by François CoutureSamla Mammas Manna's third LP is where things really start getting interesting. On Klossa Knapitatet, the meatier tracks have more meat and the crazier ones are better controlled. The group has not lost the wacky experimental side that had become particularly obvious on Maltid, it has simply harnessed it in a different, more efficient way. On the progressive rock level, Liten Dialektik (Small Dialectics) and Musmjölkningsmaskinen (The Mousemilkingmachine) are the two main opuses on the album. Both are strong, complex numbers, with the first one sharing similarities with Supersister's longer pieces, while the second one comes closer to a Scandinavian take on Zappa's fast-paced art-rock. Incidentally, that track segues into Influenser (Influences), which starts off like one of the Mothers of Invention's conducted improvisations, then evolves into a darker jam. Classical music is also a source of inspiration (or derision): the opening track Ingenting (Nothing) has a mock-opera feel, while Lang Ner i Ett Kaninhal (Way Down a Rabbit Hole) starts in Baroque mode before taking an unexpected (but oh so Samla-esque) turn into yodeling territory. That last track epitomizes Lars Hollmer's subversive sense of fun. The diversity that could become annoying on Maltid here provides the album's backbone. The Samla Mammas Manna are growing as musicians and composers, and growing more able to organize their various ideas and influences into a coherent group identity. Klossa Knapitatet is thus an excellent place to take a first dip into the group's discography, as it is the first of several very good albums.