HARAKKA BIALOIPOKKU [AKA: B THE MAGPIE]

After the gem that was "Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva", Pohjola came up with this even better album. There is much progress from the aforementioned debut, instead of the dominating organ we hear piano played by Pohjola himself, and the general structure of the album is more homogenous, after all it is a concept album, about the adventures of a little bird (that cover is beautiful). "Alku" is an atypically somber intro the album, but with a good melody. It is elaborated on "Ensimmäinen aamu" which boasts a very melodic chorus played by the winds. "Huono sää" is probably the most depressing thing Pohjola ever committed with dissonant but well-resolved harmonies reminiscent of Britten, with stunning arco double bass sound similar to cello. We escape from this misery with the second part, that presumably portrays magpie's joyfulness after his first encounter with bad weather has ended. After that we have the climax of the story in the next two tracks, with an energetic and dissonant image of a battle. "Sekoilu seestyy" is supposed to be the resolution but this is where the instrumental homogeneity of the album ends with most of the track being a duo between electric piano and electric guitar (marking their first entrance). This signifies the magpie's entrance into adulthood after all of his exciting experiences. The last track however comes back to the original instrumentation, much to my displeasure, as it would have been better ended with the new magpie headbanging to some rhodes and distorted guitar. "Harakka Bialoipoku" is a very original fusion album that is high on composed content and low on pointless jamming.