SOME SEVERAL MOONS

A fine album again from the essential Finnish prog. band Wigwam. For some it might have been a lousy return they made with the record Titans Wheel, but that's not the way I see it. And those of us who still consider this band worth listening should absolutely try this one out. Some Several Moons in its whole output is truly a potential classic, even though Wigwam will propably never reach the top charts with over-average-timed songs they perform on this one... The record carries on the american rock style that Jim Pembroke has taken in within years, as in Titans Wheel, but is still admirably loveable with pekka Rechardt's genious guitar solos. A whole step taken back from the pop-influentic Titans Wheel is sadly not enough to bring the band back to the years of Being and perhaps Nuclear Nightclub, but still one to differ them from what the 21th century can do to a band. Fortunately... To a collective listener I would recommend songs suchs as 'Bow Lane', 'Cloudy Dream', and one of mine to-be-classics 'Cacobe Bar Two-Step', With pembroke's great lyrics... And not to forget Jari Kettunen - Mats Huldén duet with drums - bass as if they had always played together. And Esa Kotilainen on keyboards does his job the way only a professional could too, which can be heard from the more psychedelic songs. Lastly, I have no regrets whatsoever being the first to buy this record in the morning! It sure was worth the 19,95 euros it cost me!! Though if you ARE looking for some deep- down-prog.-weird-abstract-something-experience, I doubt you'd want to go for this one ...

Some Several Moons is quite typical Wigwam album, for good and bad. If it has been released -78, no one wold wonder. It is somehow logigal continue to Lucky Golden -album. Sounds and styles are pure 70´ Wigwam and that´s good. Titans Wheel tried something else and it didn´t work in every song. This is shorter than TW and it´s a good thing. Even now this album has couple of songs which would perhaps leave out. But most of songs are great, above all fantastic Cloudy Dream, 10 minutes masterpiece. Squaw Valley non-event is second long song and great one too. Rekku plays fantastic quitar solo, like old times... Kabull Grill, Bow Lane and Sandpainting are truly like old Wigwam songs. Deep Pop, Banging on the Ceiling and Cacobe Bar Two-Step are little bit meaningless songs. Perhaps Wigwam should take more risks, this album is made too carefull to looklike old Wigwam. And they do not know what to do with Esa Kotilainen on keyboards. Same problem was with TW. He plays too background and sound is very thin. He paints backgrounds of the songs but he don´t really play with the band. Perhaps he should leave the band and Pembroke should dig out his old Hammond and play! In concerts Kotilainen has bigger role and perhaps thats why he is in the band, but in studio they do not know how to use him and thats a shame, because he is a great player. SSM is very relaxing album and reminds little Light Ages. It´s better than TW but not a masterpiece. Wigwam is going to right direction and maybe next album is even better...

Another great outing from this 'deep pop' band. If you are not familiar with that term it just means that this is pop rock for adults who have listened to rock, prog and psychedelic music most of their lives. Another reviewer said this picks up where they left in the 70's and even though i agree to a certain extent there are other elements here that started to suface in the Titans Wheels album (another great one by the way). Catchy tunes with prog overtones and good guitar solos here and there. And of course that trademark syle that only Wigwam knows how to create. Not the best place to start if you are a prog head (for that go to Fairy Port, Being or Fresh Garbage...and then Tombstone Valentine) but if you are already a fan you'll know what to expect and know there is a lot to be happy about with this new release. A big hello from the caribbean to Jim , Pekka, Esa, Jari and Mats ...keep it up!

The one-star review I had written almost a decade ago was probably the worst and meanest ever, done with a very negative attitude in which I didn't even listen to the album through completely. I erased the whole text away!

True, the first song 'Chord Squad' is so dull that one fears the whole album to be totally uninteresting middle-of-the-road rock, and especially if you were expecting a proggier approach from this band that once was the crown jewel of Finnish prog, you may lose your patience to simply listen to it with open ears. 'Sandpainting', 'Bow Lane' and 'Kabul Grill' are fairly good - if not highly progressive - Rechardt compositions, and his guitar playing is as glorious as before. Jim Pembroke's vocals are actually in a better shape here than on 2002's Titans Wheel. Overall this is a more natural-feeling and relaxed album than its precedessor. The sound is pretty nice, co-produced by the "WolfGang" (Hannu Leidén, Virpi Immonen, Matti Kervinen) of the Sveaborg-based Seawolf Studio.

'Squaw Valley Non-Event' (9:22) has the most epic structure, and it's slightly similar to other Rechardt songs such as 'Absalom' (Light Ages, 1993). From the duller end of carefree rock'n'roll style come also Pembroke tunes 'Tokyo Joe' and 'Banging on the Ceiling'. 'Cacobe Bar Two-Step' with a Tom Waits -like percussive arrangement reminds a bit of his early solo albums such as Wicked Ivory. So, this album is very uneven concerning the songwriting and for the most part it's not prog at all, but in the end it's an improvement over the tedious Titans Wheel. Also this one's over an hour long and would have easily been improved by skipping the worst songs. 2½ stars, rounded wown due to the thrashy cover design.