Mattias IA Eklundh: Smorgasbord loved by UK's Total Guitar". Truth in Shredding. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  8. "New Mattias IA Eklundh Album 'Smorgasbord' to Feature Guthrie Govan, New album will be released on Steve Vai's label in 2013 – Sonic State Amped". Sonicstate.com. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  9. Chris Bird (Total Guitar) (6 March 2013). "VIDEO: Mattias IA Eklundh new video out today | VIDEO: Mattias IA Eklundh new video out today". MusicRadar. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  10. Monk, Laurie (7 March 2013). "Mattias IA Eklundh: Hells Bells". Truth in Shredding. Retrieved 18 October 2013.