MAGNEETTIMIEHEN KUOLEMA / KESÄMAA

I have reviewed Kesämaa already and now I concentrate on the first half of this 2-in-1 disc ('Death of a Magnetic Man' means the album title, and the leaflet has a strange little prose- poem piece about the phases of the protagonist). As I have said, I prefer the more happy and jazzy Kesämaa. Relistening yesterday guaranteed me of that. It's not just that it's more easy to get into, it's also much better done, both musically and lyrically. Here things are rougher, more sketch-like, as Pekka is adventurously wandering in the strange marshlands of psychedelia. The tracks are not that short (even with 13 tracks Kesämaa clocks at 32 min. approx.); as if on this debut album the same (or maybe lesser) amount of substance is spread over a longer time. For example lyrics are used very sparingly and include a lot of fillerlines ("na-naa-na-naa-aah") and the players aren't given clear soli as on Kesämaa. That gives this album a sort of "where are we going?" feeling. But as Pekka WAS a pioneer in this field in Finland, that isn't so bad thing at all.

'Gilgames' is a peaceful acoustic opener based on the ancient narrative. That and 'A Song About an Insect That Fell Asleep in the Bed of Rose' would fit perfectly into the latter album too. And why not also the serene closer, 'Sisältäni portin löysin' (I Found a Gate Inside Me) - better known as a TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI number. The rest is more far-out psychedelic folk-rock stuff with peculiar lyrics, here and there even slightly disturbing. "I am different", "I am an animal" and "I am tired" are three titles' meanings. On one song he invites everybody to join him on a gigantic tongue, on another he floats on the mythical river of life and death or something like that. In all its charming aura it tends to get a bit tiring towards the end (and when my CD starts playing Kesämaa I'm much happier). But nevertheless, a definite classic in Finnish popular music.