Finnish quartet
Liima debuted in 2016 as a side project of textural pop specialists
Efterklang, when members
Casper Clausen,
Rasmus Stolberg, and
Mads Brauer collaborated with jazz drummer
Tatu Rönkkö. Initially conceived as a one-off, the new band proved to be a productive endeavor and continued to bear enough fruit for a second offering. Similar to
Efterklang,
Liima paints a wide aural canvas of atmospheric tones and timbres with roads that snake through snowy ambient vistas and lush fjords of dramatic electro-pop. Ultimately more of a pop-oriented project, the quartet's debut,
ii, shimmered and skittered with strange icy songs about Russians and
Roger Waters, feeling a little frantic at times. Their follow-up LP,
1982, is an overall bolder, richer, and more focused experience. Leading off with the massive dark-grooved title cut, the album takes its time to unfold over nine fairly lengthy tracks, including a two-part finale that features a secret bonus song separated from its sibling by seven minutes of silence. Cold and dramatic, there are echoes of '80s Cold War-era synth pop, especially on standouts like "Life Is Dangerous" and the first section of the final track, "My Mind Is Yours." While drummer
Tatu Rönkkö slots easily into the
Efterklang approach (and also acts as that band's touring percussionist), his contributions to
Liima's aesthetic are a central part of the project's identity, creating deep rhythmic grooves with drum patterns that are rarely, if ever, straightforward. The robust rhythm battery of
Rönkkö and bassist
Rasmus Stolberg really propels
1982 forward and adds a great deal to their bigger picture. An improvement on their debut, this release solidifies
Liima as a band. ~ Timothy Monger