Professori (Season Two)

High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 200, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, posterAktor is one of the many side projects of the one and only Chris “The Professor” Black. He formed the band in 2013 along with Tomi Leppänen (drums) and Jussi Lehtisalo (guitars) from Finland. Aktor’s debut album «Paranoia» was issued on High Roller Records in 2015, followed by «Placebo» (2020). «Professori (Season Two)» is the name of the band’s brand-new record. “Weird music for weird people,” is how Chris Black once described Aktor. He explains: “It is correct that Aktor is not for everyone. If you like it, I’m happy, and if you don’t, sure, that’s ok. Generally, the conservatives know who they are, and they won’t even bother.” «Professori (Season Two)» may sound like a strange title for the third album of a band, but there is a story behind the name: “Yes, it is very conceptual. «Professori» is a TV show in the ‘Nordic noir’ genre, like a gritty detective show with all of the usual cliches. So, each song on the album is an episode of the show. I realized while writing that the story was actually the second season of the overall three-season arc. It starts with a twist – the lead character has disappeared! – and this was interesting to me, partly because his partner is elevated to the lead role.” On their new record Aktor once again present a very eclectic mixture of different styles. «Professori (Season Two)» combines eighties new wave (from B 52’s to Talking Heads and Wall Of Voodoo) with a heavy seventies prog/psychedelic vibe. “For sure,” says Chris Black. “Jussi is the main composer of our music, and he would answer differently, but for me personally, Aktor has no genre. There could be a lot of other music out there which sounds like Aktor, or has some common characteristics, but it’s not the kind of music I listen to. In my process with Aktor I am focused on the song itself, trying to add to the dynamics and atmosphere created by the guitars and synths. Those always come first, and then I add the vocals.”