The Culture In Memoriam
– We fall only to rise again.
The Culture In Memoriam is an organic music collective from Malmö, which is run by its artistic director Victor Håkansson (vocals, guitar) and supported by a growing family of musicians and friends. As permanent members, we see Rasmus Berggren son (bass, vocals), Mattias Stålnacke (Guitar, etc.) and Lars Diurlin (Drums).
The story of The Culture In Memoriam begins when Victor Hakansson, as a five year old, began his musical journey as a tambourine player in a traveling theatrical company.
As one of the children of an intellectual part-time baker in Trelleborg, he together with some teachers and a few other red wine idealists, had the opportunity to work with the ensemble playing Gusten Gustafson’s pieces.
As a theater kid, used to expressing himself through music and clothing, as someone who loved skateboarding, Refused, Nirvana and the Kinks, Victor was early on to be a well-established notch steak for greasers and neo-Nazis, and he literally fought his way through the later school years.
Alone, hated and hunted by his antagonists Victor lived as a refugee. The fear of death followed him like a shadow and as the hatred stagnated this fear grew into outright panic. Victor broke.
For Victor to get better everything had to be stripped away, and when he could no longer fight to express himself, only the music remained.
When Victor eventually was discharged, he moved to Malmö and the help from an old music teacher and a few other musicians he had got to know laid the foundation of the album Nietzche Ex.
The album was released by his own company, The Spectacle Records, only to be picked up by record label A West Side Fabrication, which three years later also released The Culture In Memoriams second album ”Abolish History – This Is Our Story ”.
Now The Culture In Memoriam is back with its third album, ”Rest In Pieces ”. This time the sound oft the Beach Boys can be clearly sensed in the kettle-drums, choral and string arrangements, tastefully seasoned and destroyed by faulty distortion. Clever melodies and pompous arrangements with Victor’s fragile vocals mixed with diehard political messages make TCIM unique in an otherwise dull and streamlined pop culture.
Under the name The Culture in Memoriam Victor Håkansson has found his own way and dare to believe in his heartfelt rancid, but enchantingly vulnerable voice when he preaches texts with meaning to the music that appeals and concerns.
”Victor looks like Ziggy Stardust, sings like Bowie and writes songs that combine Frank Zappas ironies and Nick Drakes seriousity .. ”…” … the text material on the album ’Abolish History – This Is Our Styory’ is nothing less than literary. Victor mixes revolutionary anger from Trelleborg’s working-class neighborhoods with postmodernisms rabid skepticism of the ideologies great stories… ’/ metica.se