EI NOI MUUT

This is the brand new third album by the young Finnish group -- whose name means Frenzy -- that features violins and carries a strong message about the climate change in their lyrics. The debut from 2019 really impressed me as an eclectic fusion of folk, classical, rock and hip hop elements. The second album from 2023 sounded much poppier, and also enjoyably fresh for that matter. The group's musical direction continues to change further towards tighter, more energetic, in a way more youthful and more passionate/aggressive about the message delivery. What's eventually losing in this progress is the wider, prog-natured musical variety, especially the classical chamber music flavour. The entire brief album is extremely loaded with high-speed, rap-like and often very repetitive vocals of the female vocalist Eeva Rajakangas. Strangely though, my initial listening last Friday ended up being quite positive. I guess I was in the right mood for some real kick-ass attitude. What an energy and passion, who's not to appreciate them?

'Bensa 95' is rather similar to the second album's lead single 'Antrasiitille'. The beginning's punchy riff of violins + hand-clapping is joined by rap-flavoured verses and the beautifully melodic and airy chorus. The arrangement combines pop, rap and folk elements truly deliciously and harmonically, making this track one of the obvious highlights. 'Pestään kädet' (= Let's wash our hands) and 'Kuolematon' (= Immortal) are more rap-oriented as compositions, but the sound full of violins is interesting.

'Tarviin' (= I need) is a charming, electrified, fast-paced pop song with a toy-like synth sound and a melodic, catchy chorus. Reminds me of the British band PRAM. 'Kapina on kuumaa' (= Rebellion is hot) and the album's title track (= Not those others) are hectic, high-speed songs that could be labeled as punk!

Gracefully the 7th and 9th pieces (= You can't change anything; Broken) are calm, slow, spatial and moody, both indeed beautiful. 'Punainen aurinko' (= Red sun) is also relatively slow and has a gorgeous, dynamic arrangement. After the continuity of these three calmer tracks the closing song 'Kuningas Gnu' charms with its poppy brightness and energy.

Well, as I started this review I thought I couldn't give more than three stars, for all the punk and rap, but the highlights are after all forming a majority of the ten tracks. VIMMA remains to be a unique band and now they're more powerful than ever before, there's no denying of that.

I wonder if prog folk historians of the future will fly over the indefatigable VIMMA or recognize the innovation they bring/brought to a sometimes staid genre. Set apart from the English axis that bust out in the 1960s and 1970s and the neo/wyrd movement of the 80s/90s and beyond, VIMMA incorporates not just standard pop but the forbidden fruit of punk and hip hop among others. In a breathless 32 minutes they string one fiddle fronted mini masterpiece after another, not so much mocking what came before as paying homage while truly signposting a potentially new as yet unnamed genre if others could only discern the flashing lights in their faces. My nearest comparisons to the past might be a more rooted MECANO or a less anarchic and smarmy CHUMBAWUMBA. Even allowing for a bit of mid tempo weakness towards the end, particularly the album closer, VIMMA's third is by far their most accomplished and a viable candidate for prog folk royalty in 2025.