by Prog Nick
I am a big fan of Jonas Lindberg’s music and have been ever since the release of 2022’s ‘Miles From Nowhere’, which was for me one of the premier albums of that year. Not being aware of Lindberg (nor his band ‘Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side’) until then, that album catapulted me into an earnest quest of back-catalogue discovery. While ‘Miles’ stood out, everything that I heard, including an excellent cover of Spock’s Beard’s ‘The Good Don’t Last’, was of extremely high quality. This led me to the revelation that Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side were one of the most talented bands to emerge from Sweden (an accomplishment indeed), and that their upward trajectory and significant musical impact were inevitable. ‘Miles From Nowhere’ and ‘The Good Don’t Last’ had become familiar friends, and they made me look forward with eager anticipation to Lindberg’s next project. That three-year anticipation has has now been satisfied with the arrival of ‘Time Frames’.
A collection of seven symphonic Prog arrangements, the shortest being just under six minutes and the longest at almost eighteen, ‘Time Frames’ is a worthy and substantial follow-up to ‘Miles From Nowhere’. In fact it is, in some respects, even better than its predecessor when one considers factors of maturity, progression and experimentation. In essence, the album sees Lindberg continue to hone his songwriting, performance and production skills, and to elevate the project with a quiet determination to the higher echelons of Swedish Prog. The interesting thing about the album is that although Lindberg is clearly the main protagonist and the only musical composer, the album has the feeling of a full band foray. This is always the sign of a great producer, but at the end of the day, no-one will care whether this is labeled as a band or solo project, so consistently good is the end result.
The record sees Lindberg once again handling many of the instruments and vocals himself, but with indispensible contributions from Jonas Sundqvist and Jenny Storm on lead vocals, Calle Schönning, Nicklas Thelin and Joel Lindberg on guitars, Jonathan Lundberg on drums, Maria Olsson on percussion and Conny Lindgren on violin. These are all excellent musicians. The album in no way attempts to avoid the unmistakable sound of Lindberg’s previous releases, but it does show an intent to develop that sound (and also to provide a more personal perspective in that Lindberg has recently become a father).
Opener ‘End of the Road’ is thirteen minutes of melodic Prog heaven – a signal for the listener to settle in and get comfortable. With an ethereal atmosphere and a typically Scandinavian pensiveness, the song confers a suspenseful musical experience that holds its end up with Karmakanic and other top-drawer Swedish Prog bands.
‘Someone Like Me’ takes a different approach – it is a concise, quirky and very clever folk-pop meander with a strong hook that will have you whistling along in no time.
‘Faces of Stone’ is possibly my favorite moment on the album. It is a highly polished exposition of the wonder of Swedish symphonic prog, expressed in 5/8 timing. With swirling keyboard runs, an excellent Sundqvist lead vocal and a beautifully tight groove, the track shows that Lindberg is by now a very mature and highly accomplished writer and producer. The song just works, and its effortless feel belies how intricate it is.
‘Galactic Velvet’ features the dulcet lead vocals of Jenny Storm. She creates just the right amount of sweetness in her delivery and the track works perfectly as a result. Strong melodies build against the counterpoint of a spoken word part and these sections combine to lend a dramatic sci-fi feel to the track. Culminating in a brilliant lead guitar solo from Calle Schönning, the song is cinematic and visual, but never tacky.
‘Gruvan’ is the album’s highly impressive instrumental track. To be fair, its intro sounds remarkably similar to ‘When the Earth Meets the Sky’ by Karmakanic, but that fact is of itself indicative of its quality. After that tribute, it proceeds to yield some excellent instrumental mayhem that is absolutely not derivative.
Sixth track ‘Running Out of Time’ starts off as a baroque-flavored ballad with a singular piano chord alternating with left and right panning to great effect. Soon acoustic guitars kick in and very quickly the song explodes into a melodic chorus with a very memorable hook. It’s the most straight forward and accessible track on the album – a nice change of pace between the previous instrumental track and the epic that is yet to come. It still does have a killer middle with a fiery guitar solo and great vocal harmonies that carry the song home.
Final track ‘The Wind’, almost 18 minutes in length, is the true tester of this album. It presents a consolidation into one song of the variety of the band’s skills, from ethereal soundscapes to full-on rock, pop to pomp and melody to complex instrumentals. Beginning with an imperious keyboard riff, the track cuts no corners in traversing its journey. Jonas Sundqvist’s lead vocal is particularly impressive here and Jonathan Lundberg’s always solid drumming is a tasteful anchor, especially during the 7/8 section. Lindberg’s fretless and fretted bass is also not to be underestimated – he is a fine player. The song rocks out at about the 8-minute mark, with Storm this time showing her more aggressive side. The track is a great closer to the album and emphatically places Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side near the apex of 2025’s symphonic melodic Prog scene.
´Time Frames´ is an album that does not rush its delivery. In proper Symphonic Prog tradition, it takes its own time expressing itself, and it grabs each key articulation at just the right moment. With influences like Spock’s Beard, Karmakanic and Pink Floyd, this album will really please fans of that genre. Well-produced, magnificently written and eminently performed, this album feels like a graduation of sorts. Jonas Lindberg and his cohorts may be young and still relatively unheralded, but they deliver symphonic Prog that is as good as the very best out there. ´Time Frames´ comes only three years after the impression made by ‘Miles From Nowhere´ and only nine years after the band’s debut. But it sounds more like the product of a group of veteran superstars that has dominated the Swedish Prog scene for decades – and that is no mean feat.
I would love to hear this music performed live, and – dare I say it – this band would make a great addition to a certain cruise that we all enjoy. You can now consider me a confirmed and die-hard fan of both.
Released on Nov 7th, 2025
Pre-order here: www.lindbergmusic.com/shop
1. End of the Road ( 1 2: 4 7 )
2. Someone Like Me ( 5: 4 3 )
3. Faces of Stone ( 7: 2 6 )
4. Galactic Velvet ( 9: 4 1 )
5. Gruvan ( 8: 2 4 )
6. Running Out Of Time ( 8: 0 0 )
7. The Wind ( 1 7: 3 1 )
Musicians:
Jonas Lindberg – bass, double bass, keyboards, guitars, mandolin, ukulele, backing vocals, lead vocals on tracks 2, 6 & 7
With:
Jonas Sundqvist – lead vocals on tracks 1,3 & 7
Jenny Storm – lead vocals on tracks 1,4 & 7
Calle Schönning – guitars on trx 1,3,4,5 & 7
Nicklas Thelin – guitars on trx 1,4,5,6 & 7
Joel Lindberg – guitars on tracks 5 & 6
Jonathan Lundberg – drums
Maria Olsson – percussion
Conny Lindgren – violins on track 2
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