LAMBERTLAND

Well, Lamberland is TP's third album, even if you'll probably never hear their second, which only received a local distribution and has never been reissued legitimately on CD. By the time of this album, the group's line-up had noticeably changed with singer Robson's replacement with a more local Eero Raittinen and wind-player Aaltonen's replacement with Pekka Poyry. As you can guess, the change of voice might have changed TP's general soundscape, but the winds also changed a bit their musical direction. Unlike on their debut album, you'd be hard-pressed to find TP being derivative of X or Y or pastiching Z. Indeed, with LL, TP seems to be closer to jazz-rock with a Canterbury twist, which is a direct consequence of Tolonen's taking over the lion's share of the compositions, and leaving the lyrics to outsider Swede Mats Hulden. Another twist that since Robson's departure and Groundstroem's increased bass presence, keyboards have seen their importance diminished, but they're still around.

Right from the first notes of the opening Lounge, it's quite obvious that TP has stepped well forward in their progression and Raittinen's vocals leave you no hope to return to the Robson days. In some ways, while rather different-sounding, TP's formula is still more or less the same, just majorly improved (partly based on Groundstroem's much improved and often brilliant bass playing) and increasingly personal; their brilliant jazz-rock taking a slight but original personality twist, but the classical moods are still around as well, as the early part of title track will show. In LL (the track), Raittinen's personal style of vocals are an acquired taste, and Poyry's sax will probably surprise a few progheads, but it's certainly nothing insurmountable. The sole Poyry-penned instrumental track Celebration is probably the hardest track of the album, with some funky rhythm and tricky time sigs.

Over the flipside, Bargain emerges from the naught, slowly rising to a maddening repetitive bass riff and Raittinen's manic vocals, taking the band's soundscape to a very unique/personal level. The instrumental Dance also features tricky time sigs and some extremely brilliant interplay at breakneck speed. The closing Last Quarters is a mid-tempo track that may just be the album's weaker track (being too wordy), but still remains amazingly good.

Since I've never heard their second album, it's rather difficult to say whether the change of musical horizon was abrupt, but the least we can say is that TP is a different beast by now from their debut album, but their shift towards JR/F was more or less coincidental to their rival Wigwam (well WW was a bit earlier on that ball), who had also taken the same JR/F turn with Pohjola and Gustafsson's increased shared of the songwriting at the cost of singer Jim Pembroke's with late 71's Fairyport. But unlike Wigwam's almost schizophrenic musical personality, TP's was a lot more focused and cohesive. Surely my fave of three of four albums I've heard.