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5th Season — 5th Season
(Eclipse Music ECD-2023185 / ELP-202352, 2023, CD / 2LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2023-06-11

5th Season Cover art

I suppose it’s a very small group that I’m part of: people who see a band called 5th Season and think immediately of the classic Harmonium album Si On Avait Besoin d'une Cinquième Saison. But that’s neither here nor there when considering this band from Finland and their debut album. The group proper consists of Tapio Ylinen (guitar, vocals), Mikko Löytty (bass, vocals), Arto Piispanen (keyboards), and Jani Auvinen (drums), with Ylinen and Löytty being the composers. The album starts with a ten-minute instrumental piece called “In Memoriam…” which is heavily reminiscent of the kind of rock-meets-classical that Focus pioneered in the 70s. This is followed by “Daylight’s End,” a vocal track which immediately makes me think of Mike and the Mechanics, a group I haven’t thought of in decades, so my impression may be off base. But in any case, it’s a very pop-oriented song in a mellow mainstream style. Then we get a song built around acoustic guitar that reminds me of the vocal-oriented albums of Anthony Phillips, say Wise After the Event or Sides. Then there are the two parts of “On the Dark Side of the Moon,” hearkening to the fact that Ylinen plays guitar in a Pink Floyd tribute band. The song actually doesn’t remind me stylistically of Pink Floyd much, coming off more like an early 80s Genesis with the addition of gospel-tinged backing vocals from Durga McBroom, who is best known as Pink Floyd’s backing vocalist on tour and later albums. As the music progresses and Ylinen launches into a bluesy wah-wah guitar solo, there is a touch of 80s and beyond Floyd. Another track worth mentioning is “Desperate Measures,” which borrows heavily from Procol Harum’s “A Salty Dog.” There’s also a bluesy number with a guest appearance from Jukka Gustavson, keyboardist of Wigwam, and that classic Finnish band is a good comparison with 5th Season, with a light and accessible style that draws from progressive rock but remains tuneful and never challenging. Fans of the more melodic side of 70s prog should surely enjoy 5th Season.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): 5th Season

More info
http://5thseasonband.bandcamp.com/album/5th-season

 

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