Viikate - Marraskuun lauluja II (November Chants II)
When I first really started to get in to Marraskuun lauluja I, I remember thinking to myself that it seemed a little but..incomplete somehow, not long enough. At the time, I discounted this feeling, because I frankly thought that most of Viikate's albums were too short, but about 6 months I discovered that it really was unfinished, because at the end of the year Viikate would release a follow up. Naturally my first thought was joy, as one of my top five favourite bands would be releasing not one but two albums within the same year, but once this initial rush of happiness faded I started to get a bit nervous. While I knew that Viikate were extremely prodigious musicians (not a single year has passed since they released their first EP back in 1998 where they haven't released either a full length album or an EP) they're never released two full lengths this close together. I frankly worried that they might end up having to put in some tracks that were purely filler, but I filed these thoughts away until after I could hear the album.
So, the time passes and this past weekend I remember that the album is set to be released in a few days. As I always do that close to a release date, I checked the torrent sites to see if the album had been leaked yet, and to my surprise it had.
I think I was quite lucky this time around, because I was expecting something at least somewhat similar to their last release, especially since it had been advertised as a direct continuation of the themes. As such, I didn't have any of the problems I encountered with getting into this album, and I could get right down to enjoying it.
First I think I'm going to deal with the negative points about this album, because I'd like to get these out of the way. The single greatest complaint I have about the album is that it can be a little bit repetitive at times, and it does seem to follow the general blueprint of I in the way the songs are laid out. Especially if listened to back-to-back with I, it can get a little bit long at times.
And frankly, that's pretty much it for the negatives. I know I didn't make this clear before, but I love Marraskuun lauluja II. I think it's hands down the best album Viikate have released to date, and it probably now takes the cake for my favourite album of the year. The changes that Viikate started with I have continued here, but they have been coupled with a new and even greater sense of melody. The tendency towards incorporating elements from old pop has been increased, but it's been layered into the music in a way that they haven't used before, often having the much lighter elements featured side by side with heavy rocking guitars. The band has also incorporated a completely new element into their sound which was hinted at on I which I would never have expected: old style American country music. Don't worry, this is only used to augment their previous sound, but it adds a new depth which I think is fantastic. Kaale also seems to have managed to add more depth and feeling into his voice, which lends itself perfectly to the new elements in their music.
I mentioned earlier that the band had added greater melody to their sound, and this is most evident when listened to back to back with I. There was a sense of frenetic energy at times on I which never really materialises on II, and I'm somewhat surprised to say that I think this is a noticeable improvement.
Overall, I'm blown away that Viikate could release two incredible albums in the space of a year, but I'm even more blown away that their second album would be a marked improvement on the first. I have to encourage the band to try this pattern again, because they clearly work well under a deadline.
10/10
So that's it for my two-part review of Marraskuun lauluja, I hope you've enjoyed it. I'm going to try to take a break from Finnish music for a while and move into Canadian music for a few days. I know that all my reviews to date have been extremely positive, and I promise that there will be some negative reviews coming.
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