| Underwater Sleeping Society |
Instrumental Healthcare |
Underwater Sleeping Society — Instrumental Healthcare 
♦♥♦ Don’t you just love those albums that defy classification? Don’t you just want to see the face of the record store owner who has to decide where to place a certain album in order to find customers for the thing. Will he put it in the krautrock and psychedelic section, or maybe in the stoner~division, or how about the immense department of pop music? Or indie? Listening to this album apparently makes me imagine that store owner go mad and eventually solving the problem by ordering enough copies to put it in all of the above.
♦♥♦ Underwater Sleeping Society is a band from Finland who, apparently, add a progressive touch to bittersweet pop songs from the sixties. With this new album, they return after a hiatus of six years, in which they “learned to be a band again and play for the fun of playing”. In a way, you can definitely hear that on ‘Instrumental Healthcare’, which, by the way, is far from instrumental. There is a certain feeling of joy and utter pleasure, flowing through the melancholic pop melodies. 
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Genre: Indie Rock, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic
Album release: October 24, 2016
Record Label: Svart Records
Duration: 54:17
Tracks:
01. A Ghost In The Room 5:46
02. Tomorrow’s Yesterday 4:19
03. Hexagon Eyes 3:49
04. On A Vitamine Strut 4:52
05. Origo 5:13
06. Big Fish Don’t Know 4:42
07. Complete, Compass 4:54
08. Bow & Arrow 4:02
09. The Last Door 4:24
10. Catnip Love 5:41
11. Chemical Trails 6:35
Credits:
♦ Cover: Jussi Hietala, Okko Nuotio, Tomi Forsblom
♦ Cover, Photoshopped by: Okko Nuotio, Tomi Forsblom
♦ Lyrics: Okko Nuotio
♦ Mastered: Petter Eriksson
♦ Mixed: Sampsa Väätäinen
♦ Music: Underwater Sleeping Society
♦ Performer: Jussi Hietala, Matti Olavi Töyli, Okko Nuotio, Olli Waris, Sampo Fagerlund, Tomi Tiittanen
♦ Photography, Front cover photo provided by: Af Enehielm Family
♦ Photography by, Inside Photo: Teemu Kilponen
♦ Producer: Jussi Hietala, Okko Nuotio, Underwater Sleeping Society
♦ Recorded: Henri Ohvo, Underwater Sleeping Society
♦ Vocals, Additional Vocals: Tiina Sarja (tracks: A1, B4 to B5)
♦ Recorded at Kulttuuritalo
♦ Mixed at Studio Supikoira
♦ Mastered at Studio Epidemin
♦ Manufactured by XVINYLX.COM
♦ Pressed by GZ Media ~ 148219E
♦ Recorded at Paukunharjun maja, Hyvinkää / Kulttuuritalon Alppisali, Helsinki / Temple of Doom, Helsinki / Suvilahden treenis, Helsinki, May 2014 ~ June 2015.
♦ Clear vinyl in gatefold jacket. Limited edition of 200.
Review
Natalie Humphries, October 4, 2016; Score: 6
♦♥♦ Underwater Sleeping Society are back from their hiatus with their fourth full~length album Instrumental Healthcare, their first since 2008’s Dead Vegas and it’s a nice easy listen with a good ‘airy’ quality to it.
♦♥♦ Everything about the album just feels “nice”; it’s an inoffensive piece of work that has a good flow to it, with Underwater Sleeping Society almost gliding from one track to the next, and the musical performance is gentle and unintrustive. Each track is well~constructed, and a particularly strong element of the album is the vocal delivery — there’s a controlled, smooth feeling to them as a whole, and they work well at directing the listener through the eleven songs.
♦♥♦ However on the other hand, Instrumental Healthcare is not an album that will necessarily invoke a strong reaction in you — at times it has a somewhat wishy~washy feel to it and doesn’t feature any lines or performances that will really stay with you after the album has come to a close. It’s an enjoyable album, but just not the most memorable piece out there. It’s nice enough, but works better as background music than as a fully immersive listen. ♦♥♦ http://www.soundscapemagazine.com/
About:
♦♥♦ Finland’s finest purveyor of expanded progressive pop melancholy, Underwater Sleeping Society are sleeping no more. The short hiatus the band went on after the album Dead Vegas (2008) streched to almost seven years of absence, and now, after last year’s run of strong comeback shows around Finland UwSSoc have emerged from the studio, ready to unleash their fourth full length album, titled Instrumental Healthcare.
