PROJECT (PPRY)

PPRY was formed in Riihimäki, Finland 1993 as a medium for its members to perform musical material. In 2000 they released their debut album Project Forest, in 2002 the album Name Stolen under the temporary name Project (in 2005 re-released by the Italian progrock label Mellow Records) and late 2008 PPRY released their third effort entitled Raising The Skeletons Of Fire By Hand. This is a concept album that tells what really happened in Sarajevo in 1914 (when the archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated), according to PPRY department of research and study.

In 2005 I was delighted about their previous album Name Stolen, and dedicated it to Finnish super soccer player Jari Litmanen (who played in Dutch team Ajax and won the World Cup in 1995). So I was very curious to this successor. Well, PPRY their sound on this album is varied and often atmospheric.

Ominous keyboards, twanging acoustic guitar and a final part with a sensitive electric guitar solo in At The Brink Of Madness.

Lots of flowing shifting moods (from folky to psychedelic) and wonderful vintage keyboards (like Hammond organ and clavinet) in The Procession Forms.

From compelling with fiery guitar/lush organ and spacey with synthesizers to a heavy swinging rhythm with flute, synthesizer, Hammond and a fiery (Gilmourian) guitar solo in the alternating For The Presence Of Those Who Are The Sentinel.

Exciting propulsive and heavy climates with inventive work on guitar and keyboards in The Herald And Their Tiran.

And again a varied sound with wonderful synthesizer work in A Passage To The Court Prevails.

The ghost of 1970-1973 Pink Floyd reigns in the long and alternating composition As A Single Word Sets Forth An Ocean Of Souls: interesting changing atmospheres with compelling work on guitar, Hammond and synthesizers.

Although the English vocals are mediocre and in some songs the music sounds a bit too fragmentic or lacks direction, I am pleased with PPRY their adventurous blend of several styles that delivers lots of interesting and sometimes very compelling musical moments.

The compositions are mostly lengthy and hurriless, not very melodic, concentrating on the pychedelic haze. Guitars and strong bass dominate, and Hammond hovers in the background, but occasionally a flute or a Moog make refreshing appearances. In that sense the highlights are the VdGG-spirited 'Procession Forms' with its flute parts and 'A Passage to the Court Prevails'. All in all, the 70-minute album feels too directionless for its own good.

The last tack is nearly 26 minutes in total, but in the middle there's a 2+ minute silence, followed by some sort of a hidden track. Actually I find it to be the most intriguing piece, in which a low-key voice of a train passenger half-whispers his dystopian story set in the future, backed by a ghostly synth soundscape. Sure, if you're deeply interested in the more obscure German bands of the 70's (the stuff re-issued on the Garden of Delights label), the Finnish PPRY may offer you an unexpected retro delight. To me however, Name Stolen works clearly better.

The music is psychedelic, spacey and dark-toned. Great deal of it is instrumentally oriented, with that theatrical voice-over here and there, but luckily there are also several more 'normal' vocal songs - featuring pleasant vocal harmonies - to keep the whole in a balance. The retro sound is hazy and mellow in all its gloominess, comparable to e.g. ORNE. Even though the 16 tracks are mostly pretty short, they flow in a seamless manner. The way to divide every other main title into 2-4 parts looks rather self- indulgent, especially with long titles such as 'A Song for the Desert - A Song for the Fallen', (c) 'The Irrational Reports a Spectacular Loss of Apparatus for the Ill Substance'. Phew. By the way that particular 7-minute track gets VERY Floydian, strongly resembling the spooky mid-section of 'Sheep'. I find such allusions only interesting!

This work is shamelessly deriative and perhaps even laughably dead-serious in spirit, but totally charming for those who enjoy dark, psychedelic, PINK FLOYD -influenced, mellow sounding 70's European prog.

Project created a really underground and mysterious album consisting of sixteen tightly connected tracks of a haunting atmosphere.The sound is split between heavy organ-driven 70's styled Prog Rock and CAMEL-esque melodic Symphonic Rock with some slower darker parts thrown in in close to the style of bands like ANGLAGARD and ANEKDOTEN.There are also some psychedelic elements to be found.Vocals are also dark yet average both in sung and spoken parts,propably they sound so to keep the whole album going in the same atmosphere.The organ passages of Tuukka Haapala are a highlight,while most of the guitar parts are also interesting.The album flows nice and easy,without though being a masterpiece.

