MONUMENTS OF OUR TIME

This is the second album of a Finnish psych band, a new acquaintance to me (haven't listened to their eponymous debut, 2017). The opening track 'Wildfire' immediately fascinates me with a gloomy atmosphere and a trippy yet sophisticated soundscape. The flute is a nice addition, and the electric guitar sound is suitably echoed, and not too gritty despite having a retro feel of the late sixties psychedelia. 'Shigir' is a more conventional rock song with a more normal vocal contribution, but Antti Pasonen's guitarwork is again pleasantly psychedelic.

'I Remember Summer' features treated & whispered vocals to underline the psychedelic essence while the playing has a lovely jazziness to it, Russian prog musician Gleb Kolyadin (of Iamthemorning) guesting on keyboards. On 'Turso' I enjoy Pekka Takalainen's nuanced drumming, Riku Hyötyläinen's precise bass, and of course, as always, the juicy guitar tones, but not that much the shouty and somewhat preachy vocal delivery.

During the album the vocals -- comparable to the early, Barrett-era Pink Floyd and such -- start to become a bit annoying. It helps to have an instrumental, 'Das Boot', which however is not sonically as colourful as several other pieces, understandably so since the piece succesfully paints a gloomy submarine setting. Basically 'Dandelion Tea' is an instrumental too, but I am quickly fed up with the looney conversation ("Would you like more of this dandelion tea maybe?" "Oh, it's good!" "Just one cup for you", etc.). Guest musician Anders Von Vaffendoffel plays his tenor saxophone in a freaky manner just like the core trio, so this track is indeed also musically the most "out there" and the wildest.

On the hectic final piece the vocals are again too attention-seeking as they keep shifting between a theatrical narrative style and more forced parts, but luckily there are vocal-free sections as well. The band is on fire! To sum up, the musicianship is powerful and charmingly varied, creating a special psychedelic atmosphere, but the vocals are generally less enjoyable, if not downright childish in underlining the psychedelia rubbed against your face. The album starts very promisingly but fails to maintain its sonic charm towards the end. For example the flute is missed after the opening. 3½ stars.

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