REVIEW OF REVOLUTION IN SOUND FROM FINLAND!  CHEERS TO SANTTU!

http://www.unimeri.com/PsychotropicZone/reviews.en.php?subaction=showfull&id=1247474109&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3&

Northern Star Records from the UK are about to release their fourth compilation album after the critically acclaimed and very popular Psychedelica albums. This label can be considered as one of the most important promoters of the third wave of psychedelia and they have done everything in their power to bring the genre closer to the mainstream. The compilations have mostly included sort of shoegaze/indie rock/experimental/alternative stuff, but this time there is also some more electronic music in there. The noisy and buzzing guitars are still well represented. Some of the bands that have been involved before as well are for example The Nova Saints, The December Sound, The Electric Mainline and Youngteam. This almost 80-minute-long CD have altogether 17 songs from bands that mainly come from the UK and USA, but there are also bands from Russia (Punk TV, Hot Zex) Norway (Maribel), and Sweden (Youngteam). Many of the bands seem to be influenced at least by Spacemen 3, Velvet Undergound, The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Sonic Youth and Joy Division, but some also by for example NEU!, The Flaming Lips and The Verve.

One of the best aspects of this as well as the previous Northern Star compilations is that you’re bound to find some new bands. Although you might have pumped into many of them by accident someplace, this kind of an album is always a great beginning for new expeditions in music. The first track that immediately caught my attention was by the Russian band Punk TV: the very danceable “Vala Svala” that has a disco rhythm. This is like Depeche Mode on acid with all its psychedelic sounds, soft Pet Shop Boys like vocals and lush keyboards. The track stands out from the otherwise pretty hard album and I like it a lot. It’s strange that I hadn’t noticed this “Russian Chemical Brothers” before, although they have gigged in Finland. Right after that we get the fierce and fast “No Heaven Like Hell” by The December Sound and this song has plenty of power and emotion. It’s absolutely one of the highlights on the album and the band is among my favorites at the moment. Some of the most powerful stuff of the album also include the hypnotic “Sick Fuzz” by Ursula Minor bringing to mind early Spacemen 3, the electric and hallucinatory “All Too Much” by The Electric Mainline and the pretty psychedelic “You Created a Storm” by Laboratory Noise. The rather slow, hypnotic and heavy “The Black Sun Sets” by The Voices brings to mind one of my favorite bands Sun Dial as does the album’s first, although lighter, band Maribel. The Manhattan Love Suicides plays frisky, buzzing and punky rock with female vocals and The Nova Saints track “Lights” sounds a bit like U2, and I mean it in a good way.

In addition to Punk TV, the more electronic side of the album is presented with the groovy Hot Zex that features some same members, Delicasession’s “Tape Check” that includes great synthesizers , the exciting sounding Sunnyvale Noise Sub-element and the quite mesmerizing Screen Vinyl Image with their buzzing bass sequences. Also the quite slow instrumental track “Motorik” by Kontakte has programmed drums and it finishes the album in a very dreamy and amazing way. Other wonderful and peaceful moments are offered also by Dead Leaf Echo whose soft and drifting, heavenly beautiful “Pale Fire” reminds me a bit of The Verve and the pretty ”Introducing Mr. Gladstone” by Youngteam. The Mint Ive song somehow brings to mind The Cure. All in all, this is a totally brilliant compilation that will spin a lot in DJ Astro’s CD player, and I bet that this is the case for lots of other people, as well. It’s a wise move to order the album directly from the label so you can get it before the actual street date and you’ll also receive another compilation as a free gift…

www.northernstarrecords.co.uk