This album is definitely an indie sound among indie sounds. Right from the start, the music grabs you by the scruff of the neck, and makes you pay attention. Kalevi has not moved outside his normal musical wheelhouse, but nevertheless he has managed to create a sound which will never leave any listeners bored.
Uutiset and The Source of the Absolute Knowledge have an almost Kraftwerk vibe to them, with the echoing vocals, and the electronic riffs, but these are the only times where any listener might perceive an outside influence. Both of these songs have a quieter tone to them, meaning that they stand out in an album which mostly features faster tempos.
Conceptual Mediterranean (part two) is a track which might prove confusing to people who are experiencing this album as their first exposure to Kalevi. The name isn’t an affectation for the album – part one exists, and it is on the album Out of Touch. Anybody who has followed the Finn throughout his music career will most likely understand the song title for that reason, but otherwise it seems out of place.
The female voices on The Search are an unexpected and welcome change, and it makes the song all the more memorable. The slight echo that is present gives it an overall feeling of being recorded outside of a normal studio. While not quite the same effect as Gregorian chanting, which is usually recorded in cathedrals to properly take advantage of the acoustics, the echo still gives this song a less constrained feel than other songs on the album.
Being able to create something which is both continuing the old and bringing in something new at one and the same time is an impressive feat, and Kalevi pulls it off effortlessly here. It is possible that the genre he is working in has that timeless feel by default, but a lot of the credit does have to go to the skill of the artist in question.