Music by Kaj Holmberg: Notes

All music can be seen as soundtracks to films (that you unfortunately haven't seen, since they don't exist).

Most important (to me) is melodies and moods. Much is slowly building, evolving.

Inspiration: Above all Ennio Morricone. Also Vangelis, Angelo Badalamenti, John Barry and other film composers.
Earlier Genesis (mostly the story-telling songs), early King Crimson, Matia Bazaar, etc.
A little bit classical music, such as Mussorgskij and Stravinskij.
(These are the stars on the night sky, and I am just a little kid on the ground, looking upwards with glittering eyes.)

Technical note: 2001 - 2005 I used Buzz. 2006 I switched to Linux and Rosegarden and discovered Midi.
2009 - 2010 brought less Midi and more softsynths DSSI. In 2012 I turned mostly to soundfonts.
In 2012 and 2013 I used real background sounds as a sometimes important part of the music.

2001:

• Still Film: First attempts with Buzz. (Forgive me for borrowing.)
  
• Two Seasons: Improving. The WTC-part is special. Summer Hymn is almost religious.
  
• Short Cuts: Shorter versions of previous songs. (I often make them too long.)
  Plus a couple of older songs. (You can probably hear that they were meant to be sung.)

2002:

• Excerpts from a Dark Season: Around Christmas, as you can hear. Complex feelings.

2003:

• Music to a film: The main idea: Imagine a film and make music to the different scenes.
  The opening of the film, some tension building, a theme for the beautiful girl, exciting things happening, dangerous situations,
  rescue and a nice ending. A main theme reappearing in songs 1 and 3, which still feel good.
  
• The Second Film: The same structure. A bit more love. Song 3 is the beautiful highlight.

2004:

• Digital Revisions of Digital Pictures: A kind of "Pictures at an exhibition", but digital. (Again song 3, 'Stream of Life', is a favourite.)
  
• Just Another Fall: Just making music. Song 12, 'Farewell', builds a nice theme.
  
• Old Songs of '04: Old songs, written long ago, recorded 2004. There are texts, but I don't sing.

2005:

• Learning a New Word: I had started recording this, when the Tsunami hit the news. (The new word is obviously "tsunami".)
  'Farewell' is developed into the strong 'Second Farewell'.
  
• The Third Film (Another Story): The same structure as the two first films, but not so strict.
  
• Winter Romance (The Fourth Film): The film idea is still present, although not in main focus.

2006:

• My Midi Rose: Technical words in the record title indicates that the change of technology had big influence on the music.
  The best songs, for example 'Generations' are developed further on the following records.
  
• The Lake (Vättern 2006): The theme is the race Vätternrundan. If you participate, you will realize the strong feelings associated
  with the different stages/depots. I am contemplating using song 9, 'After the race', for my funeral.
  
• Portugal 2006: Impressions of a trip to Portugal. The first song (inconvenient trip in rain) works for me.

2008:

• Life is Film/Film is Life: Stages of a life. Song 6, 'Ascension', is important.

2009:

• Fiction (not Science): New inspiration and new possibilities. There are some jokes here. And good songs, I think.
  
• November: More reality than fantasy here. The not-so-grey November is captured in song 8.
  
• December Love Story: A new film, starting in a real cold december, but ending in a warm fantasy. Quality is improving, I think.
  Songs 3, 'Santa's Workshop', 7, 'A Better Snowfall', and 12, 'Eastern Western', turned out well.

2010:

• Fantastic Voyage: Scenes from an imaginary trip around the world. Song 2, 'A Beautiful Day for Travel', is catchy.
  Other songs I am satisfied with are 3, 5 and 6. And song 9 is slightly Morriconian.
  
• Again?!: Some very old songs (again), some not very old, but still old, and two new songs. All new recordings.
  
• 2010 - Part 1: The year 2010 started interestingly, lots of snow, very cold, but then spring came, and some ashes.
  The songs just picture all this, and other things. (By the way, I stole some chords.)
  Song 6, 'Deep down', could have had a much much longer title. Song 7 also feels worthwhile.
  And I admit that song 8 is about a summer morning, from the very early sunrise onwards.
• 2010 - Part 2: Second part of the year 2010, covers mainly summer. Some happy songs, some sad. Go swimming? Goodnight.

2011:

• Summer Tales: Songs of a summer. Background sounds, mostly birds, a little rain. Family drama is about a bird family.
  
• Tilldragelser under en ljus årstid: (From now on, my titles are in swedish. Since I am.) Music to acustic pictures,
  sound from markets, shops etc. Note dialects and happy children.
  There is midsummer, classical castle, a serene ode to Systemet (the alcoshop, that is), a nice summersday,
  and finally a reflection about thow small our planet is.
  
• Skänninge Marken: Six pieces of varying length with sounds from Skänninge Marken, aimed to illustrate the feeling.
  
• Extraktioner: (Greatest Bits) Selected (short) bits of my (long) songs.
  

• Nya sånger: Omitted.
• Stockholm: Music with sounds from a trip to Stockholm. Now more situation sounds (as for a film, but for sound).
• Ett långt år: Ups and downs. Linköpingsvisan has a text by Kristina, but it isn't here.

2013:

• Antiklimax: Birds and Skänninge Marken frames a summer that wasn't much. Apparent contrasts.
  A too long song, Njut av det som är nu and a somewhat depressing one, Tröttheten smyger sig på.
  
• Berlin: Music with sounds from a trip to Berlin. Again more feelings and actions than melody. An unknown organist from the Gedächtniskirche is heard.
  The fateful Konferens and the melancholy Längtan reflects well what I felt then. So does certain disharmonies.
• Koncentrat: Concentrated versions of music from the last four albums.

(Read this in swedish.)

Mail: music at kajh.se