Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks Archives

Posted on March 5, 2025March 5, 2025 by Magnus Nilsson — Leave a comment

A powerful swing from the Swedish kings of surf rock

Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks (photo: Pär Wiksten)

Since 1992, Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks have been internationally recognized as the undisputed kings of surf rock. Now the band’s twelfth album is out, and the group shows no signs of stagnation – quite the opposite. Always challenging and confounding their own genre and audience, Robert Johnson and his punchdrunks twist and turn b-sides and obscure references until you’re dizzy. And you’ll love every second of it.

The new album “Pills, Thrills & Acting Smart” contains twelve powerful original songs. The band features Conny Nimmersjö of bob hund and Finnish guitar legend Pekka Laine of The Hypnomen. Conny Nimmersjö also has been involved in the recording and mixing. The album will be released digitally only.

A few words about some of the songs:

“Flamboyant Persona” features Robert’s son Gordon Presley on drums and Lady Murena on vocals. A return to the pure surf we know from the band’s early records.

“Unitar Swag” is exactly what it sounds like – a tribute to the strange instrument unitar. Here it is Conny Nimmersjö who plays lead guitar.

“Cooling Board”. Hawaiian music has long been unexplored territory for Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks, although the band has touched on the exotica genre a few times. Now the band is taking the plunge and going all the way with the help of the Nordic region’s foremost expert in the field – Pekka Laine. Although Robert Johnson and Pekka Laine have been walking side by side musically since the 90s, this is their first collaboration.

“Pills, Thrills & Acting Smart” is the only surf rock album you’ll ever need. Okay, keep the ones with Link Wray, Davie Allan and Ike Turner. But you can throw the rest away and you won’t miss them.

It’s all here and then some.

Photo

Photo of Robert Johnson taken by Pär Wiksten.

Posted on October 23, 2022December 10, 2022 by Magnus Nilsson — 2 Comments

Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks celebrate 30 years with exclusive compilation album

Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks: Solna, Texas 1992-2022

The legendary band Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks turns 30 and Fanfar! is marking the occasion by releasing an elaborate collection of the band’s own favourites.

Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks was formed in Solna in November 1992 by the band’s eternal frontman Robert Johnson. Right from the start they put the pedal to the metal and the band’s signature style was equal parts Link Wray, Ennio Morricone, and rascally attitude.

Order the album today!

Soon enough, they were a respected name in unabashed instrumental rock, both at home in Sweden and internationally. The breakthrough came with the album Fried on the Altar of Good Taste (2000) and the following year they were commissioned to score Fredrik Lindström’s comedy Känd från TV.

But soon enough – and typically for the band – they went against expectations and challenged their own audience by reincarnating as a synth duo. Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks have always gone their own way and they have done things with high quality after their own heart. 2017 saw the release of their latest original album – the acclaimed soundtrack (to a film that never made it to cinemas) Morte di Seeburg (also on Fanfar!).

Just in time for the 30th anniversary, we release Solna, Texas 1992-2022 – a limited edition vinyl compilation album. The lavish effort features Conny Nimmersjö of bob hund and KC BABY as executive producer. Conny has dug up the best master tapes possible from the archives and made sure the songs were remastered in the best possible way. A high quality product that we are very proud of.

The album release date is December 9, 2022.

Posted on January 3, 2021January 3, 2021 by Magnus Nilsson — Leave a comment

Mono Magazine names “Yoko: The Best Beatle” by Cantona Gut System the best album of 2020

Yoko: The Best Beatle is named best album of 2020 by music magazine Mono

In 2020, we released Cantona Gut Systems’ debut album Yoko: The Best Beatle. The Swedish music magazine Mono Magasin has named it the best album of 2020.

The LP Yoko: The Best Beatle is unique in Swedish music. Now, it’s only natural that we who are behind the record label Fanfar! thinks so, but regardless of opinion, one can probably state that Cantona Gut System debuts with something very unusual – an album that looks both backwards and forwards, which lifts up and which destroys with the same sharp hand.

This type of music usually faces some resistance, at least initially. Not least because of that, it’s incredibly fun that the magazine Mono Magasin has just named Yoko: The Best Beatle number one on its list of 2020’s best albums. As a bonus, we are really happy that The Mommyheads‘ latest album, New Kings of Pop, is also on the same list!

