Munch - 1990 - Excessive Mobility

(38:37; Norske Albumklassikere [2021 Edition] )

Track list:
1. Watching 2:50
2. Thrill 3:14
3. Movement 4:20
4. Astral Scooter I 2:52
5. Gnome Three 4:00
6. Pebbles 1:59
7. Old Volcano 5:20
8. Astral Scooter 5:38
9. Strangle 4:34
10. Krux Seven 3:50

Line-up:
Ivar Mykland - vocals
Rich Nordskog - drums
Alf Steinar Solbakken - guitars
Rune Bergstö - bass
Lars Roald Aardal - keyboards


Norwegian band MUNCH was a cult band in Norway with an active career lasting from 1986 to 1991. During their career they released a handful of album, mainly available in limited releases, and they are next to impossible to find today. "Excessive Mobility" was released in 1990, and was their second studio album.

While Munch started out inside the industrial and experimental sphere of music, by 1990 the band had expanded their palette considerably. Industrial, punk / post punk and noise rock elements were a part of their palette at this point, with experimental creations bordering art rock a further expansion added to their material. "Excessive Mobility" manage to document all of these elements and possibly a few more in a neat, tight package.

From purebred industrial oriented creations like  'Gnome Three' to creations adding impulses from both here and there in 'Watching', 'Thrill' and 'Old Volcano' to the more art rock tinged songs such as 'Movement' and 'Astral Scooter', everything is tight and cohesive with the vocals of Ivar Mykland as a strong identity mark with his mainly flat delivery that erupts in often dark melodic emotions adding tension to the songs. Clever use of percussion details, piano, some gloriously eerie keyboard details and in one case string instruments (real or from synthesizers) are used throughout to craft, create and maintain associations towards otherwordly landscapes and deep space. Often with the guitars giving emphasis by way of using careful effects and reverberations or dark, noise-infused textures.

It is a journey into the beauty of the haunting darkness and the lonely, lost places of the world, and while musically not all that interesting the concluding experimental creation 'Krux Seven' is the final stage of that journey, with a highly expressive vocal performance by Mykland highlighting the sheer unreality of the universe explored.

"Excessive Mobility" is a classic album in the annals of Norwegian rock history. Not an album that will be to everyone's taste, an album that quite a few probably will have a hard time understanding how anyone can enjoy too, but for those that get this music and feel a connection to the dark, otherwordly landscapes painted in sound here, this album is a true gem.

Olav M. Björnsen, July 2021