Laika and the Cosmonauts

The Amazing Colossal Band (Upstart)
by Joe Hacking

I was drawn to this disc by the name and the strange, John K.-like artwork on the cover. The best words to describe the music come from the cover: “…music from beyond tomorrow…” Guitarist/keyboardist Matt Pitsinski’s kooky, New Wave/retro keyboards keep you in outer space for the whole album, with only Mikko Lankinen’s guitars to remind you that this band is from Earth. Finland to be exact. Laika & the Cosmonauts have a clever album here, full of surf music riffs, tremolo-laden guitar tracks and astral keys. No vocals make it perfect music for surfing the net, too.