TAIPUVA LUOTISUORA

This is one of those Space Rock albums that just "sounds" right to these ears. The synths are warm and melancholic and there's a nice contrast between heaviness and spaciness. A four piece out of Finland they have been compared mostly to QUANTUM FANTAY, OZRIC TENTACLES and HIDRIA SPACEFOLK and it's the latter, those fellow Finns that they remind me of the most. I have trouble with QUANTUM FANTAY and have two of their higher rated albums that are both 3 star records in my opinion. The wildcard in my opinion with this particular band is the keyboardist adding synths, piano and more but also woodwinds and a traditional Finnish instrument called a kantele which is like a zither, where you have strings to pluck, like a lap harp. But this guy brings in some interesting sounds and warmth. Guitar, bass and drums are all great as well.

What's also interesting about this record is the shorter tracks. The longest and best is the closer "Kurki" at almost 8 minutes but most are 5 minutes or under. This is almost refreshing after listening to many 20 and 30 minute jams let alone the 60 minute ones. Besides the closer I love the heaviness on the opener but some good contrasts as well with repeated themes which is a constant on this album. The second song has wordless vocal harmonies which sound great as they come and go. "Capricious Bonfire" is uplifting and bright but melancholic synths and more are contrasted with it. Tracks 4, 5 and 7 are all very good as well.

I've really enjoyed spinning this one all last week but also on and off over the previous months. My favourite from this band.

Despite the album's title this is studio record number two released in 2005. A five piece at this point with a couple of guests this Finnish band does an excellent job creating some variety within each track save maybe for the closer which is pretty consistent. We get guest flute on two tracks to compliment the strings, accordion, melodica and woodwinds that the band plays besides the usual instruments including synths. I just like their sound as they add some heaviness here and there and I like the guitars. They've been compared to the OZRIC TENTACLES and fellow Finns HIDRIA SPACEFOLK. For my money their "IV" album is their best and I look forward to reviewing it this summer hopefully.

That opener does remind me of OZRIC TENTACLES but I like the screaming synths on this one and the heaviness that comes and goes. An exotic flavour as well at times and this is catchy and energetic. "Tyvikasvun Kasittely" is pretty cool with the strings, synths, flute and pounding drums. Some soaring guitar too. My top three are tracks three to five which is kind of unusual for me having them smack dab in the middle. "Muovia Tehdaan Oljysta" is pastoral to start with the acoustic guitar and woodwinds. Electric guitar and drums change that before a minute as it turns heavy. Synths will lead over top of the heaviness replacing the guitar but themes are repeated and we get a couple of spacey calms including the long one with electronics to end the song.

"Koillispasaati" my second top three sounds so good with those cello-like sounds over the electronics and beats. Bass comes out of this then a full sound as it picks up too. This sounds awesome with the guitar soloing over top. Synths are screaming as the guitar steps aside. Oh man! A calm ends it. Last top three is the 15 1/2 minute "Trophkin Hedelmia Soseena" and it opens with guitar and drums and a heavy sound before being stormed by the synths and strings. A spacey calm follows then it kicks back in before 3 minutes but it's not as heavy. Really good then the synths arrive making some noise. The guitar is back sounding great but man that sound 5 minutes in really stands out as a highlight. Synths lead again around 8 1/2 minutes in then a spacey calm before kicking in at 10 minutes with synths once again. What a beautiful suite this is. The closer is really the normal track but it's such a beautiful affair with the piano, acoustic guitar and spacey sounds. Strings about halfway through. A nice way to end the album.

I like this one a lot but "IV" is even better, thankfully I own both. Some creative Space rock folks.

Maybe their heaviest album up to date. They really go all the way on this album, incorporating fusion, metal, progrock, spacerock and world music.

The emphasis of Taipuva was and will always be rhythm and athmosphere. The only solos you can expect are synthsolos, on this album there are even more guitarsolos, but again the emphasis is musical interplay. There's even a lot organ on this album. The rhythm changes are unheard of although their album IV has more difficult fusion-like parts, this album also has some really interesting and difficult rhythmparts. More rock/metal than before, but not too much.

The production is better and phatter than before. The songs really build and build and have quite moments, real dynamic sections and heavy explosions. But never losing track, Always great melodies and nice riffing. The band drew influences from bands like Camel, King Crimson, Gong, Ozric Tentacles and on this album even Tool. But the band is really unique in what they do. I can't think of any band that does what they do.

I can really recommend this album to anyone, who wants to hear really skilled musicians going at it.

