JEAVESTONE - Mind The Soup

9 songs
37:59 minutes
***** ***
Nordic Notes

Bandpage

After releasing last year Jeavestone’s second album Spices, Species And Poetry Petrol, their label decided to have a second go at their debut Mind The Soup from 2005. The Finnish band brands themselves as a prog’n’roll band. Add to this the weird album titles and the five musicians’ pseudonyms (Jim Goldworth, Mickey Maniac, Tommy Glorioso, Angelina Galactique, Kingo), and you know already that Jeavestone don’t profess the typical sombre art the progressive rock genre is commonly known and feared for.

Armed with a heavy portion of humour, Jeavestone craft atypically short songs that have a strong west coast flair, although they are not afraid to spice their catchy material up with occasional complex prog patterns. Stylistically closer to Umphrey’s McGee, Spin Doctors and Echolyn than to the often very earnest Scandinavian brand, the quintet managed to write songs that always feel natural. The opener Knights Of The Bottomline shows the band from their more rocking and groovy side, while the following shorter Beauty Contest comes fully equipped with a sunny Californian flair. Instrumental prowess is demonstrated on Extended Massive Orgasm, to be succeeded by the album’s most progressive track The Secret Playhouse with an impressive flute part.

Mind The Soup is an impressive debut album that could only have turned out at least ten minutes longer. The progressive elements are decently integrated into their feel-good sound which shows a lot of parallels to that of many American jam bands. Apparently Jeavestone became more complex on their second album, but this debut has more than enough qualities to attract fans of intelligent rock music that comes with a humorous twist.