DEEPLY SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOUR MEGALOMANIA

In the footsteps of GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR and likely others, BAULTA is a Finnish post rock group that articulates their protests through the titles of their albums and, less convincingly, the music itself, since lyrics are absent. Equally paradoxically, their name translates to "speaks". It's like the 1960s instrumental surf music to which their grandparents grooved updated to the anti-establishment under 40, now under 60 crowd. But is it good?

In this earliest incarnation BAULTA's sound is electric guitar driven, often sounding like early BIG COUNTRY sans the bagpipe, or the more contemporaneous THOBY LOTH without the Celtic machinations. While atmospheric, these are mostly toe-tappers, with the sweet "Black Lodge/White Lodge" being a notable exception. I'll note that Eugene's axe has, in an act of unsubtle cultural swindling, been replaced by a Tomahawk. It's for FLOYD fans to decide if the music itself was appropriated. "Arctic Hymn" sounds like an instrumental version of "Kingston Corner Blues" by obscure atypical neo prog group JUMP, and "The Floating Girl Among Us" reaches the celestial heights to which it presumably aspires.

So yeah, it's good, verging on great at times. Just don't expect much ambient or metal. I'm not sure the power obsessed will be that impressed, let alone change their ways after hearing this.