*. This Empty Flow .*

Album: Three Empty Boys (1999)
Genre: Prog Rock (Shoegaze/Dream Pop/Psychedelic)  /  Finland

The Scandinavian experimental group This Empty Flow never achieved the success of their dream pop/space rock peers. They were equally charming and sonically gorgeous, however they'd never gain the praise similar to the likes of Mogwai and Sigur Rós. Formed in their native Turku, Finland, in 1994, Jori Sjöroos (vocals/guitar), Niko Sirkiä (keyboards), and Aku-Tuomas Mattila (bass) created a soft, indie sound and home-recorded several demo tapes. The next year, This Empty Flow sent a tape to the Italian label Avantgarde Music and inked a deal in April. By September, they were in the studio making an album. Magenta Skycode (1996) was the fruit of those sessions. The album's producer, Jukka Sillanpää, was now a part of the band as the prime guitarist, however friction inside the group was brewing. Sirkiä left prior to the year's end to focus on his own projects and the musical direction of band was no longer in grasp. This Empty Flow had only played two concerts, both in Finland, by 1997, however a shift in bandmembers brought some hope back to the fray. Hanna Kalske was brought on board to play keyboards and This Empty Flow spent the next year and a half recording and rehearsing for a second album. Three Empty Boys was a rough-cut EP issued by Matilla's Plastic Passion imprint in 1999. A year later, Muovi 111 released another outtakes EP entitled Useless and Empty Songs. The band's punk-inspired ambience was more apparent via remixes and demos; the EP also sold for a limited-edition 111 copies. Still, This Empty Flow was a fragile state. Matilla was working with his former group, Sad Parade, whereas Sjöroos had Fun-Tourist and Sirkiä was committed to Niko Skorpio & A\\H. Eibon Records, an Italian distributor, contacted the band in late 2000 and This Empty Flow was persuaded enough to compile an album of rare and unreleased material. Nowafter, probably the best effort showcasing the band's impeccable beauty, appeared in 2001 while the name This Empty Flow virtually disappeared. (www.allmusic.com)

RATING:  8 / 10

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