When the Finnish group
22-Pistepirkko aren't busy writing and playing their own music, they've been known to play occasional "cover band" gigs under the name
the Others, and
22-Pistepirkko chose to celebrate their 20th anniversary together by cutting an album posing as their garage-centric alter egos.
Monochromeset features 13 songs dating back to the 1950s and '60s, with a dark and noisy undertow prominent throughout -- with five
Link Wray tunes and two songs from
the Troggs on the set list, how else could this stuff sound? While it doesn't take long to figure out that English isn't PK's first language, he knows enough to respect the gloomy heart of "Endless Sleep," "Fire of Love" and "Girl in Black" with his delivery, and his big echoing guitar figures generate heavy duty sonic angst that speaks a universal language. Meanwhile, Asko's subsonic bass and buzzing Farfisa add a wealth of color and weight, and the clatter of Espe's minimalist drumming is lean but intimidating. For garage fans who like to look on the dark side,
Monochromeset is an impressive set of gloomy kicks, and
22-Pistepirkko ought to consider taking
the Others into the recording studio again, though they might want to map out a more diverse repertoire for their next session. ~ Mark Deming