Circle
Infektio

Then, you discover the existence of a Finnish band, of which you knew nothing and that no one—here—has ever reviewed. Along the way, you also find out that they have churned out over thirty albums from 1994 to today. Then you stop and start to wonder, for example, if they might be a shitty, nonsensical band, one of those that release carbon copy albums where once you’ve heard one, you've heard them all. In short, one of those bands that no one cares about, precisely because there’s nothing worth caring about. Moving further with your research, you see that they tackle rather angrily psychedelic rock, space rock with even kraut traits, all variably tinted with hypnotic and aggressive hard rock, heavy metal, and even ventures into folk, noise, ambient, post-punk, hardcore, and minimalism of the '90s. And so you say: “Wow,” but other words also work, and, immediately after, you say: “Let's see if I find something!” … and you do find something and you start listening.

In the end, you convince yourself that a review must necessarily be written about this group and that, even with difficulty, you will have to pick an album from the many and start talking about it.

And so here is “Infektio,” a 2011 album and therefore from the band's more recent production, but let’s keep in mind, there are already two more released after this one.

Another pleasant surprise, reading the booklet, is the presence, for keyboards, effects, and vocals, of Mika Rättö, already appreciated with the Moon Fog Prophet or Kuusumun Profeetta, whatever you prefer.

The listening is clearly engaging: given the extreme variety and cross-disciplinary nature of the proposal, the material to produce is indeed immense, and this work only confirms the multiple sound influences of the semi-open Finnish collective. I don't think it's a random choice to place, at the beginning, the very long psycho-space-cosmic jam of “Salvos.” It’s a powerful, lysergic, acid quarter-hour for a continuously escalating trip amongst pink-floydian breaths and electric tangles of guitar, synth, and filtered voice. The track coils, only seemingly, onto itself and seems to lead nowhere, but its existence is that of the underground pulsation animating it. Very different, driven by bizarre and improbable vocalizations, pushing it into terrifying and distressing territories, more assertively advances “Maatunut” rich in imbalances and jazz-derived dissonances. And on this standard, the rest of the work seems to stand, so each instrument, thanks to particular filters and effects, loses contact with itself, transforming, disappearing, and reappearing. In the sound development of the remaining tracks, very diverse things appear, for instance, the rampant noise of “Peruuttamaton,” the post-industrial ambient of “Pisara” rich in pseudo-symphonic contaminations, through which you seem to hear mysterious orchestras laying soft carpets between the sandy dunes of desert lands.

Here, it would be pointless to bore with the description of other tracks, yet at the same time, it would also be necessary, given the strong variety of proposal and developments. Let the sounds go exactly where they should, and, without forcing, they will end up captivating even the most difficult ear.

A great discovery, devoid of the slightest commercial flavor and that knows how to firmly encourage further deepening.

p.a.p. sioulette