Positive Wave - 2024 - Metsälapsi

(53:57; Humu Records)

What we have here is the second album from Finnish outfit Positive Wave, only fourteen years on from the debut. Performed entirely in Finnish this is progressive folk with plenty of nods to jazz and psychedelia. In fact, the whole album sounds as if it were recorded at the end of the Sixties and was now just coming to light as opposed to a brand-new release. Lead singer Susan Karttunen has a nice range, but what makes her voice stand out is the edge she can provide, which normally comes from the blues as opposed to this style so while she can sing very sweetly indeed it is when she is coming across as a more refined Janis Joplin that the music really stands out.

The dated electric piano underpins what is happening above, and there are times when we move almost into funk territory with “Pelota” sounding as if it is coming to us from the late Seventies with plenty of horns, while the rest of the album sounds as if it is from a decade earlier. According to the mighty Google the title translates to ‘Forest Child’, but that is to be taken as being from a psychedelic viewpoint as opposed to folk. I had a look at their website and it appears that keyboard player Jani Häggblom died during recording, which does make me wonder if this will be the end of the band given they have not exactly been prolific to date, which will be a shame as this is a nice album which really does take us back to a time gone by which feels genuine as opposed to someone just playing at it. 

Kev Rowland, July 2025

Links:
http://www.positivewave.net/
https://www.humurecords.com/