TUVALU

The third long player of the band is in my opinion justifiably titled solitarily with their name, as I consider it concluding wonderfully the development of their own sound and style. The record is just full of some really powerful moments awaiting the ears of a willing listener:

Solemn pillars of sound in the opening indie rock anthem, building up a cathedral of pathos; Rolling melody verses waving the shores of turbulent musical sea named "Parahin Nicola"; Distant calls whispering behind delicate electronic layers of sound in a void impossible to name; Charmingly neurotic chord progressions weaving beautiful melodies upon rhythmic complexities of "Pimeys on ystävä", which draw together the interesting aspects familiar from both post-Thrak era King Crimson and rhythm section of Rush; Tension building and release reaching religious heights of "Tulvien jälkeen"; Diverse treatments of iconic melodic patterns creating smoothly flowing celestial "Fantasmagoria"; Aggressive outburst of rhythmic and melodic innovations in realm of "Valkoinen sumu nousee"; Finally a massive curtain closing the royal cosmic thesis.

The diverse musical elements mingle together here even stronger than in earlier albums. Symbolist cosmic fantasy themes give room this time for more abstract philosophical personal dialogue. The feeling of the record is slightly more warmer and calmer than in the two earlier albums, but contains also the familiar aggressive elements being part of the group's style. In both melodic and emotional level this stuff is also comparable in my opinion to Anekdoten's "From Within" and "Ricochet" albums, though there are no Mellotrons here. This association is borne probably due melancholic and grandiose styles both relating slightly indie rock sound. It is interesting how these powerful visions can be drawn from this kind of sound also; Those qualities most certainly do not seem to depend on only elitist approach. Certainly here is life and power enough to blow my mind, and decide this record has to be the best pick from the current albums of this cute group.

The Finnish quartet TUVALU was formed back in 2003 and just one year after its start the band issued its first musical excursion in the shape of the EP "Mita Muut Ajattelevat Sinusta". Since then three full-length efforts have appeared: "Pimea Saartaa Meita" in 2006, "Viimeiset Hetket Ovat Kasilla" in 2008 and at last "Tuvalu" in 2010. In between recording sessions the band has been an active unit on Finland's live scene.

Those who have a fancy for progressive rock of a generally eclectic nature that also incorporates elements from and references to genres not a part of the art rock universe will most likely find many intriguing aspects to this disc, with fans of acts such as The Mars Volta or Coheed & Cumbria a probable key audience for this fine Finnish act.

'Tuvalu' - Tuvalu (8/10)

Even seconds into the self-titled third album by this Finnish band, and I could tell I was going to become a fan of Tuvalu. Here is a contemporary progressive rock band that achieves the balance I look for in prog; that is, a balance between modern and classic sounds. Like The Mars Volta and Porcupine Tree, Tuvalu is a band that takes some vintage prog rock sounds and thrusts it into the fresh end of the scene. Descriptions as 'The Mars Volta with female vocals' are inevitable, but Tuvalu stands out in the Finnish prog realm.

'Tulevien aikojen luurangot' is a perfect reason for new listeners to think of The Mars Volta when hearing Tuvalu. Tuvalu have a modern psychedelic edge to their sound, although they are possibly most defined by their 'out of control' feeling that's brought on by the guitars and viciously precise drumwork. Rounding off the comparison is vocalist Annina Antinranta, whom virtually all reviewers (including myself!) seem to feel the need to mention is a female. After all, what man could have hoped to sing as high as Cedric! Regardless, her voice is powerful and melodic, although the music on 'Tuvalu' is rarely catchy. Antinranta's vocal style is influenced greatly by the phonetics of the Finnish language, which is quite distinctive. For an English-speaking listener who admittedly cannot understand what is being sung, there is still plenty of room to admire the way the words sound; Finnish is not an immediately musical language, but it works very well for Tuvalu. To counter the often weird and noisy guitar work, Antinranta's voice is sometimes teched out with a vocorder, the effect of which gives her a robotic tone to her vocals. Although there are quite a lot of ideas to take in without the comfort of many 'singalong' melodies, Tuvalu are instantly enjoyable in lieu of their fresh sound, regardless of their similarity to The Mars Volta.

Tuvalu are a dark, atmospheric band with a nice vintage touch. The psychedelic flourishes on 'Tuvalu' add to the enjoyment and identity, although Tuvalu did have a tendency to get lost in some of the more brooding sections of the album, occasionally to the point where the enjoyment and excitement began to wane, if only a little bit. Regardless, 'Tuvalu' is a near- masterpiece from an excellent Finnish progressive act, and if listeners can reach past the language barrier, they should find a wealth of enjoyment to behold here.

awesome drumming

mars volta but with female finnish vocals (another man could not hope to sing hat high!)

very nice vocals, not catchy at all but good melodies

This Finnish band is a good example of how the term Crossover Prog sometimes tells nothing concrete about the music. Usually CP is such prog that comes close to accessible pop, but that's not the case with TUVALU. This is at times noisy and aggressive, and always deeply introspective, edgy and merciless music - plus strongly progressive, perhaps unlike the group's earlier albums. I tried to get into their debut Pimeä Saartaa Meitä some months ago but just couldn't. Its cold and noisy alternative pop made me feel frustrated and bad-tempered. However, talking of this album, after surviving the fast and aggressive first songs there are something for me too.

The language is Finnish which may be a problem for foreign listeners. Vocalist and lyricist Annina Antinranta has a peculiar cruel sensualism in her singing - her voice being not very far from the Finnish pop star Jenni Vartiainen -, but unfortunately there are many moments where she expresses herself as aggressively as the music does, and that goes beyond my personal enjoyment capacity.

But those parts that are not so angry, and which in the end may form the majority of the album, are great, both in the progressive sense and purely emotional sense. Antinranta's lyrics are fine already in their own right, but it's really the combination of the text and the dynamic music that is so powerful. At times it gets calm and ambientish too, but always there is the strong feeling of presence. As I'm more or less outside of my comfort zone here, I'm not the best person to give references. Others have mentioned the later KING CRIMSON and MARS VOLTA.

My three stars feel a bit stupid for this breath-taking album. You see, to a large degree I'm rating music according to my own enjoyment. But I can understand very well why those few ratings here are either four or five stars. As a side note: Annina Antinranta has released a solo album under the name Passing Human Parade, which is more accessible music; my wife (an anti-prog listener, mostly) got enthusiastic about it for a while.