♦♥♦ Underwater Sleeping Society’s chosen brand of art is what one could call “deep pop”, a mixture of contagious, timeless pop melodies presented with the creative vigour of a progressive musician, all coated with a certain northern bittersweet melancholy. The band’s first album Future On A Plate (2004) received high praise and drew comparisons to artists such as The Flaming Lips, Nick Drake and Super Furry Animals. The band´s second album All Other Lights Go Out (2007), produced by Aku Rannila and 22~Pistepirkko´s Asko Keränen, and the 2008 follow~up Dead Vegas took the band further, with several tours around Europe.
♦♥♦ The band’s primus motor Jussi Hietala comments on the birth of the band’s fourth album:
♦♥♦ — Instrumental Healthcare was given a slow birth during 2014 and 2015. This was preceded by a few years which it took for us to learn how to be a band again, after a long break. We rehearsed once a week, jammed, played each others’ instruments and just played for the joy of playing. On an emotional level the album is the fruit of that period, even though much of the music was composed later.
♦♥♦ Instrumental Healthcare is, most of all, a whole. The song cycle tells a story which depicts the fragile state of the human mind and the changes it has to go through. Although the story is told through the eyes of a personal protagonist, it is possible to interpret it as social commentary. Or maybe it’s all in the imagination? Regardless of the story arc this is not a concept album, because all of the material works as stand alone tracks as well. The group recommends that Instrumental Healthcare should be approached with concentration and high volume levels.
Review
Jesse Ryhänen, 28.10.2016, Score: 6½
♦♥♦ Tiedepiireissä aavistuksen karsastetun Tri. E. Brownin teorian mukaan jokaisesta teosta ja päätöksestä syntyy poikkeavia aikajanoja, joita lienee käytännössä lähes ääretön määrä. Eräässä näistä haaroista kotimainen Magenta Skycode kävi joskus Kingston Wallin kanssa jammailemassa. Jonkin mystisen astraalisen vibraation ansiosta ainakin osasia tästä on kantautunut tänne meidän aikajanallemme Underwater Sleeping Societyn tuoreen Instrumental Healthcare ~levyn muodossa.
♦♥♦ Höpinä sikseen. Helsinkiläisen, pöljästi nimetyn Underwater Sleeping Societyn tuore pitkäsoitto on ensimmäinen julkaisu pitkään aikaan; edellislevy The Dead Vegas ilmestyi 2008, joten yhtye on hitaasti kypsytellyt neljättä levyään. Tuloksena on levy, joka päällisin puolin tuo usein mieleen hippimeininkiin hypänneen Magenta Skycoden pehmoisella indiepopillaan, mutta pinnan alle kätkeytyy huomattavasti monipuolisempia piirteitä. Syntikoissa on välillä kevyen kasaria vibaa, laulumelodioista löytyy kaikkea 60~luvun popista 2010~luvun indieen, ja valikoiduissa kohdissa kuultava saksofoni tuo mukavaa lämpöä soundiin. Levyn yleisilme on hiukan surumielinen, muttei erityisen raskas, ja ison osan ajasta kevyt psykedeliaviba kuuluu musiikista läpi. Levyltä löytyy kaikki vaadittavat ainesosat oikein hyvälle levylle, mutta…
♦♥♦ Tyylille hiukan epätavanomaisemmista piirteistään huolimatta Instrumental Healthcare sujahtaa loppujen lopuksi kuitenkin aika helposti ~ ehkä liiankin helposti ~ modernin urbaanin suomalaisen indiepopin karsinaan. Osittain tämä johtuu siitä, että useankin kuuntelun jälkeen levy pysyy yhtä harmaana kuin kansikuvan tausta. Biisit eivät vain nouse esiin sen paremmin positiivisessa kuin negatiivisessakaan mielessä, vaan Instrumental Healthcare on 55 minuuttia tasapaksuutta josta ei vaan saa otetta.
