Short Reviews [Jukka Iisakkila - 2018 - "Clocks and Clouds"]

If you were to search for Jukka on Google you will discover that he is he’s best known as a conductor of symphony orchestras, as well as working on crossover productions with many artists, including pop band Goldfrappe as well as guitar hero Steve Vai. However, this album has little to do with symphony orchestras, but a great deal to do with Vai. Here Iisakkila (pronounced: Eye-Sa-Keela) shows he is a fusion musician who has been spending a great deal of time listening not only to Steven Siro Vai but also to Allan Holdsworth, and the result is something which is fresh and interesting. Here he utilises drummer Ilkka Saarikoski, but the rest of the instrumental album is provided by Iisakkila. The mind is immediately reminded of Vai, but in a more laid back and thought-out manner, playing only a few notes where one can imagine the seven-string being ripped apart in a far more dramatic manner, thinking more of the overall sound and feel. There are times when it almost feels as if Jean Michel Jarre has had a hand in the sound as the backing can be quite soft and move slowly, with the result that this is a much slower and relaxing album than one might initially think. There are times when it borders on the boring, but normally recovers. It does have the hallmarks of a self-recorded, self-released album though, and an outside viewpoint may have added something to an album, which is generally solid, but rarely more than that.