KAIMALKUU

The Finnish band Maailmanpuu recently released their third album, and like the previous one Kohti Valoa (2021) was an improvement over the eponymous debut, so feels this album even more solid as a work of contemporary, retro-oriented progressive rock sung in Finnish. The line-up remains the same and there are no notable changes in style either, but the band seems to have grown stronger as a unit. If there were some moments on previous albums where they felt a bit like singer-songwriter rooted indie rock, this one feels like a more balanced band effort, and thus the music perhaps has stronger ties to the Finnish prog's classic era of the seventies. Those who have enjoyed bands such as TABULA RASA, NOVA, FANTASIA and NIMBUS can easily feel at home here. But like other contemporary retro-ish prog bands such as MALADY, they also have an identifiable own sound instead of clearly copying any particular band(s).

Both sides of the vinyl edition start with a roughly 1½-minute fast-paced instrumental, very much alike. Supposedly referring to large ringroads nearby Helsinki (Kehä I and Kehä III), they indeed have a hectic atmosphere of fast traffic, in a psychedelic space/stoner rock manner. Personally I'm not fond of them but they give some extra dynamics to the album whole -- needed or unnecessary, it's up to the listener. 'Rannalla' (= On shore) is the shortest of the four proper songs, and a very nice one as a naturally flowing, suitably streamlined composition with a vintage prog rock sound. Kimmo Villa's voice doesn't anymore remind me of the young Kauko Röyhkä, but now it's perhaps even more reminiscent of Pekka Streng from the early 70's. That's not a bad thing, since frankly he's more confident as a singer than Streng ever was.

The longest piece 'Uisko' (= Sailing Ship) has a mythological / folkloristic feel in its sparse lyrics and some sophisticated details in the arrangement. The electric guitar's lengthy, melancholic solo on the latter half sounds great. The title track (I actually had no idea the strange word kaimalkuu refers to the moon of February) is dynamically progressive; the slow, mystical intro is followed by a faster, Kalevala-inspired lyrics section, which in return is followed by a nearly hypnotic instrumental section, and so on. This 9½-minute composition is among the strongest single pieces of contemporary Finnish prog. The equally long final piece is pretty ambitious too, but to my ears not quite as coherent.

Definitely four stars, no less. The cover art of Jarmo Roine is an excellent companion to the music.