UTOPIA PERFECTION

"Utopia Perfection" is the debut full-length studio album by Finnish progressive/art rock act Discordia. The album was independently released in 2007. Discordia was founded in 2001 and released the "On a Thin Rope" EP in 2005.

Stylistically the material on the album is highly eclectic drawing influences from many different genres. I hear both elements from pop music, heavy metal, symphonic progressive rock, heavy progressive rock, rock, and jazz. The most dominant feature in Discordia´s music is the use of both a male- (Tero Väänänen) and a female vocalist (Riikka Hänninen). The two vocalists compliment each other very well and the music is relatively memorable and melodic. I know this sounds weird but I can´t help thinking about B-52s when I listen to Discordia. Maybe that´s just me, but there is an undeniable feel good vibe to Discordia´s music that is also very present on the music created by B-52s and Tero Väänänen has a similar voice to that of Fred Schneider. I´ll have to mention here that the female vocals from Riikka Hänninen does not remind me of Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson. She is more in the vein of Kate Bush (not quite as unique, but who is?)

The music is enhanced by the use of keyboards, violin, and bass clarinet, in addtion to drums, guitar, and bass and the melodic approach to playing and writing generally makes for an enjoyable listen. The musicianship is strong on all posts and the album also features a clear and professional sounding production job.

Upon conclusion "Utopia Perfection" is a decent quality eclectic progressive rock album and if you enjoy great interplay between female and male vocals and music featuring elements from many different genres and music styles this could be a treat. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.