Meet Swedish pop-proggers A.C.T, a band who deserves a wider audience. Their name is clearly part of their PR problem; no one except the band knows what A.C.T actually stands for (and they won’t tell). Their lack of recent recorded output is certainly another hindrance–they haven’t been heard from since their excellent 2006 half-concept album Silence. (I say “half-concept album” because A.C.T tends to split the difference between conventional records and concept albums by sequencing the first half of their releases with stand-alone tracks and using second half–what we used to call “side two”–for one long suite of shorter, thematically linked songs.)
Not only has it been a full six years now between releases but it seems impossible to even get news about the band. No recent news, clips, tour dates, interviews–it’s like Biff Tannen went back and erased them from history. Whatever–I have four CDs to prove they not only existed but excelled. Whatever their issues producing album number five; whatever their challenges finding fans on this continent, talent isn’t the problem.
I’ve stitched together, rather tidily if I may say so, a five-minute clip featuring some of their flashier instrumental moments as a little calling card. Though most of their songs do contain vocals, this instrumental mix focuses on the strength of the band’s ensemble playing, not to mention a penchant for an ear-friendly riff. My hope is that it’ll lead a few more people to discover an excellent band–I’d recommend starting with either Silence or Last Epic, which preceeded it. (And if you happen to find out what A.C.T actually means, please let me know.)
Have a listen to what I call the A.C.T Instrumental Megamix:
Every Moment Has A Song 