People remember the prog rock movement in Finland mainly through two bands, Wigwam and Tasavallan Presidentti. Both of these bands had, at least for a while, native English speakers as singers, which made them sound very professional at the 70s Finnish standards. I guess it is good that Tabula Rasa wasn't even trying to sing in English, because the results wouldn't have been as good, I think. Like on the first album, also on this one, some of the lyrics have been written by Mikko Alatalo, a musician that later became an MP in Finland.
There are slight funky elements on this album that didn't exist in the debut album. I guess it was around this time when funk started to appear in the mainstream. The other big difference is the absence of flute that made the first album so great. There also seem to be less vocals on this album. Many of the songs are instrumental, or at least mostly instrumental. Also, we don't get to hear higher tones from Jukka Leppilampi as much. Leppilampi became later a gospel singer when he found religion.
The album begins with the title-track Ekkedien tanssi. This song is a very typical Finnish prog rock song from the 70s. When the intro is playing, it sounds a lot like Wigwam. I like the use of rock organs in this song. Uskollinen is a bit cheesy as a song. It actually sounds quite a lot like the music in the sketch comedy Kummeli. The vibrato in the vocals is a bit humorous. Aamukasteen laiva has great, kind of groovy bass lines and laid back organ stylings. The acoustic guitars also give this song a sound that's not typical of the band. Omantunnon rukous has a nice and quiet mood, but the song itself remains a bit boring. Lasihelmipeli has some of the most impressive sounds on the album. They're a bit cheesy every once in a while, but they are, I guess, what was wanted from this era's prog rock. Rakastaa is probably my favourite song on this album. It's most like the songs on the debut album. Leppilampi's vocals sound fantastic and the melancholic melody brings shivers in my neck. This is what Tabula Rasa is supposed to sound. Kehto is a typical prog rock song where playing with the rhythmic gimmicks seems somehow artificial. Then again, I do like the bass lines and wavy rhythm. Babyla Rasa reminds me of many Finnish rock songs of the time that adopted some soulful influences without being like soul music at all. Säästä mun pää has some impressive guitar solos and strange vocals that have been filtered through some kind of vocoder. An effect that must've sounded very futuristic back in the 70s. Rakastatko vielä kun on ilta was the biggest hit song from this album. I remember hearing this song quite often on the radio, but it took me some time to realise that it's actually Tabula Rasa, because the song is so different from the debut album. There is a nice groove in the song and the chorus is very catchy. The album ends with Yksin, which has some church organ style rock organs. It has nice growth, which works beautifully for the last song on the album.
I haven't listened to Ekkedien tanssi that many times in recent years. I never got into the album that much. It definitely wasn't as good as the debut album. Then again, I think I may like it more now than I did back in the day. It's a bit cheesy and more adult album than the debut one, which might explain why it wasn't as good when I was younger. Nowadays, I'm beyond being embarrassed about music I listen to.
Listen to the album on Spotify.
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