After the nice introduction to the public with their debut, Taipuva Luotisuora signed with their hometown label Kaakao.Meanwhile the line-up was expanded to a six-piece core but without Hermanni Vuorisalo on drums, instead Tatu Laurila and Taneli Korpinen had entered the team on drums and percussion repectively.The second album of the band, simply titled ''I'', was released in 2005.

They picked up the sound of their debut album and throwed in some heaviness in the electric parts, as this point the band seems to walk on parallel ways with Belgians QUANTUM FANTAY, introducing space inventiveness, rhythmic guitars and a bit of Folk in a nice Space Rock package.Unlike the Belgians though, their more folky touches, performed mainly on kantele and flute, had a strong oriental edge, recalling the 70's Kraut Folk acts, and creating ethnic soundscapes over cosmic, multi-layered synthesizers and electronics.Drums are very pounding and the guitar-driven parts are quite mascular, they even enter some PORCUPINE TREE-like territories during these heavier moments.The new album even contains a 15-min. long instrumental, ''Tropiikin hedelmia soseena'', divided in four movements and showcasing the Finnish at their most diverse execution.An exchange between powerful riffs and neurotic electronics with ambiental textures and acoustic injections, while parts of the piece sound very melodic and certain guitar moves are inspired by Eastern Music.And after the display of groovy, spacious sounds they have chosen a calm instrumental to close this work, ''Sohvatyynyja jaannöslangoista'', based on soft piano, violin and hypnotic drumming.

Among the interesting groups of modern Space Rock.All these bands had Ozric Tentacles as their guiding light, so do not expect something very personal, but the material is passionate, psychedelic and very, very dynamic.Recommended.

From the Northern parts of the cold Finnish lands and the city of Rauma comes this group, set up in 2002 around two multi-instrumentalists, Esko Grundström and Ville Eriksson.The initial line-up featured also Jani Puistovaara on guitars, Juha Eriksson on bass and Hermanni Vuorisalo on drums.A short self-released EP saw the light in 2003, followed the next year by another private work by the group, their full-length debut ''Planetaariset ilmanpainevyöhykkeet'' (Planetary Atmospheric Pressure Zones).

The album is very short for the recent standards, just under 32 minutes long, but about 1/3 of it is taken by the long and most interesting piece of the album, ''Sopimaton jalkine''.This is very professional and irritating progressive music, where the Finnish group visits the dark ground of KING CRIMSON guitar textures and place them next to Trip Hop mannerisms, Anatolian violin solos and spacey, instrumental textures, led by floating synthesizers and nervous Electronics, maybe a bit like OZRIC TENTACLES.''Valamo'' is closer to Ambient Music with hypnotic synthesizers, just before some archaic flutes pop up around the outro, while ''Matalapaine'' shows again the OZRIC TENTACLES-side of Taipuva Luotisuora.Sharp guitar riffs meet powerful and spacey violin themes and dominant Electronic loops.''Koillispasaati'' recalls the Belgians QUANTUM FANTAY.A deep bass groove is supported by distorted guitars and cosmic synthesizers to offer the listener a nice and pounding Space Rock, while ''Korento'' comes in a very folky mood with accordions and flutes surrounded by acid, Electronic soundscapes.

This album has its moments.While a more consistent mix of Electronic/Space Rock and Folk would have really made ''Planetaariset ilmanpainevyöhykkeet'' an impressive release, as it is, the album contains plenty of atmospheric arrangements, that constantly alternate between smoother and more bombastic parts.Recommended.

What I found more interesting in this fourth work of studio of this Finnish band TAIPUVA LUOTISUORA' "IV", is that, in spite of presenting a space-prog, with influences of knowner bands, as for instance OZRIC TENTACLES, QUANTUM FANTAY & HIDRIA SPACEFOLK, his sound presents in certain moments a heavier approach with riffs than they remind RUSH, as in the track 1 "Kuuvuori" and track 4 "Ilman Rihlan Kiertämää" and another that denote a certain influence of the ecletic-prog "in the vein " of HAPPY THE MAN, as in the tracks 8 "Hopeful Sprout" and the track 9 " Kurki." This does with that the audition pleases a larger variety of listeners than the bands mentioned above. My rate is 3 stars!!!

I have found - this TAIPUVA LUOTISUORA's IV should be called as the psychedelic-heavy-symphonic style or the widely-ranged eclectic sound!

