Marraskuun lauluja II

So, after a one day break I return for the second installment of Marraskuun lauluja.

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.

Viikate + Marraskuun lauluja I

Alright, so I'm going to try a slightly more ambitious review today. I'm writing up the first part of Viikate's recent album Marraskuun lauluja, but where the catch comes in is that it was released in two parts. Today I'm going to write up a brief introduction to the band, followed by the first half of the review. If I get a chance before work tomorrow night I will write up the second part, otherwise I will be introducing my new "Best of Deutschemusik.net" reviews, whereing I take a review from http://www.deutschemusik.net/ (I am one of the main reviewers for that site, focusing exclusively on German music). I'll try not to use that more than once or twice a week, but it'll depend on how busy I am between school and work.

For those who are familiar with the Finnish music scene, Viikate will undoubtedly be one of the first names they came across. Viikate are among a fairly small group of major Finnish rock bands. They are label mates with the band Kotiteollisuus (see my review of 7) and often tour with them, though they aren't particularly similar in sound. Other bands that are big within Finland include Turmion kätilöt, Ruoska, and the singer Timo Rautiainen.
Viikate are somewhat typical of modern heavy Finnish music, with a fairly heavy emphasis on melody. They are often classified as a metal band, although (aside from a few exceptions) I would strongly disagree with this assessent. They are another one of those bands that are impossible to neatly classify into a genre, as they incorporate elements of pop music, instrumental ballads, Finnish folk music, surf music, American rockabilly, schlager, etc.
I mentioned that they are influenced by pop music, but I should point out that possibly their single greatest influence would be the Finnish pop music from the '50s, and possibly the singer Reino Helismaa above anyone else. They do have a few individual trademarks, however, such as te aforementioned emphasis on melody, they also have an often rather melancholy tone; lots of interwoven picked guitar work; and extremely clever and beautiful lyrics. Unfortunately, I don't speak Finnish myself, but even the translations that I have read have been pretty amazing.
So there's a bit of background on the band, let's get on to the reviews themselves.

Marraskuun lauluja I (November chants I)
Marraskuun lauluja is not a debut album, it's not an early album, and it's not the work of a band still finding their voice. Viikate have been around for a little over a decade now, and it's been 9 years since they released their debut EP. Their sound has shifted somewhat over the years, but for the most part it had been a gradual, almost unnoticeable shift in sound. Their previous album, Unholan urut, had been generally regarded as their best work to date, and I guess the band must have asked themselves what they wanted to do in the future. This was only the second album with the two new members (second guitarist Arvo and bassist Ervo had only been a part of the touring band prior to this) and I'm sure that they had an influence now in the way that the new music would be recorded. I had only recently discovered Viikate when this album was released, and at the time I was a little nervous as to where the band would go after such a great work.
It was obvious from the first listen that Viikate had changed their sound more noticeably than between any other two albums. Unholan urut had spent a lot more time on slower paced, lower toned songs, and I is at first listen a remarkably fast paced album compared to their earlier work. In truth, I can't say that I was too impressed the first time I heard the album. Or the second, or the third. I don't quite know why it took so long to grow on me, maybe I just wasn't familiar enough with the whole of Viikate's catalogue and struggled with the change, I don't really know, but I was smart enough to persevere and keep listening to it (I had a similar, except even more pronounced, experience with Turmion kätilöt, but that's another review) It really came to me back in February when I was out of town for a couple days in Toronto, and I had a lot of time to listen to music without the chance to change what I had on my MP3 player. As a result, I spent most of three days listening to I and somehow it just suddenly worked for me. I hate to use the cliched expression, but it was like a light turning on in my head. Ever since then, I've had this feeling grow on me, and I would say now this is probably my favourite Viikate album.
I think I owe a little more information on this "dramatic change" between albums, because I suspect I'm giving off the wrong impression. They didn't really change their sound as much as I thought, I just wasn't very familiar with Viikate's earlier catalogue yet. I would frankly call their sound on I more of a consolidation of their strengths than any big change, because it's essentially a fusion of their early, heavier sound mixed with the slower and more melodic work of later albums, and as a result it's a lot more..well, fun than some of their other works in later albums.
I honestly doubt that any amount of ramblings could really do this album justice, so I'll stop here, with just a few last words (before part II) Marraskuun lauluja I is a geat consolidation of the band's musical strenghts, showcasing especially the talents of bandleader/lead guitarist/vocalist Kaale Virtaanen. His voice is perfectly suited to the music, his talent for playing is noticeable, and his lyrics are beautiful. I is the perfect introduction to the band, and is highly recommended to any interested parties.
8.5/10

As before, www.recordshopx.com/johanna is also highly recommended for hard copies of Finnish music.


Hope you've enjoyed this look at Viikate, tune in tomorrow for either part II or the first "Best of Deutschemusik.net"