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Kytaja - II CD (album) cover

II

Kytaja

 

Eclectic Prog

3.95 | 3 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Matti
Prog Reviewer
4 stars Many years passed before KYT'J', the finnish instrumental duo of Jarno Alho and Janne Lastum'ki, released a follow-up to their eponymous debut. If the categorization was based on this new album, Eclectic Prog hardly would be thought of at all! First, this calm music is quite far from rock, and even less it has anything to do with the usual edgy and Crimsonesque ideas one gets from the term Eclectic Prog. The music on this album was composed and recorded during 2008 - 2012 and it features many guest musicians and vocalists (though the voices are in a very minor role).

'Sailing Stones' is a very serene and beautiful opener starring piano and flute, reminding of some CAMEL tracks such as 'Elke' from Rain Dances. The next one features soft, wordless singing by Ville Leinonen (a pop solo artist) and Minna Sihvonen. The arrangement is colourful and cute, with a dreamy and relaxed atmosphere. Instead of rock this is more like (unusually good) chill-out / relaxation music, but there's nothing wrong with that. '65 Knots' has a laid-back, bossa nova -reminding mood with slightly faster tempo and various instruments from xylophone, flute and synth taking brief steps into the front.

In 'August Doves' the soft playing of marimba, guitar and flute-reminding synth (I suppose) leads the way into a very beautiful, nocturnal soundscape. 'Under the Sails' features some effects such as seagulls. The dreamy music approaches New Age perhaps, but stays more interesting than that, comparable to JADE WARRIOR. The whole album is - instead of "rock" - more like Ambient Music of e.g. BRIAN ENO but with wider instrumentation and influences from various kinds of relaxed music; a perfect listening when in need for a peace of mind. One could also think of vocal-less NO-MAN at their calmest.

Just as I started to feel the album lacks of stronger emotions and that perhaps a vocal track would do good, there came one. Ville Leinonen is given a bigger role in 'Song to the Sea' (sung in Finnish, even if the track titles are given in English too). In the beginning the main instruments are piano and double bass, but the arrangement gets richer along the way, and the song has a nice dose of emotion. Very atmospheric and elegant! 'Indian Paths' also has some smilarities with Jade Warrior (without really sounding like them). The whole album stays pretty much on the relaxing side, but at the same time it weaves deep atmospheres suitable for inner pictures.

'Moon Shines, Dead Rides' paints slightly darker and more dramatic mood; I get an association towards Hergest Ridge (MIKE OLDFIELD). The closing track 'Horizon Painters' could have given a fitting title for the whole album if it wasn't such an overused clich' (at least in Finnish language, don't know about English). It's a laid-back, happy tune given a sense of a jazz ballad by the presence of double bass and saxophone, but it's far enough from sentimento or naivety.

I was positively surprised by this album. You don't too often hear an album which is so peaceful and also so elegantly arranged.

Matti | 4/5 |

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