Love Is Here To Stay
(Subliminal Sounds)
In recent years, a treasure trove of previously unheard electronic music from the 1960s and ’70s has been newly released. The latest discovery is Love Is Here To Stay by Swedish instrumentalist Bo Anders Persson. Best known as leader of the monolithic noise rock band Parsson Sound and psychedelic folk outfits International Harvester and Träd, Gräs Och Stenar, Persson’s groups have cast a long shadow over a number of current underground acts. However, his early work in electronics and modern composition, influenced by Terry Riley and Pauline Oliveros, is virtually unknown.
This compilation collects seven pieces from 1965-1967 that combine loops, tape recorders, brass, and ululating vocals. These spare minimalist tracks explore the fertile tension between pre-recorded and live elements, occasionally venturing into territory reminiscent of Don Cherry’s third stream jazz explorations. Singer Maylen Bergström’s contributions sometimes feel unintegrated, but these tracks retain a startling strangeness and vitality.
The set concludes with “Protoimperalism,” a stark 25-minute track that was previously released on a split album alongside Folke Rabe’s transcendent tone drone What??. It’s a completely electronic tune that loops and phases the title phrase, another compelling curio from a musical path not taken.