Always I feel Northern-European hard rock has grand activity. Oh well, it doesn't mean at all TAIPUVA LUOTISUORA should be a hard rock outfit...but wait, relax yourself and listen to the first track Kuuvuori, and you may find in their sounds are Finnish flavour of wood, cold as ice but warm as a Finn. Indeed the song has more 'heavily symphonic' elements than psychedelic / space rock ones, and I feel they should have some Scandinavian Metal essence like TNT, a Norwegian HM pioneer (exactly typical stuffs are the first above-mentioned and Kvasikonforminen Äyriäinen I do feel), but they should simultaneously have the Hawkwind-tinged spacey machinegun I'm sure. Namely, we can enjoy on their albums or stage, an amazingly eclectic chandelier with huge amount of starshines in the dark space - let me say we can palpitate with a bulky mixed psychecleavhony(!!!) on the last track Kurki alright? :-)

Furthermore, they cannot overdrive in their works at all - as if every player's body and mind be floating in the space or on the sea, he can relax over shooting his instrumental arrows. (Yup, a quiet and cool but dynamic rock tune like Muting Glow, or an acoustically and gracefully symphonic stream like Imiginally Blizzard be in...) Therefore we can realize their sounds and style are Hawkishly spacey.

Absolutely enthusiastic and metallically fruitful fireworks displayed in our inner 'space' should be in the repetitions with simple phrases - I wanna say BRAVO for TAIPUVA LUOTISUORA and their new terrific treasure from 'cold and warm' Finland.

This album introduces itself starts with soft sounds, nice percussions and starting to roll without haste. Guitar lingers in behind with some electronic samples dancing upon the beat of drums and bass, leading then to dominant hard rock styled heavy riffs and "hold & release" approach with the rhythmic sequences, which are the main building blocks of many tracks here. The music on this album seems mainly to be building from these few basic elements, which are enriched with much details and there is time to do many musical things with them. Vocals create nice layers with good harmonies, though is not in very important role in my opinion. The composed songs stand upon melodic, tenderer sounds discussing with more oppressing elements. The more conventional rock songs are accompanied with more eccentric instrumental songs. From them, "North-East Passage" has groovy rhythms, strong travelling feeling justifying the name, and contains also nice violin. "Uotila" has electronic rhythms kicked in, brilliant details skimming around quite simple though changing basic composition. This is followed by a track drawing influences most strongly from trance techno music, throwing in really heavy beat (strong laser in Unaja, I agree). Interestingly this was maybe the best track for me here, though I don't like techno. Maybe due this fact this surprised me so positively. Great calm ambient moment starts the final instrumental voyage, this is for me the best element on this record, but the heavy riffed main parts don't totally succeed to catch my own mood. The album ends in feelings slightly resembling the last third record of Kingston Wall.

One group which is an association for me is Anekdoten's "A Time of Day" record (released after this album was done). The compared record has more organic sound and approach, and here the heavy side is bit stronger along with electronic soundscapes, but some harmonies and melodic solutions with the singing sound similar though, and both are quite melodic, minor key rock music, quite close to indie rock, containing cello, and not being very experimental avant prog. If you like heavy, electronic rhythm music with both spacey elements heavy guitars, this is good album to give a test listen if you would wish to purchase it. So not totally fitting my own taste, I like the live groove of this band much more, but finding pleasant records which open some new perspectives is always great.

The debut album of TAIPUVA LUOTISUORA, translated into Planetary Atmospheric Pressure Zones (a very representative title for the music), is a pleasant surprise. This relatively unknown band from Finland has produced a solid outcome, mixing a number of different elements in their music. Although this is my only experience with the band, I have the feeling that their latter albums must be even more interesting than this one... The debut shows high potential, good musicianship and a mixture of characteristics that you hardly find in recent albums.

The term ''psychedelic, space rock'' does not fully describe the situation in this album. The (indeed progressive) sound clearly borrows elements of electronic and folk music while the atmosphere created by the spacey keyboards and the intelligent use of the violin will definitely catch your attention. At many points throughout the album, the influence from bands like OZRIC TENTACLES is evident but this does not deteriorate the efforts to produce a respectable record. The overall length of the album is relatively short (might be considered as an EP...) but does not affect the quality by all means.

The trilogy of Sopimaton Jalkine is clearly the highlight, blending successfully a melodic acoustic guitar opening, a powerful violin/folk-oriented middle part and an electronic space/chill-out ending that concludes in the best possible way. The few drawbacks of this record refer to some repetitive musical arrangements and parts of unclear structure. Overall, this is a highly promising debut from a band that deserves attention, particularly from the fans of folk/space/psychedelic rock.