HYÖNTEISIÄ VOI RAKASTAA

Höyry-Kone was one of the most astounding experimental rock bands to come out from the periphery of the Anglo-Saxon and Center European scene during the 90s: what this Finnish act offered to the public ears was an unearthly mixture of 80s King Crimson, Samla Mammas Manna, the most aggressive facet of RIO, Zappa-esque vocal arrangements, gypsy folk and trash metal in a fluid sonic continuum that portrayed the band's own signature. The penchant for surprise is the most recurrent factor in the album; in fact, no matter how many you have already listened to "Hyönteisiä Voi Rakastaa", its sundry adornments and unexpected shifts will shock you over and over again as if it were the first listen. This album has the strange virtue of keeping itself fresh through repeated listenings. Of course, if you are already a fan of KC's radical storms of sound and are very keen of the sense of absurdity proclaimed and practiced by the traditional RIO-and-alike bands, this album shouldn't take too long to grow on you. But if you're not, you might as well prefer to keep yourself apart from it unless you feel ready to be challenged in a brutal way - this album has been clearly designed to choose its own audience. The ensemble's instrumentation is solidly built around the 2 guitars, drum kit and bass - the violin, cello, occasional keyboards and oboe come around as musical colours that either light up or draw obscurity to the main landscape. Tracks 1, 6 & 10 are perhaps the most accurate showcases for the band's rockier side, while 'Hämärän Joutomaa' and 'Myrskynmusiikkia' turn out to be the most complex numbers. 'Kosto' finds the band leaning closer to early 80s-Univers Zero. 'Raskaana' and 'Luottamus' go to quieter places: the former is an old-fashioned melancholic blues, the latter, a delicate bossanova, but again, both include some deconstructive interludes that give them a weird twist in an artsy way. The brief uncredited 11th track is a demented exercise on musical tsunami - this ravaging storm of sound serves as an accurate finale for such an extravagant delicatessen. This ain't rock'n'roll! This is 'circus- meets-mental health institute-meets-Dadaist paintings exhibition' prog!