Old Waves New Seas is the second release from Finland's Aquaplan, the band taking four years to follow-up their solid 2003 debut Paperimeri. This time around, all the lyrics and vocals are in English, which will certainly help Aquaplan take their music to a wider audience. Also worth noting is the increased journey into jazzier and proggier waters here on Old Waves New Seas. Sure, there's still a reliance on pop arrangements and melodies, but instrumentally the band seems more willing to take a chance this go-round. Check out Ari Sutinen's amazing Frank Zappa inspired guitar solos on the exciting "Infrequency", bassist Ville Veijalainen's fusion lines on "Escape" (this guy is a monster player folks, but knows how to show restraint and step out when needed), and the quirky prog interplay of "Lucky Me". The latter has a certain Gentle Giant feel to it, especially between the tricky drum fills of Marko Oikarinen, Sutinen's guitar licks, Pasi Korhonen's acoustic guitars, and the keyboard layers courtesy of Juha Anttila. The main attraction here though is the silky smooth vocals of Maarit Saarenkunnas, her vocals soothing in a jazzy/folky sort of way, perfectly fitting the laid back nature of these songs. Although you can tell that English is not her main language, she does just fine here taking on the task.
Aquaplan are slowly making waves with their music, taking on additional progressive rock and jazz-fusion elements along with English vocals, all of which should help them reach a broader audience. Fans of folky & jazzy prog rock should dig this quite a bit.
Track Listing
- New Seas (Part 1)
- Lucky Me
- Choose
- Joy and Brightness
- Ordinary Life
- Infrequency
- Escape
- New Sea (Part 2)
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