Posted by After the grand scale and environmental anger of 2022s Red Alert in the Blue Forest comes In Murmuration – a glossy, more straight forward slice of arty prog from those Von Hertzen Brothers. What it may lose in intricacy and complexity it makes up for with accessibility and punchiness – the fiery rocker ‘The Relapse’ with its effervescent blasts of saxophone whetting the appetite nicely.
Things get sombre towards the end, but on the whole In Murmuration is an upbeat record full of lively melodies, glossy vocal harmonies and catchy choruses. The best of this is the sunny slice of pop ‘Ascension Day’, its sweet synths and joyful hooks will put a smile on your face. The sweet Beatles-esque ‘The Change’ adds a sense of scale and shiny production values to proceedings, its lush melodies building to a grand crescendo.
Avian rocker ‘Starlings’ hosts some lively melodies, with restless, offbeat verses giving way to an emphatic chorus, and another attention grabbing sax solo. ‘Tightrope Walker’ shares this offbeat nature, it’s bouncy beat and jaunty spring in its step reminding me of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard.
This is an easy album to get into, with the expansive, Pink Floyd style, ballad ‘Beneath the Silver Stars’ big and grandiose yet accessible. Those aforementioned sombre tracks come at the end, the moody ‘Snowstorm’ and the forlorn ‘Wait For Me’, and are a bit of a momentum killer but they are touching. Especially the latter with its heartfelt lyrics, gentle piano and soft strings.
The Finnish quintets ninth album is an upbeat and open collection of their artful mix of prog, pop and rock.
8/10
Lofty Music and Film 