HAIKARA IV - DOMINO

(5/10)

Haikara's 1998 release, "Haikara IV: Domino", was the first from the band in 22 years. Only Vesa Lattunen remains from the original lineup. I went into this with no idea of what I was about to hear (I did not find any reviews). I thought the first Haikara album was excellent, the second was reasonable, and the third was awful. I went in with no real expectations. Where, I wondered, would Lattunen take Haikara now that he had more control again? It turns out, something new.

The first half of the album ("Polku", "Portti" and "Ykseys") takes a soft approach. The guitar is now mostly acoustic, and the saxophone takes an almost smooth jazz approach at times, flowing rather than blasting. It works okay, but I'm left wondering why Kenny G is playing in Haikara? Truth be told these 3 tracks are a little dull, and samey. Well, maybe that's not entirely fair. It can get a bit more exciting/rocky at times, which the saxophone partially matches, though it can also stray into some cheesy territory at times. There are some pleasant melodies, but not much more than that, definitely no drama or bombast.

The second half ("Lady", "Gloria Deo" and "Kultamalja") is much better. There are also some new sounds, the 'monk choir' on "Gloria Deo" for example. Interestingly, Lattunen claims that the choir came to him in a dream. "Gloria Deo" is easily the most exciting track of the album; darker/heavier and more electric guitar driven than anything else on the record. The ominous choir opens the track, and caught me off guard the first time I listened to the album, then we are into the main electric guitar 5/8 riff, injecting a bit of heaviness. The saxophone comes in with a bit of menace over the top, the whole thing has the same dark feeling the first album had! The drums offer some intent as well, at times, and work well with the excellent slightly Frippish guitar over the heavy bass near the end. Personally, I wish I could have heard more from the choir, but even so, this one is really good. There is a real King Crimson vibe to it, more so than any other Haikara song.

Haikara have often had the knack of writing short but effective beautiful little songs. "Polku" doesn't quite live up to this, with its soft recorder tones, but the album closer "Kultamalja" very much does. The acoustic guitar is back to play us out, and the delicate vocals work well. The song end up feeling like a sad lullaby, with a very melancholic slow beauty to it.

Mostly worth checking out for Haikara fans, mainly for the excellent "Gloria Deo", and perhaps "Kultamalja" also.

Just one non-collaborator 2-star review for this comeback album of HAIKARA? No, it's not a great album but definitely deserves more than that. First it must be pointed out that comparing it to the classic stuff from the early 70's won't do it justice. The overall atmosphere is quite warm, calm and harmless, whereas the vintage Haikara is notably darker and perhaps more challenging on the listener's behalf. The Finnish prog output was at this time still very sparse, so it must have been a nice surprise to see the classic 70's acts making their returns to the scene, though with somewhat mild results (and this goes to Wigwam and Pressa as well).

Promisingly only two tracks of six are of the modest 3-minute length (the others from 7½ to nearly 13 minutes), and pleasantly the album is instrumentally oriented. The sparse vocals are by Vesa Lattunen and the reeds player Jan Schaper. The opener 'Polku' (= a path) gives a good example of the album's strengths and weaknesses. The mellow sound is reminiscent of the seventies, wich isn't a bad thing, but the mixing is not very succesful. Soprano sax and acoustic guitar dominate, while the keyboards are almost buried and the production is a bit thin. Also the friendly mid-tempo dominating throughout the album may make it rather boring and disappointing to some prog listeners. On the other hand it's fairly pleasant from start to end. The compositions are melodic, extended with long instrumental sections.

'Ykseys' (12:43) is the most progressive and lively track, slightly marred by Lattunen's weak vocals. The interplay between sax and guitar is good. 'Lady' is a beautiful, sensitive instrumental track starring acoustic guitar and recorder, having thus a Medieval flavour (compare GRYPHON). 'Gloria Deo' starts with a Gregorian-like a cappella choir in Latin, replaced soon by a rock combo; the rest of the 9½-minute track is instrumental and among the highlights. The section with a flute may bring CAMEL in mind. The brief closing track 'Kultamalja'(= a cup of gold) is a very delicate acoustic song. I like it.

To some this never would be worth four stars but IMHO the strengths and the pleasant features overcome its weaknesses. Not a masterpiece on any level but a nice, warm and sincere album of melodic, instrumentally oriented prog. 3½ stars rounded up.