Pacha & Pörsti: Views From The Inner World

One of my favourite discoveries since I started reviewing music has been The Samurai Of Prog. Pacha & Pörsti is a side project with two releases thus far: Views From The Inner World (2022) and Sea Of Mirrors (2023).

Like Kimmo’s main band, the musician list is impressive and include: Rafael Pacha (electric and acoustic guitars, bass, percussion, keyboards, lyra, mandolin, viola da gamba, electric violin, low whistle, tin whistle, zither, soprano and tenor saxophones, synth, melodica, fretless bass) Kimmo Pörsti (drums, percussion, keyboards, bass, acoustic guitars) John Wilkinson (lead and backing vocals) Marco Bernard (Shuker bass) Jan-Olof Strandberg (bass, fretless bass) Olli Jaakkola (flute, soprano sax) Ariane Valdivié (vocals) Marek Arnold (soprano sax) Rubén �lvarez (electric guitar) Dan Schamber (all lyrics)

The album is elegantly crafted in the vein of ‘70s progressive rock infused with folk and jazzy motifs always to the benefit of the song. The disc begins with the short instrumental “Ventolera Prelude� featuring Pacha’s atmospheric guitar licks and moody keyboards and Pörsti’s low key drumming. I could have envisioned this extending past the fade out as the guitar riff has a nice flow before ending at just over a minute. “Under A Cloudless Sky� showcases Pacha’s virtuosity as the multi-instrumentalist plays a variety of instruments. It is a lovely bit folky prog rock paced by Pörsti’s heavy stick work. A joyous melody can be heard in the keyboard heavy “Matkakuume�, another fine instrumental. The band reaches for a mellow yet full sound on the folk tinged “Leap In The Dark� featuring Ariane Valdivié’s exquisite lead vocals and with the multi-part “The Man Who Walked Home�, there is plenty of space for the players to explore, whether its Marek Arnold’s wonderful explorations on soprano sax or Rubén �lvarez’s scintillating exploits on lead guitar.

What can I say, Views from The Inner World is another beautifully crafted work of high art from a group of musicians who write and play from the heart. That, my friends, is reason enough to explore this delightful album which I cannot recommend enough!

A Seacrest Oy release.

Track Listing:
1. Ventolera Prelude (1:04)
2. Watch The Stars (6:52)
3. Jubilation (4:58)
4. Under A Cloudless Sky (5:40)
5. Matkakuume (4:54)
6. Leap In The Dark (6:26)
7. Shadows Of Lost memories (3:15)
8. The Man Who Walked Home (8:44)
9. Ventolera (8:55)
10. Alone Against Tomorrow (7:09)

Added: December 29th 2024
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 408
Language: english

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