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FLORA by Finnskogen–Album Review
FLORA by Finnskogen–Album Review
What do you think of when you hear the word Norway? Is it Vikings? (I bet it’s Vikings) Or is it Black Metal? Pickled herring? The psych/prog tones of Finnskogen, a new four-piece rock band hailing from Norway’s southern shores, should be added to our thoughts on what this Scandinavian land is all about.
Their first EP Flora was released on April 30 and is a modern (by way of mid-Seventies) concept album about…plants. Yeah, plants. The Finnskogen is a legendary Norwegian wood near the Swedish border with a sinister and dark reputation. As band leader Bjørn Marius
“All the tracks on Flora are named after plants native to the Finnskogen forest, meticulously chosen to represent the feeling of each track.”
Kristiansen puts it, “All the tracks on Flora are named after plants native to the Finnskogen forest, meticulously chosen to represent the feeling of each track.” Boy, does THAT sound like a proggy Yes concept album?
Kristiansen commands vocals, keys, guitars, and album art, steering the music down winding paths of ambient synthesizers colliding with occasional polymath rhythms dictated by drummer Nils Martin Haugfos. The first couple of tracks—“Hvitveis” and “Skogstjerne”—sleepily awaken the album by channeling a more modern take on Bo Hansson’s The Magician’s Hat. Mellow yet methodical, these two songs reflect the nature of the anemone and the arctic starflower, signifying a peaceful entrance into the wilds of this foreboding forest.
“Bulmeurt,” the second single released from the album takes a turn by detailing the nature of the henbane plant, a member of the nightshade family with psychedelic and sedative powers. The sensation of flying is often reported by those who utilize its psychoactive properties. The track floats along effortlessly while drifting from one section to the next. The modern singing style mixed with mellotronic keyboards and glassy guitar stabs intimates a transmutation of past and present worlds.
The second half of the Flora kicks off with “Lakrisrot” the first single released in November of ’23. Licorice root, as Kristiansen states, “suggests sweet, but bitter and will cause high blood pressure if ingested too eagerly.” Indeed. Arpeggiated synths paired with driving drums
The sensation of flying is often reported by those who utilize its psychoactive properties.
and sparse guitar chording lead the song down a space-proggy path blazed by both Camels and Geneses but also relates to modern synth-centric artists such as Zombi, Majeure, and fellow Scandos Dungen.
In terms of production, I found it spotlessly clean and a bit sterile…unbalancing since similar music is impregnated with a grittier and darker tonality à la the Seventies influences Finnskogen wears on their sleeves. Nothing seems forced on this album, and tunes cascade effortlessly from the musicians’ performances to one’s ears. While I thought this EP may turn out to be a bit unenthusiastic based on the blandness of the leading track, I warmed to it upon repeated listening. The last three songs on Flora are marvelous–more animated and less representative of overly-Ambiened pop-tinged music than the first half.
Espen Grundetjern
“Gulveis” starts off like a Scandinavian Steely Dan song but quickly about-faces to a Floydian Animals-era steady rhythmic structure. A favorite on the album, it’s a real head-bobber of a tune. Driving and assertive drumming meet chunky guitar riffs and propellant basslines headlong to create a pleasurable musical synthesis.
Continuing with the traditions of the proggy past, the last song on the album is for the real heads. “Blåveis” is the epic finale, which guides the listener in several directions, weaving a tapestry of wonderment along the way. Involved and angular with polyrhythms across the board, the song switches between 6/8 and 11/8 time signatures by feel alone without trying too hard to be complex—an accomplishment that is difficult to achieve without brandishing a “look what I can do” smirk.
Overall, the six songs on this album achieve a wizardly balance between laidback pop and driving synth rock while also nodding to the influential Seventies music from which Finnskogen was birthed. And all on a concept album about plants. Endorsed!
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