♦♥♦ http://www.imperiumi.net/
Also:
Serge
♦♥♦ http://www.merchantsofair.com/reviews/underwater-sleeping-society-instrumental-healthcare
Label: http://svartrecords.com/
_____________________________________________________________
| Underwater Sleeping Society |
Instrumental Healthcare |
♦♥♦ Underwater Sleeping Society is a band from Finland who, apparently, add a progressive touch to bittersweet pop songs from the sixties. With this new album, they return after a hiatus of six years, in which they “learned to be a band again and play for the fun of playing”. In a way, you can definitely hear that on ‘Instrumental Healthcare’, which, by the way, is far from instrumental. There is a certain feeling of joy and utter pleasure, flowing through the melancholic pop melodies.
Genre: Indie Rock, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic
Album release: October 24, 2016
Record Label: Svart Records
Duration: 54:17
Tracks:
01. A Ghost In The Room 5:46
02. Tomorrow’s Yesterday 4:19
03. Hexagon Eyes 3:49
04. On A Vitamine Strut 4:52
05. Origo 5:13
06. Big Fish Don’t Know 4:42
07. Complete, Compass 4:54
08. Bow & Arrow 4:02
09. The Last Door 4:24
10. Catnip Love 5:41
11. Chemical Trails 6:35
Credits:
♦ Cover: Jussi Hietala, Okko Nuotio, Tomi Forsblom
♦ Cover, Photoshopped by: Okko Nuotio, Tomi Forsblom
♦ Lyrics: Okko Nuotio
♦ Mastered: Petter Eriksson
♦ Mixed: Sampsa Väätäinen
♦ Music: Underwater Sleeping Society
♦ Performer: Jussi Hietala, Matti Olavi Töyli, Okko Nuotio, Olli Waris, Sampo Fagerlund, Tomi Tiittanen
♦ Photography, Front cover photo provided by: Af Enehielm Family
♦ Photography by, Inside Photo: Teemu Kilponen
♦ Producer: Jussi Hietala, Okko Nuotio, Underwater Sleeping Society
♦ Recorded: Henri Ohvo, Underwater Sleeping Society
♦ Vocals, Additional Vocals: Tiina Sarja (tracks: A1, B4 to B5)
♦ Recorded at Kulttuuritalo
♦ Mixed at Studio Supikoira
♦ Mastered at Studio Epidemin
♦ Manufactured by XVINYLX.COM
♦ Pressed by GZ Media ~ 148219E
♦ Recorded at Paukunharjun maja, Hyvinkää / Kulttuuritalon Alppisali, Helsinki / Temple of Doom, Helsinki / Suvilahden treenis, Helsinki, May 2014 ~ June 2015.
♦ Clear vinyl in gatefold jacket. Limited edition of 200.
Natalie Humphries, October 4, 2016; Score: 6
♦♥♦ Underwater Sleeping Society are back from their hiatus with their fourth full~length album Instrumental Healthcare, their first since 2008’s Dead Vegas and it’s a nice easy listen with a good ‘airy’ quality to it.
♦♥♦ Everything about the album just feels “nice”; it’s an inoffensive piece of work that has a good flow to it, with Underwater Sleeping Society almost gliding from one track to the next, and the musical performance is gentle and unintrustive. Each track is well~constructed, and a particularly strong element of the album is the vocal delivery — there’s a controlled, smooth feeling to them as a whole, and they work well at directing the listener through the eleven songs.
♦♥♦ However on the other hand, Instrumental Healthcare is not an album that will necessarily invoke a strong reaction in you — at times it has a somewhat wishy~washy feel to it and doesn’t feature any lines or performances that will really stay with you after the album has come to a close. It’s an enjoyable album, but just not the most memorable piece out there. It’s nice enough, but works better as background music than as a fully immersive listen. ♦♥♦ http://www.soundscapemagazine.com/
♦♥♦ Finland’s finest purveyor of expanded progressive pop melancholy, Underwater Sleeping Society are sleeping no more. The short hiatus the band went on after the album Dead Vegas (2008) streched to almost seven years of absence, and now, after last year’s run of strong comeback shows around Finland UwSSoc have emerged from the studio, ready to unleash their fourth full length album, titled Instrumental Healthcare.
