BEYOND

Here's the first review for this Finnish Psych band that probably has ceased to exist by now. As can be read from the band bio, CUCUMBER FARMER have declared several (pseudo-serious) manifestations of their aims, such as "we are dada-priests and surrealistic revolutionaries simultaneously" and "we want a listener as prone to reflection and to broadening the listening experience, as ourselves. We demand fast thrills, the superlative feedback produced by a superlative moment." Hmm, pretty ignorable mumble-jumble. Let's concentrate on the music.

'Sabbath of Reynold' starts creepingly before the frenzy beat enters. The male vocalist keeps repeating mostly "praise the Lord" and the female singer yells at background. The atmosphere is sinister; the music, in addition of being very psychedelic, somehow reminds also of the darker realms of New Wave in the early eighties. The production is deliberately hollow-sounding. Instrumental 'Sovhoosi' is an 8-minute meditative trip - this band is clearly better without the shouty, depressed vocals - and 'Greyhound Star' is a vocal song that shifts between slow ambience and punk-like anger.

Instrumentally oriented 'Jazz-odysseia' inspired by the Homer epic hasn't much to do with jazz, but the keyboards come better into the light than on the guitar-heavy overall sound... at least occasionally. This music is starting to feel too serious and dark-minded. Despite the certain spaceyness it's tiringly thick and lacking of freshness. The brief 'Tivoli' is hilarious and crazy but not enjoyable. 'Bordeaux 1998' is the other track besides the opener featuring the nice guest vocals of Elisa Piispanen. Very lunatic, freak-out track where the vocals remind of Gong. The album closes with a tight version of PINK FLOYD's 'Interstellar Overdrive'.

Cucumber Farmer seems to have a deep respect for the original Psychedelic Rock era and they have some faint originality too, but I rather listen to the old masters themselves.