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Reviews

Taipuva Luotisuora — IV
(Kaakao 007, 2009, CD)

by Mike McLatchey, Published 2018-08-16

IV Cover art

One of the absolute greats of Finnish space rock and one of the best releases of 2009, IV, Taipuva Luotisuora's third album, was a clinic in how to push the genre in a new direction. Not only were the songs relatively short for the style but they were structured in such a way that it was never about jamming something out but how a framework of great keys and sequencers could be put to the use of well thought out melodies and solidly developed themes. The music was tight and complex with darker and more romantic, perhaps folk-based melodic moments constantly transitioning in, out and through one another always for intense dramatic effect. The group wasn't as loose as a lot of other bands in the genre, at times having an almost Rush-like sense of snappy tightness with a layering reminiscent of the third Kingston Wall. The recording and engineering is nearly flawless, every moment of this stands out in crystal clarity, which is important when you consider how many amazing sounds the keyboard player is generating. Like anything with staying power every new listen increases the virtual pleasure of listening to it. Back in the day Amorphis approached this sort of territory melodically on Elegy, but while Taipuva Luotisuora can approach that sort of heaviness it does so without any of the language of metal. This is absolutely transcendent music, a classic of the genre.

Filed under: New releases, 2009 releases

Related artist(s): Taipuva Luotisuora

 

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