VESILINJA

I think their overall sound has mellowed a bit, containing more flute than before, and that's what I really appreciate. If I earlier used to draw comparisons to the Finnish classic acts Tasavallan Presidentti and Haikara (admittedly largely due to the saxophone), now I here and there came to think of the pastoral, romantic output of the early/mid- 70's Rock Progressivo Italiano, bands such as Errata Corrige and Celeste, while one can naturally spot details very reminiscent of the British acts such as Jethro Tull, Yes, early King Crimson and VdGG (not at their most extreme). However, I'm not blaming Vesilinja of copying anyone: their music is a fully matured end product of their own, borne from their love for the classic, early 70's symphonic/eclectic progressive rock. (BTW, I'd suggest to move them from Crossover to Symphonic Prog on this site.)

Guitarist-flautist Aake Salmi composed the brief but vital instrumental opener. Flute brings Jethro vibes but there's some sax too. Guitarist Antti Tuominen wrote and sang 'Illalla', a fairly fast piece with a hint of the early Tony Kaye era Yes. The organ and sax on the calmer moments slightly resemble the early VdGG sound. 'Ikuisuuden puutarha' is saxophonist Topias Ahola's delicate song, very mellow and charmingly starry-eyed. His tender voice reminds me of Pete Sinfield. This lovely song with a beautiful retro sound with lots of flute is where I first came to think of the mellow RPI.

'Kultaiset kehykset' is a melodic uptempo song with a slight Jethro Tull or Finnish Tabula Rasa resemblance. To have both flute and sax happily helps Vesilinja to shape their own realization of the classic prog aesthetics. Niko Saarinen uses his diverse vintage keyboard arsenal (Hammond, Mellotron, Rhodes, Korg) very elegantly, especially on 'Haaste Jumalille' (composed by Tuominen but sung by Salmi). Pretty mellow and melodic, with a nice amount of acoustic guitar, Mellotron, flute and organ.

The second side of the LP consists of a 22½-minute, 7-part title epic, for the most part written by Aake Salmi. I'm glad the band took this ambitious challenge which they definitely nailed extremely well. The fable-like lyrics feature characters of the king, the captain and the general. This could have led to an indulgent operatic approach. There's lots of dynamics, sure (by the way here also guitars have solistic moments more than on the shorter pieces), but the whole maintains its thoughtfulness and delicacy. Not a slightest patchiness around, as the sections follow each other seamlessly and coherently.

As I said, there are some things I'd love to hear (more) in this music. Since all vocalists have a good, pleasant voice not very far from each other, it would be marvelous if they made vocal harmonies, like the pastoral RPI often has. And now that they have crafted their retro sound so excellently, a little wider and more daring variation on the song forms and arrangements would give the album the final half star to become a true masterpiece.

In hindsight I perhaps was a bit too generous with my four stars for the debut. "None of the six songs is notably different from each other. Instead of clearly having different things such as big epics vs. short ones, emotionally oriented melodic pieces vs. tight prog energy, all- instrumentals vs. vocal songs, etc., these features are well stirred on all tracks", I wrote back then, and upon recent listenings I still feel that way. Now I'm glad to say this second album is a clear improvement as an artistic whole. Indeed there are more notable differences between compositions this time.

Vesilinja plays shamelessly retro, early 70's style progressive rock as if the 80's, 90's etc. never happened at all. As primary musical references one could take the vintage Finnish prog acts such as HAIKARA and TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI who likewise had a saxophonist, or TABULA RASA who had a flautist. On the band bio they also mention several international prog legends as their influences, but the one I especially found myself thinking of, in a happy way, is VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR around 1969-70, concerning the sound (not the extremities in the passionate expression of Peter Hammill & Co). But let's deal with all the seven tracks individually.

'Rantaviiva' (= Shoreline) is a short instrumental opener with an emphasis on acoustic guitar and synthesizers. Perhaps some PFM spirit can be heard. 'Kyyhky' (= Dove) is an uptempo, jazzy prog rocker with rhythmic complexity. The band sound is pretty full with lively saxophone, organ and guitar, and the refreshing flute solo is a nod to JETHRO TULL. This piece the most reminds me of the debut.

The 9-minute 'Horisontti' is one of the two longest tracks here, and what a strong and impressive prog piece it is. The Hammond and saxophone give me those associations of the Least We Can Do / H to He era VdGG. The main song-writing and vocals are by the new guy Antti. His voice is a bit commonplace the same way as Aake's and Topias', but this is not a blame. Both the instrumental sections and vocal parts combine power and delicacy, making this piece both very dynamic and full of emotion. The vinyl's A side ends with 'Syysilta, kevätaamu' (= Autumn Evening, Spring Morning), the only song sung here with the lead vocals of saxophonist Topias Ahola. I like the melancholic melodies of this song slightly reminiscent of Tabula Rasa.

'Aikalainen' is the shortest and most light-hearted of the vocal songs, and not strictly progressive in structure, but hey, this diversity is exactly what I was missing from the debut. A nice, positive song that sounds equally retro as the rest of the album. 'Totuuden torvet' is a fast-paced prog rock song with lots of saxophone, comparable to Tasavallan Presidentti and Haikara. The lengthy title track (12:30) is, in a familiar Vesilinja way, a highly dynamic piece with both serenity and powerful playing. As a whole this album is a great and in all its dynamics very balanced work of Finnish-language retro prog.

P.S. This actually could be my first time ever that I'm reviewing a new album on its official date of release!

The 45-minute debut seems to be a real labour of love as a pure 70's-oriented prog album. The influences include the Finnish prog legends TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI, WIGWAM, TABULA RASA and HAIKARA, and various classic prog acts such as JETHRO TULL, YES, CAMEL, VdGG and KING CRIMSON in their 70's prime. Any modern characteristics in music are indeed pretty absent. All six songs, three on each vinyl side, have lyrics in Finnish. The opening track has a Tull-like flute and lively rhythm. I hear also the Pressa influence when saxophone joins in the hectic instrumental section. The vocal-included parts of 'Heinäkuorma' (= Burden of Hay) are in a calmer tempo. I especially like the moment around 5:40 where the fast instrumental jazz-rock section ethereally calms down. 'Vaihtoehto järjelle' (= Alternative for Reason) combines hectic jazz-rock/prog with lots of sax & flute, and more melodic vocal sections. The vinyl's second side is not radically different, being equally strong.

Guitarist-flautist Salmi and saxophonist Topias Ahola (the latter sings main vocals on two tracks) are rather same sounding as vocalists. Gracefully they are not as weak singers as Haikara's Vesa Lattunen, but sort of commonplace the same way. They do the vocal duties well enough while the emphasis is gratifyingly on the inspired, organic playing. The band sound is always flourishing and fairly democratic. Reeds, guitars and vintage keyboards primarily share the mutual joy of playing with a live-like feel and energy, adding passionate solos on right moments. This is the album's strength, but perhaps its weakness too: none of the six songs is notably different from each other. Instead of clearly having different things such as big epics vs. short ones, emotionally oriented melodic pieces vs. tight prog energy, all- instrumentals vs. vocal songs, etc., these features are well stirred on all tracks. This is why the album whole is not as fresh and exciting as I'd hope it to be.

Vesilinja is warmly recommended especially for enthusiasts of the 70's Finnish prog with a jazz-rock orientation. Hopefully the band will find a slightly more unique voice of their own. A gorgeous debut nevertheless. 3½ stars rounded up for a fine artwork, also courtesy of the band itself.