PERMANENT CLEAR LIGHT – Right As Rain (2023, LP Sulatron Records)

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Sulatron Records

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, 180grams Black recycling vinyl, 300 copies

Release Date: 5 May 2023

My friend’s Markku’s band – Permanent Clear Light” is back with their 3^rd album “Right As Rain” after “Beyond These Things” (2013) and “Cosmic Comics” (2020) (Review). (They have also released 3 7-inch Singles). Like their previous LP “Cosmic Comics” this one too is released through Sula Bassana’s Sulatron Records label. The press release states:

“After their successful 2nd album “Cosmic Comics” (Sulatron, 2020), which was highly acclaimed in the music press, their 3rd album “Right as Rain“ is ready to enter your mind.
“Cosmik Comics“ was more sixties influenced and a bit more experimental. Now they have a deep Canterbury Prog and Pop influence, but these earworm melodies, the band from Finland creates, are still there, or even becoming more! And again, the real beauty comes after several listening runs. Typical for Sulatron releases.

“Right as Rain” immerses in shimmering and summery psychedelic pop about rivers, trees & grass, including PCL’s most gorgeous melodies to date. But, towards the end of the album, the tone gets darker and heavier, reflecting the Europe of today. There are touches of pure avant-garde and deep prog and, as a whole, “Right as Rain“ is absolutely the most satisfying PCL album so far.

Mixed and mastered by Arto Kakko. Cover art by Sandra Havik (Cosmik Havik)”…

The band consists of Markku Helin (Lead guitar, Synths), Arto Kakko (Drums, bass, guitar, keys), and Matti Laitinen (Lead vocals). “Right as Rain” contains 9 tracks and I have to admit that the 2^nd side of the LP is my favorite, and having read that press release there’s no wondering why, hehe… But, let’s start at the beginning… The opener “Kudvash” is a popsike lovely tune, soft and poppy with a cool relaxing melody. On “Snowing Skyways” the band makes a huge dive into the Pop-Psych side of the late British 60s, a warm melody with soft n’ cozy vocals while slowly the track falls into a Canterbury-like time warp creating an amazing and kind of experimental atmosphere, yes, that cool! “Long Long Time Ago” is a balladesque tune, soft and warm, drenched into this magical Syd Barrett poppy melancholy… “Jezabel” is another cool pop-ballad song with a lovely melody built upon the synth… The last track of the ‘A’ side is called “Conspicuous By Its Absence” and by reading just the title my curiosity aroused wondering if this has something to do with that Magnificent Great Society LP from 1968… Hmmm… Probably not… This is a 2:14min experimental tune, musicless, but quite trippy I think… The whole scenery on side ‘B’ slowly changes starting with “Lonely Gardener”, by now the soundscape is obviously more Psych-related without losing the softness or the melodic lines of the ‘A’ side, a track that is fully drenched into melancholy… “Mole In A Hole” is a popsike synth-based song, trippy and a little experimental, slowly becoming a weird Psych mellow tune, quite dark and it’s clear by now that the “sunny days” of side ‘A’ are long gone… With “I’m Gonna Turn Your Castles into Sand” the band makes another scenery-change, dark, cold, and electronically flavored with a trippy and addictive tone emerging an intense mid-80s synth-pop feeling… The album comes to an end with “Iron Gate”, there’s a Psych-Prog flirting intro while the band creates a magical and kind of easy-listening soundscape with synths and guitars harmonically coexisting… So, Permanent Clear Light delivered a very different (than their previous works) and a very personal album. An esoteric album, that is blooming with some Great Poppy melodies flirting sometimes with Psych sometimes with Prog, becoming light, becoming dark… I’m pretty sure that “Right as Rain” will not disappoint either Permanent Clear Light’s fans or the new listeners out there… Grab it! TimeLord Michalis

Tracklist

Grab it through SULATRON RECORDS Web

Alternatively, get it via SHINY BEAST Mailorder

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