MUOVI ANTAA PERIKSI

Am I the only non-Finnish reviewer to review this oddity? Oh well...the album is bizarre just as the story how I obtained it is...but let's stick to the music.

If a band was ever balancing between the prog rock and non-prog rock, that's the one. (except WISHBONE ASH, maybe?). Well, this one is not similar to any other band in that subcategory, and I dare say to any other band on this web site in general.

Pop elements are omnipresent. There is no "pop" thingie you can point your finger at, bit the songs are easy digestible. They often gave some ska/reggae/pop-rock core, but on the other hand they sound grungy very often. Chord progressions are weird. I mean, weird. Perhaps they're not elaborated with counterpoint, there are no complex jazz harmonies etc...the chords are mostly simple majors and minors. But the sequence of those chords...oh my..well think of NIRVANA or some other Seattle indie/grunge band.The songs are not prog, but the chords progressions are everything but usual. This album is dating from 1995, so I won't be surprised if it was really influenced by the grunge movement. However, the chords are weird because the sung melodies are weird (or vice versa), so it could be just a coincidence, nothing to do with aforementioned genre that I'm not particularly fond of. To put it simple, it sounds weird and unique, but not forced, in a word, it's good.

Despite all the oddities, the melodies are catchy. Perhaps because I like the vocal delivery so much. Liimatta's voice sounds like he will break in tears every second. It's mournful. However, the overall music picture is far from sad, and I really doubt the lyrics are said neither. Without understanding a single word of Finnish, without need to read band's biography, I KNOW there are some witty, unusual and probably funny lyrics going on. This is a labour of smart brains we are dealing with.

On a side note, there are some proggy moments here and there, synth and organ...well, you know. Just to show off some diversity. Nice.

Unfortunately, since I'm not able to fully appreciate the music because of my ignorance towards the language, the album drags a bit (for me). It's too long anyway; some songs are weaker, and after trying to listen to it in a whole, I'm exhausted rather than entertained. Which is a pity because some tracks are real gems.

No conclusion. I'm stuck in the cul de sac here. I like what I've heard, but I'm not sure should I (and/or where) investigate further. And I am not quite sure to whom to suggest it..surely to people who speak Finnish but....ME, suggesting this band to Finns, that's a bit pathetic, don't you think so?