For most of its history, Dungen was the playground of Gustav Ejstes, who for the most part wrote all the songs and played everything on the recordings, then got the rest of the band together to play it all live. 2008's 4, which was actually their fifth album, marked the first time the quartet really played as a band in the studio, and Ejstes settled in as the pianist/vocalist/flautist. That approach continues here, and it seems to have led them in a more pastoral direction that has more in common with Songs From the Wood-era Jethro Tull and the folkier, jazzier end of 1970s European prog than the heavy psych they referenced on earlier records. Where 2004's great Ta Det Lungt had a fair amount of psychedelic punch, especially in its single, "Panda", the music here feels more like a caress.
Maybe that makes sense-- the band's name means "the Grove," after all-- but I'd say the album works best when heard as part of the band's overall output and probably isn't the place to start. The title track (Swedish for "fuck all") is the lead single, and the video emphasizes the group's recent ensemble approach, showing them playing while crammed together in a tiny room. Reine Fiske's harmonized lead guitar part is ultra-smooth and occasionally doubled by flute, which makes it interesting as a sonic throwback but also corresponds with the general lack of energy in the song, which is ultimately fairly forgettable rural psych-rock. Fiske fares better when he's let loose, and his instrumental work is one of the album's highlights. His bizarre lead on "Barnen Undrar", centered around a creative, siren-like hook, takes the song to another level, while his rough leads on the rhythmic "Brallor", one of the album's best songs, add a much-needed crunch, cutting through the sea of reverb. His acid-stained leads on the airy instrumentals "Högdalstoppen" and "Blandband", which finds him dueting with Ejstes' flute, likewise give those tracks a fire they'd otherwise lack.
"Högdalstoppen" sounds as though it's a few spliced excerpts of a much larger jam, which tells me that this could have been a much longer, more indulgent record than it is if the band had decided not to keep it to an economical 34 minutes and 10 songs. There are a few surprises-- for instance, Ejstes' double-tracked vocal on "Soda" sounds almost exactly like Elliott Smith-- but for the most part, Skit I Allt features a gentler Dungen, one that sounds comfortable as a band and perhaps at a bit of a crossroads as to where to take this sound. People who've appreciated the band's last three albums will find time for this once it has a chance to sink in, but it's not essential for people who got a charge out of Ta Det Lungt and passed on the rest.
