"We Are Weepikes" by Weepikes - A Totally Satisfying Sonic Resurrection.

Weepikes is an alternative rock band out of Helsinki, Finland who burned bright from 1994 to 1997 with two well regarded EP's for Finnish Indie labels Trash Can Records and Bad Vugum. Having reformed in 2010, "We Are Weepikes" (released February 2013) is a sonic resurrection of sorts full of dynamic new material. The bottom heavy rock on this album pulsates with shifty bass lines, edgy drumming, screaming guitar lines that veer off into some luscious dissonance and vocals dripping with electronic filters that sound haunting. There is something really dreamy about their sound to in a sort of 90's rockish way. I can hear elements of bands like Spacehog, Radiohead, Wires On Fire, Queens of the Stone Age and Silverchair.

There is so much to love on this album. Falling Off The Carpet is a devilish slow drive in a black sedan through the dark with your lights off. The stair stepping bass riff and staccato blistering Jonny Greenwood-ish guitar work is wonderful. Nothing But A Soar is heavy and so cool as Pasi Peni sings, "You want to make us laugh, when you radiate, you want to be a star, you think it's kind of funny, when we fall down, you're nothing but a soar." The thick guitar lines and dramatic chord progressions shift the song into a surreal place. This song inhabits that same dream operatic sound of the latest Queens of the Stone Age album. Twisting on a dime from dramatic to straight up punk silly is We Are Weepikes that implodes in on itself. Why Am I Paranoid? (Ovitoremix) stands on a hypnotic groove, transient guitar work and over modulated vocals. It feels like a blend of noise rock, art rock with a dub step heart beat and it all works. Bad Valentine stars all at once. On Pasi's immediate utterance of "Tonight bad valentine" all instruments feel like they are chasing themselves. It is a tight puzzle box of a song that burns at an intricate pace and then erupts into a magnificent flame. All these songs speak to me except maybe track 7 that is a remix of Falling Off The Carpet which I feel doesn't have enough of Weepikes on display really. The Weepikes mastery of their instruments and flair for writing dreamy and dramatic alternative rock songs make me hope and pray that they stay around and continue to make records for more than 3 years this time around. In the final analysis, "We Are Weepikes" is a totally satisfying sonic resurrection.
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Robb Donker

You can currently get a free dnld of Bad Valentine- If you love this album, please be sure and support this band by purchasing the album.