TIMELOSS

Paatos is a new band from Sweden, consisting of former members of "Landberk" and an unknown (at least to me) band called "Ägg". This album, called "Timeloss" was their amazing debut. I think it is the perfect example of how modern prog should or could sound like. There are some people who are in doubt about modern prog, maybe not knowing that there really are bands keeping the genre alive. Paatos demonstrate arrestingly how it may sound like, the future of prog.

The record is rather short, just about 40 minutes, but nevertheless it offers a lot to discover. The general sound contains the typical swedish elements such as melotron and slight folk influences here and again. The influence of "Landberk" can't be overheard. But Paatos are far from being a Landberk clone. Apart from "Tea" and "They are beautiful" the sound is, despite the melancholia, much heavier and contains more jazz ingredients. The opener "Sensor" shows impressively what you can expect from this album. A relaxed and mellow e-piano opens the song before it shifts to a drifty groove with wild drumming and superp bass, not to forget Petronella Nettermalm's intensive voice. After a bombastic part with nice melotron, follows a cracking instrumental part which ends the song, amazing. "Hypnotique" is the highlight of the album. A dreamy ballad with Petronella's voice in the limilight. After a mellow instrumental part the song get's faster and heavier in the end. Some nice flute, melotron of course and again the awesome drumming which adds the jazzy flair. A great song. "Tea" finally offers swedish vocals, a beautiful, quite mellow song with a jazzy feel to it, mainly because of the rythm group. "They are beautiful" reminds me of the last "Landberk" album "Indian Summer". The booklet offers the information that it was also written by Dimle, Fiske and Helje, all (former) members of "Landberk". The last song "Quits" abducts you abruplty to a quite different world, a very modern one. It commences with antsy programmed Drum'n'Bass rythms, downright remembering me of Trip-Hop. In combination with the vocals even bands like "Portished" come to my mind. Some nice e-piano notes carry to an amazing compount of deep bass melodies, wind instrument inputs and the aforesaid programmed "beats" and e-piano. But that's not everything the song has to offer; the end can be described as wild free- jazz with Van der Graaf like Saxophone chunking, truly absorbing. It's a perfect closure.

I was enthused by this album immediately and it remained one of my favorites. It's different, modern, lovely and powerfull at the same time. It's also typical swedish. I really recommend "Timeloss" because it's no lost time listening to this great debut. Paatos is a promising band and I hope to hear more of them in the future. Old proggers, come out of your snail-shells and give new bands a try, Paatos is a good starting point, you won't be disappointed.