''Project:Name Stolen'' is a very decent album overall,the darkness and melody are very well measured,so the work keeps some good balance,while the retro influences are nicely filtrated.So if bands in the vein of ABIOGENESIS,AREKNAMES or MEN OF LAKE are among your tastes,this effort comes strongly recommended.

Their chosen style resides somewhere in between symphonic prog and space rock; with organ and synth layers as dominant elements of their excursions. Rather than dramatic and energetic they opt for a more dreamy approach; often with big soundscapes and rich textures rather than ambient and mellow excursions; and they do tend to mix their space-tinged explorations with themes and passages completely without these elements, resulting in music truly hard to place in terms of progressive rock categories.

The downside of this album are twofold - mix and production leaves a lot to be desired; and the vocal passages even more so. Thankfully the instrumental segments dominates the compositions at hand; and the one long segment where the vocal input does work - the last 8 minutes of the last track - is a stunning effort with grimly spoken words on top of a floating, fluctuating rich synth tapestry that is truly amazing.

Lots of talent and lots of promise here; and with better production and a decent vocalist this would have been a top notch creation.

1 - Inside the temple : The intro features an ominous climate and a scary voice, then a mellow atmosphere with whispering vocals and bluesy electric guitar.

THIEF: THE STORY

2 - (a) Inside : This piece delivers several shifting moods, from slow to swinging with organ waves, sensitive electric guitar and some fiery saxophone.

3 - (b) Exile : The climate on this track is dark and atmospheric, the fragile electric guitarplay has a bit Mid-Eastern undertone and I hear a kind of bagpipe sound, a very original sound.

4 - (c) Outside : The variety goes on, this is a tasteful and elaborated mid-tempo song featuring warm vocals, bluesy slide-guitar, beautiful piano chords and mellow organ waves. It reminds me of the mid-Dire Straits era when they were blending pop and symphonic.

5 - Dying of light : This one delivers dreamy vocals (evoking Dire Straits) and relaxed guitar play.

6 including CRK-HNV 3.36 : A folky climate with a bagpipe sound.

GIANT STEPS

7 - (a) Consider it done : A wonderful track with twanging electric guitar and a slow rhythm with soaring keyboards and sensitive electric guitar work.

8 - (b) Suspicion : Here Project sounds more dynamic in a mid-tempo song with lush organ and a break delivering a swinging organ solo and propulsive, R&R inspired guitar play.

9 - Severance is futile : This composition contains a dreamy atmosphere featuring compelling guitarwork and moving soli on trumpet and organ.

A SONG FOR THE DESSERT - A SONG FOR THE FALLEN

10 - (a) Requiem of a lonely man : Dreamy climate, melancholical vocals (evoking Frank Borneman from Eloy) and nice work on the saxophone and electric gutiar.

11 - (b) Momentum : This short piece delivers a swinging clavinet, just another fine surprise from this unique Finnish band!

12 - (c) The irrational reports a spectacular loss of apparatus for the ill of substance : An ominous climate and scary voices, then a psychedelic atmosphere featuring strong interplay between organ and drums that reminds me of the epic Pink Floyd composition "Echoes", very compelling and hypnotizing with the use of some sound fragments.

13 - (d) Mementum : This is a reprise from song # 11.

SUNRIDERS

14 - (a) Winds from the past : An ambient track with flute and soaring keyboards, halfway the sound becomes more lush.

15 - (b) The reckoning : This composition features many changing climates and a very tasteful colouring by the guitar and keyboards along melancholical vocals and saxophone.

16 - (c) Heroic expressions, a turttel : The final song starts with soaring keyboards and a wonderful blend of piano and electric guitar. Then a mid-tempo with pleasant work on the electric guitar and saxophone. In the end a tight beat with organ and fine vocals.

THIS IS A VERY ORIGINAL AND TASTEFUL PROGROCK ALBUM THAT DESERVES MORE ATTENTION!

And I would like to dedicate this review to Jari Litmanen, the legendary Finnish soccer player who won the Champions League and the World Cup for teams with Ajax in 1995, thanks Jari!