Artist: Kumina.org
Label: Self-released
Release: 2009
Length: 45:50
Rating: 4.2/5
Scandinavia has struck again! This time in the form of the Finnish kurmine.org, a jazz-rock innovation that has been following in the footsteps of fellow musicians from Niacin since 2006, mixed with elements of ELP, Gong from the Pierre Moerlen era, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Pink Floyd. The space-rock trio of Ahmed Ahonen on keys, Jukka Packalen on guitar and bass, and Matti Kanerva on drums, who plays by proper jazz standards, racked up enough material in 3 years together for a debut, which the Finns put out in 2009. And so “Entropia” was born.
The album “Entropia” is completely instrumental, and the song structures are extremely complex, as is typical for this kind of genre. Still, Kumina.org never goes overboard – the complexity is just a byproduct of good music, not a reason to make it. They also stay on the solid ground of “real” jazz-rock, the kind from the seventies, and so far they haven’t caught (and let’s hope it stays that way) the so-called metal virus that every newer jazz-rock band seems to have; those bands are built purely on the technical chops of a guitarist who zips through every scale imaginable. Kumina.org goes for exactly the opposite – the electric guitar shows up on only a few tracks, and Packalen often grabs the bass instead. Even when the guitar is there, it has a kind of “vintage” classic-rock sound from the 60s and 70s, which is definitely a big plus.
The opening track “Toiset Seitseman Paivaa” takes us deep into fantastic jazz-rock territory right away. This one leans heavily on the keys, with a seriously “Hammond” sound, and the mood stays at its peak and tense throughout the whole piece – the rhythm never drops. Next comes “Etydi”; the word is the Finnish version of the French word for a kind of classical piano piece; which only cements Ahmed Ahonen’s place as a sort of puppeteer, a master who holds all the strings in his hands; Packalen still delivers a ton on bass this time too, adding extra energy to the track. The bass comes to life even more in “Flegmaatikko”, which also happens to take up the most room on the record – almost eight minutes. This is where Ahonen turns into Emerson (hence the ELP comparison too, in the playing style), takes the lead role in the trio and shines in the spotlight. “Flegmaatikko” is definitely one of the album’s masterpieces, throwing – you won’t believe this – even reggae into its wide genre spectrum. Next up is the cheerful, super major-key treat “Tahdon asiaa”. At times the song borders on disco, and you’d want to hit the dance floor and show off what your feet can do. But the disco illusion fades fast, because the composition morphs into a minor-key space horror show, where Packalen once again proves himself on electric guitar. The spaciness of the “Pink Floyd-esque” sound comes alive even more toward the end of the song, which makes “Tahdon asiao” a real breath of fresh air on today’s progressive music scene. The reggae elements are even more audible in the next track “Rantapalloistuminen” (which is kind of a funny title, meaning “ball-like sitting in the sand”). This time the electric guitar is more prominent again, and it adds the most to that reggae sound I mentioned.
The second half of the album is a bit more avant-garde and experimental than the first. The trio tries to sail into uncharted waters of jazz-rock, but they only dip their toes in – and there’s nothing wrong with that. The second half includes the three-part track “Rytmo” (“Eutokia”, “Aavikkomato” and “Mihin hävisi beduiinin jalka?”), which has the most improvised passages on the whole album, showing yet another side of the trio. In the other two tracks, “Puolestoista kerti” and “Seurausu”, the band heads back to the paths of the first half and keeps to the harmonious jazz-rock line they’ve already introduced us to quite well. Still, the closing track “Seuraus” is kind of cinematic, like end credits; an “outro” the way it should be.
With their debut, Kumina.org have definitely caught listeners’ attention, and those listeners will surely stick around loyally until the second album drops. With “Entropia” they’ve given nostalgics one more reason to keep listening to newer music, and shown neo-fans of music a new angle on older styles. The trio definitely has plenty of hidden talents, and we can’t wait for them to show them off. If they pull that off, Finland can look forward to another recognizable name alongside the legendary Wigwam.
Lineup
Ahmed Ahonen – keyboards
Jukka Packal̩n Рbass, electric guitar
Matti Kanerva – drums
Production
kumina.org
Track list
1. Toiset Seitsemän Päivää (5:26)
2. Etydi (3:42)
3. Flegmaatikko (7:52)
4. Tahdon Asiaa (4:48)
5. Rantapalloistuminen (4:55)
6. Rytmo I (Eutokia) (2:33)
7. Rytmo II (Aavikkomato) (6:36)
8. Puolestoista Kerta (5:08)
9. Rytmo III (Mihin Hävisi Beduiinin Jalka?) (0:48)
10. Seuraus (4:02)