The best thing you can do is invest in these LP’s while they are still in stock.

This is how the magazine’s reviewer Peter Sjöblom describes Yoko: The Best Beatle in his review:

The album with the wonderfully provocative title Yoko: The Best Beatle (assuming you are easily provoked) is Cantona Gut Systems’ first, but the duo is not as unknown as it may seem. Both Robert Johnson and Johan Skugge come from relatively recently disbanded Robert Johnson & Punchdrunks, and this new project can be seen as the natural development of what the acclaimed instrumental band did, especially towards the end. Soundtracks to old Italian horror movies that never went to the cinema are of course a given reference, but Cantona Gut System adds even more dystopian shades. The horror no longer has Dario Argento’s strong colors but goes in blue-black, almost monochrome difficult-to-differentiate shades. This is so close to a Swedish version of Suicide’s debut album and Chrome around the time of Red Exposure. Dissolving a band as celebrated as Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks and then coming back with something even stronger, even more ruthless, even more visionary is both brave and praiseworthy. That it is the best I have heard from Robert Johnson in general only makes the achievement even greater.
Peter Sjöblom, Mono Magasin

Posted on August 2, 2020August 2, 2020 by Magnus Nilsson — Leave a comment

Maria Grund’s crime novel Mortal Sin draws inspiration from Morte di Seeburg

Mortal Sin by Maria Grund - a novel inspired by Morte di Seeburg

With the album Morte di Seeburg, Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks ended a two-decade-long renewal of rock music. The final album was supposed to be a soundtrack, but the film never came true. However, it turns out that the album inspired the author Maria Grund, when she wrote the crime novel Mortal Sin.

Detective Commissioner Sanna Bergling is the name of the hero in the crime novel Mortal Sin (or Dödssynden in the original Swedish language). The book is Maria Grund‘s debut as an author. She is already a screenwriter, and has been based in New York and London. Which may explain why there has been a great deal of interest in translations of the debut book in advance. The Swedish original edition is published by the publishing house Modernista.

Already in the first chapter, Morte di Seeburg with Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks appears (in my poor translation):

She turns off the radio, turns on the old CD player, and accelerates. Robert Johnson and Punchdrunk’s “Rabbia Fuori Controllo” crackles from the speakers as farms and crofts pass by. Meadows, fields and dark forests…

If you are the publisher of the said album, it is of course a bit dizzying to see this in writing. But the album turns out to have marked Mortal Sin even more. On her Instagram account, Maria Grund herself writes:

The soundtrack for my book. Or rather, for me while I was writing the book. It meant so much to me that my favorite track on the album – Rabbia Fuori Controllo – is actually IN the book. The song is the heartbeat of my opening scene and it is was playing inside my mind as one of my main characters – Sanna Berling – came to life. But more than anything, it is incredible music. Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks are sadly no more, but they have shapeshifted into a new group – Cantona Gut System – launching new music in April. Stay tuned. Find Rabbia Fuori Controllo on Spotify!
Maria Grund on Instagram, March 18, 2020

Great fun, I think. And I can only agree, Morte di Seeburg is a masterpiece. You can find the LP here in our web shop.

Posted on January 24, 2020January 24, 2020 by Magnus Nilsson — Leave a comment

This spring, Cantona Gut System debuts with the album “Yoko: The Best Beatle”

In the spring of 2020, Fanfar! releases the debut album with Cantona Gut System. Robert Johnson and Johan Skugge opens your mind to dreams that your ears have never heard.

A few years ago, the legendary band Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks closed business with a worthy end, the masterpiece Morte di Seeburg. The obvious central figure Robert Johnson even went so far as to sell his guitars and intended to devote his free time to boxing and snooker. But then again, it’s okay to change your mind.

Together with Johan Skugge, who was also a part of the last edition of Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks, Robert now returns to the cinematic music – but with the new band Cantona Gut System all the controls has been turned a few more turns, in every direction. The debut album Yoko: The Best Beatle will feature music that hasn’t been heard.

We will get back on the subject matter.

For the time being: if you’re fluent in Swedish, please enjoy Fredrik Strage‘s chronicle in Dagens Nyheter – My guitar hero Robert Johnson is finally making a comeback.