Nurkostam: XIII

Nurkostam are a young band from Finland and have two albums to their credit, III of Dreams released in 2009 and XIII released in 2005. I am not sure if XIII has been available since 2005 as I have just received the CD for review.

Nurkostam plays with their musical roots firmly entrenched in the early 70s. To be more specific, the bands Pink Floyd and King Crimson come to mind with maybe a slight reference to The Beatles in some parts but this is not an obvious reference. The music takes on a heavy, spacey, psychedelic vibe that really takes me back a few years. That being said, Nurkostam are not totally stuck in the past, as they add their own sound to the proceedings with plenty of spacey keyboards, especially Hammond organ, and some nice guitar riffs. Occassionally the guitar does travel back in time to pick up a snippet of Floyd or Crimson here and there.

By today's standards this is a short album of only six songs but what the band presents is quite good. I thought the production could have been a bit better but is still pretty good considering this is an independent release.

The album begins with "I Scream", a trippy slice of psychedelic space rock that in part owes its existence to those who have come before. The crashing drums and nice guitar riff bring to mind early Floyd. The tempo slows down as "Dome", with a pretty guitar melody in tow, again tips a musical hat to the 70s. The mellow "Alone" showcases another nice melody with some of the guitar parts reminiscent of the early work of George Harrison. The organ drenched "Between" with its dreamy keys, atmospheric guitar lines and subdued vocals is my favourite song on the album.

It would be interesting to hear what Nurkostam would do with the backing of a larger record label. The band has talent and is clearly passionate about their music. If spacey rock music is to your liking you should give this one a spin, it may be right up your alley. Look for a review of their latest release in the days to come.

Track Listing:
1. I Scream
2. Dome
3. Alone
4. Between
5. Madness
6. Archie

Added: November 12th 2009
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 2625
Language: english

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