PUT IN PERSPECTIVE

The first official CD of the group, recorded now in different studios instead with home equipment, and also last one with English lyrics. Nice electronic cosmic soundscapes start the album, joined by cool bass groove and subtle bluesy guitars. Drums open the track, and vocals soon joining are now better than in the first demo CD, maybe little reminding some Pearl Jam songs I have heard. Again there are much happening logically in the tracks; What the group might lack in free playing due not doing gigs, they gain much from the careful studio working most certainly. Rhythm movements are really wonderful here; second track kicks in the hard-rock phase, followed by mellow downers and positive rock songs. "Laughable" and "See it for Yourself" lean in my understanding to more neo-proggish and mainstream heavy rock style. The last longest track starts as electronic trance music or something, going through other styles present in the recording within ambitious composition.

The professional bass playing with 1980's guitar sound and modern electronic synths bring again associations of the band having a song with same name as this group, but there are no traces of copying any very characteristic elements from their music to here. Personal and sincere approach pleases always, though this music is not something striking directly to my own taste. Nevertheless I liked it and this kind of "surprise effect" increase the listening pleasure. I think the sounds are bit blurry in some parts, but again this does not hurt me; A regular listener of early 20th century opera and 60's/70's audience rarity tapings. Lyrics and moods related to everyday life make the songs easy to sympathize.

If you like both commercial rock and also classical progressive rock, this group offers the combination of these in the same packet. First five songs are done by the guitarist, and last three by the bass player (both also singing on the record). I liked the earlier songs more, which are more precise their approach. The latter are not bad either, but different slightly in style. I also liked the sympathetic cover painting somehow quite much.

The friendship and their love for music led longtime buddies Michael Karlsson (guitar) and Roger Nyman (bass) to form the Finnish act Prime Mover in late-90's.Accompanied by their friend Dennis Nordell on vocals and guest keyboardist Sebastian Teir they released a demo CD-R in 1999 entitled ''Mr Zingelmann''.Teir became a permanent member of the band, bringing in drummer Kenneth Lagerström.Recorded in eight (!) different places between spring '00 and summer '01, ''Put in Perspective'', Prime Mover's official self-produced debut, was released in 2001.

The album is filled with dynamic and passionate pieces, characterized by groovy stylings and powerful sounds, but Prime Mover sound no less progressive than to say most of the Neo Prog bands out there.''Put in Perspective'' steps with one foot on the 70's Prog scene of Progressive Rock, while the other uses the modern style of bands such as A.C.T. or UNICORN to come up with a very balanced work.Intelligent compositions with interesting changes between organs and synthesizers and a singer with an expressive and hoarse voice, matching nicely with the overall style.There are strong Heavy Rock, Psychedelic Rock and 70's Progressive Rock inspirations throughout the album, all blended very carefully, while the great groovy parts are usually interrupted by some great solos, either coming from Teir's keyboards or Karlsson's guitar.The atmosphere is often great, especially when the band offers its dynamic interplays, far from the typical dark or melancholic Scandinavian sound and based on a more optimistic delivery.

Nice little pearl for both fans of vintage and modern Progressive Rock.Mostly rhythmic musicianship with a nice amount of proggy pyrotechnics.Interesting and recommended stuff...3.5 stars.

PRIME MOVER from Finland changed into their mother tongue Swedish after this debut which is sung in English. The group doesn't exist anymore, but their keyboardist Sebastian Teir has released (as KEBU) synthesizer music influenced by Jarre and Vangelis. That said, the keyboards are not stealing the show here. The opener, and partially the album in general, is slightly more emphasized on guitars. Considering the 8-minute length, it fails to be very progressive. But the weakest link is without a doubt the vocals that sound stuffy and colourless like with someone just recovering from influenza. 'The Agenda for Instant Truth' succeeds better as a faster and catchier song. Rather thin synths resemble Marillion's early rockers such as 'Market Square Heroes', maybe the guitar work too, occasionally. A decent prog rocker, but quite outdated (80's-sounding) to be released in 2001.

'Pitiful' could have been a fine power ballad with different arrangement, but the "keyboard triggered drums" more or less ruin it. Surely a producer outside the band itself would have been useful. Definitely there's a lot of potential peeking through amateurish production, both in playing and in songwriting. 'Sunrise, Again' is a good, atmospheric song that manages in shorter length to feel proggier than the opener for instance.

The last three tracks are composed by bassist Roger Nyman (1 to 5 are by guitarist Michael Karlsson). Perhaps Nyman's songwriting is a bit more emotional and thus better. The nearly 12- minute final track 'The Experience' is clearly the strongest. It includes also great keyboard parts - and to a lesser degree nice guitar work too - and much better sound/production than the rest of the album, as well as epic excitement.

So, with a good vocalist and better overall production this promising debut could have turned out to be even a four-star album to me. My real rate is 2½ stars and I had a hard time deciding which direction to round it. Definitely this is better than mere two stars would indicate! Considering that prog as a genre was still very scarce in Finland at that time, let's round it up for all the good things in it.

Their third and final album Imperfekt (2007) is clearly the best. And by the way, KEBU's album To Jupiter and Back (2012) is warmly recommended to those who enjoy the sounds of Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis.