‘Galmandsvaerk’ is the senior solo effort from UFFE LORENZEN. Released on November 10, 2017 on Bad Afro Records. He has released 3 other solo albums before ‘Galmandsvaerk’ and its the first time that Lorenzen has used his own name on a release. He’s widely known as Lorenzo Woodrose of the bands, Baby Woodrose (since 2001) and Spids Nogenhat (since 1998). While his band, Baby Woodrose lends more towards garage rock of the 90’s and 00’s and Spids Nogenhat is more of the rock of the late 60’s and 70’s. This album sits comfortably in the middle of these two. The direction of the music on ‘Galmandsvaerk’, it has a singer songwriter element to it but there’s some twists. Along with that element, Lorenzen adds the sounds of acid rock of the 60’s with traditional culture instruments and an orchestra. A huge surprise was the consist use of a flute.
The first time I listened to the album, I had no idea what I was about to hear. I knew it featured a flute player and was very intrigued on how it would be used. Once I clicked play, I was shocked to hear what only I can describe as pure euphoria. The first track I heard was “Dansker,” and I felt like I was being transported to Northern Ireland. As the sound of bagpipes filled my head, I knew I was in for something great. While more of the solo acts that release albums, they work more towards a traditional sounding soft rock or pop of an album and focus more on the tone of their voice. But with Lorenzen, he focused on more of a soundscape that included a wide vast of instruments. Once the song kicked in, a lone acoustic guitar started. Reminded me of an old Irish folk song. And the way they had the flute come in and out, compliments the overall tone of the song beautifully. It also gave off a strong medieval setting with the lyric structure. I couldn’t understand what Lorenzen was singing, because the lyrics are completely in Danish. The instrumentation was very different but, I was loving every second of it. As I continued to listen, I was happy to hear the sounds of the late 60’s in modern music. It wasn’t until halfway through the album, with the song “Pa Kanten Af Verden,” that I was transported again to India. As traditional sounding Indian drums and sitars started to play, I thought Lorenzen must be a madman to have used these styles. I guess I might’ve been right, with the translation of the title of the album, ‘Galmandsvaerk.’ It translates into “the work of a madman.” While “Pa Kanten Af Verden” played I wondered if this album could get any more interesting. I was right because right in the middle of the song, a 2 minute long sitar and fuzzed out guitar jam riff starts. I was having a great time rocking out to this amazing work of art. This track was a huge highlight of the album. After that, things started to wind down. Then I started to hear someone talking backwards. It was the beginning of the song, “Hoj Som Et Hojhus.” As the backwards talking continued, Lorenzen’s vocals began and I was being transported one last time. This time I was transported to London, England in the early 70’s with the smoothness of Lorenzen’s voice and an acoustic guitar. This time, he added an orchestra to accompany him. It’s very reminiscent of the late 60’s- early 70’s recordings that came out of Abbey Road studios. This album is great for classic and stoner rock fans. ‘Galmandsvaerk‘ will take you on a journey that you won’t expect. The different styles will smack you in the face. It changes with every other song and makes you listen to see what you will hear or see next. There’s a lot of people who like to hear a cohesive sound for the whole album, while others like to a have a change of style every other song. Changing between different styles from every song is a challenging feat to accomplish. UFFE LORENZEN has accomplished just that. I highly recommend ‘Galmandsvaerk’ by UFFE LORENZEN. It’s out now, go and have a experience.