♦♥♦ Underwater Sleeping Society’s chosen brand of art is what one could call “deep pop”, a mixture of contagious, timeless pop melodies presented with the creative vigour of a progressive musician, all coated with a certain northern bittersweet melancholy. The band’s first album Future On A Plate (2004) received high praise and drew comparisons to artists such as The Flaming Lips, Nick Drake and Super Furry Animals. The band´s second album All Other Lights Go Out (2007), produced by Aku Rannila and 22~Pistepirkko´s Asko Keränen, and the 2008 follow~up Dead Vegas took the band further, with several tours around Europe.
♦♥♦ The band’s primus motor Jussi Hietala comments on the birth of the band’s fourth album:
♦♥♦ — Instrumental Healthcare was given a slow birth during 2014 and 2015. This was preceded by a few years which it took for us to learn how to be a band again, after a long break. We rehearsed once a week, jammed, played each others’ instruments and just played for the joy of playing. On an emotional level the album is the fruit of that period, even though much of the music was composed later.
♦♥♦ Instrumental Healthcare is, most of all, a whole. The song cycle tells a story which depicts the fragile state of the human mind and the changes it has to go through. Although the story is told through the eyes of a personal protagonist, it is possible to interpret it as social commentary. Or maybe it’s all in the imagination? Regardless of the story arc this is not a concept album, because all of the material works as stand alone tracks as well. The group recommends that Instrumental Healthcare should be approached with concentration and high volume levels.
Review
Jesse Ryhänen, 28.10.2016, Score: 6½
♦♥♦ Tiedepiireissä aavistuksen karsastetun Tri. E. Brownin teorian mukaan jokaisesta teosta ja päätöksestä syntyy poikkeavia aikajanoja, joita lienee käytännössä lähes ääretön määrä. Eräässä näistä haaroista kotimainen Magenta Skycode kävi joskus Kingston Wallin kanssa jammailemassa. Jonkin mystisen astraalisen vibraation ansiosta ainakin osasia tästä on kantautunut tänne meidän aikajanallemme Underwater Sleeping Societyn tuoreen Instrumental Healthcare ~levyn muodossa.
♦♥♦ Höpinä sikseen. Helsinkiläisen, pöljästi nimetyn Underwater Sleeping Societyn tuore pitkäsoitto on ensimmäinen julkaisu pitkään aikaan; edellislevy The Dead Vegas ilmestyi 2008, joten yhtye on hitaasti kypsytellyt neljättä levyään. Tuloksena on levy, joka päällisin puolin tuo usein mieleen hippimeininkiin hypänneen Magenta Skycoden pehmoisella indiepopillaan, mutta pinnan alle kätkeytyy huomattavasti monipuolisempia piirteitä. Syntikoissa on välillä kevyen kasaria vibaa, laulumelodioista löytyy kaikkea 60~luvun popista 2010~luvun indieen, ja valikoiduissa kohdissa kuultava saksofoni tuo mukavaa lämpöä soundiin. Levyn yleisilme on hiukan surumielinen, muttei erityisen raskas, ja ison osan ajasta kevyt psykedeliaviba kuuluu musiikista läpi. Levyltä löytyy kaikki vaadittavat ainesosat oikein hyvälle levylle, mutta…
♦♥♦ Tyylille hiukan epätavanomaisemmista piirteistään huolimatta Instrumental Healthcare sujahtaa loppujen lopuksi kuitenkin aika helposti ~ ehkä liiankin helposti ~ modernin urbaanin suomalaisen indiepopin karsinaan. Osittain tämä johtuu siitä, että useankin kuuntelun jälkeen levy pysyy yhtä harmaana kuin kansikuvan tausta. Biisit eivät vain nouse esiin sen paremmin positiivisessa kuin negatiivisessakaan mielessä, vaan Instrumental Healthcare on 55 minuuttia tasapaksuutta josta ei vaan saa otetta.
♦♥♦ http://www.imperiumi.net/
Also:
Serge
♦♥♦ http://www.merchantsofair.com/reviews/underwater-sleeping-society-instrumental-healthcare
Label: http://svartrecords.com/
_____________________________________________________________