CRYPTIC MESSAGES

This is the first release by the Finnish instrumental prog group ODDTOMATIC. Sadly it only has a length of an EP (26 minutes), but hopefully there's more to come soon. They are a quartet consisting of Pekka Ojasalo (guitars, keyboards, compositions), Jan Tiusanen (keyboards, flute), Jukka Piipari (bass) and Tomi Makkonen (drums). The producer, experienced musician Sami Sarhamaa -- the other man behind LIGHTHOUSE SPARROWS which debuted in ProgArchives last year -- also mixed and mastered this release and added some guitars, keys and bass.

The 13-second 'Intro' contains a morse code and some light musical texture, and in the end 'Outro' finishes the disc in the same manner. In between there are five tracks of rather regular length (from 3:55 to 6:10). This is pure Crossover Prog in the PA terminology; not very complex, highly melodic, mellow and accessible. But boy it sounds good! CAMEL as their primary influence is pretty obvious. Now that I think of it, there hasn't been a Camel-styled Finnish instrumental prog band ever since the late seventies when the fusion-oriented FAROUT released their only album.

'Ragbag' is an excellent example of Ojasalo's skills as a composer. The piece is surprisingly progressive for its limited length, and yet it's smooth and elegant all the way. It has a laid back brightness slightly reminiscent of the Rain Dances era Camel. 'Flyer' soars with airy melodies mainly played by synth, and the flute's heard too. On the mellowest moments one could think of the Finnish MIST SEASON at their most romantic. Soft and melancholic 'Interlude' gives the flute a leading role, and the guesting cellist finishes the peaceful soundscape very beautifully.

'Hypertramp' undoubtedly refers to the certain classic band. This is perhaps the edgiest of these pieces, although still very accessible. The synth staccato makes me think of the similar sound in SUPERTRAMP's 'Dreamer'. 'Zydem' is equally good as a composition. Again the electric guitars are mostly of the Camel school. Yes, a more cynical proghead probably would find it easy to lessen the artistic impact this disc gives. Admittedly there's a lot to do to reach the dynamic whole of a full-length album, but the grounding to build that improvement upon is excellent. This is a highly pleasant "calling card" EP. -----------------------------------------------------------------

I asked Pekka Ojasalo to tell me more about Oddtomatic (Nov 8th, 2021): "Our current line-up has existed since the spring of 2019. Our earlier band activities have been more into pop/rock than prog. In a way, Oddtomatic was born accidentally, when we were putting another band to a halt and wondered if we still had interest to do something. I had some instrumental drafts written, and so, here we are! Generally this is our first prog group, although in the late 90's I was involved in a group called KGB who covered e.g. Camel and Gentle Giant. In Tavastia, Helsinki, we performed the music of Gentle Giant in an event organized by the Colossus prog society. Oddtomatic has given only a few gigs by now. The reception has been warm, so we're planning to have some more, little by little.

For Cryptic Messages we recorded eight pieces. For a self-budgeted release we thought that an EP length would be enough. A big credit must be given to Sami Sarhamaa who professionally put it all together. Since we didn't have big expectations, the positive feedback has been a very happy surprise. Next year we're planning to record more material; we have compositions enough for a full-length album.

I've been composing 'for my own pleasure' for a long time. Often I work out the initial idea in a state of flow. Mainly I compose on keyboards which I actually played before I started playing guitar. First I make more or less finished orchestration on software, and then we make the final versions together. I'm a prog enthusiast, and there are a lot of influences mainly from the 70's and 80's: Procol Harum, Focus, Camel, Gentle Giant, Saga, UK, etc. From the newer generation e.g. The Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, Planet X, Steven Wilson, and of the Finnish artists naturally Pekka Pohjola, also Finnforest, Wigwam, Farout, and so on. Plenty of them!"