İslaja • Keraaminen Pää

İslaja • Keraaminen Pää

Mp3 224 Kbps | 54 MB | 2010

Tracklist :

01 - Joku Toi Radion
02 - Suzy Sudenkita
03 - Dadahuulet
04 - Pimeyttä Kohti
05 - Otakun Uhkaus
06 - Rakkauden Palvelija / 14. Käsky
07 - Ihmispuku
08 - Ajanlaskun Aatto
09 - Yövalo 

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Merja Kokkonen, a characteristically surreal Finnish singer-songwriter and visual artist better known as Islaja, has been all over the world.

One look at her recent aggressive tour schedule suggests it, but her diverse collection of unorthodox sounds and rippling emotional vocals confirm it. Often compared to quirky Icelandic pop singer Bjork and bohemian iconoclast Nico, Islaja reveals an even more unapologetic type of eccentricity that is neither violently happy nor fashionably self-destructive.

Before emerging primarily as a solo artist, Islaja crooned her way onto the Finnish psych folk scene as a member of Kemialliset Ystävät (Finnish for “Chemical Friends”) and Avarus. As part of the trio Hertta Lussu Ässä, Islaja provides a softly focused whisper to the group’s earthy and haunting melodies. What begins as a lazy boat ride through the forest at dusk becomes a challenging voyage amid a thousand buzzing hornets in the throat of Hades. The brazen, improvised sound is everything you’d expect from a group with a stage act performed entirely on sitting cushions, their smorgasbord of instruments laid out before them accompanied by a microphone positioned at knee-height. At first glance, you might think you were watching a hookah party; at first listen, you might start to wonder what exactly was packed in that hookah.

Keraaminen Pää (Finnish for “Ceramic Head”) is a deeper, more experimental followup to her previous melancholy album, “Ulual Yyy”. Three years in the making, Keraaminen Pää moves across a daring spectrum of sounds, from traditional eastern harmonies to more contemporary electronic riffs, creating an over-the-edge tribal mood that may incite more widespread appeal. Although she could be likened to a rebellious Enya, Islaja seems to make music for self-meditation rather than popularity with the Internet radio generation.

Islaja’s light, whispery voice complements the cool, mysterious musical arrangements such that the lyrics themselves are almost secondary by default. But for those who want them, Keraaminen Pää is the first Islaja album to feature the English translation of each song’s lyrics (although you can find the lyrics to “Ulual Yyy” and “Palaa Aurinkoon” on her website as well).

Much like her earlier work, Islaja’s fourth solo effort is an introspective musical interpretation of the unexplored corners of the subconscious. It is beautifully melodic, creating an alternative journey into heaven we never could have imagined without such a carefully arranged musical backdrop as it rips through a tempestuous purple sky that we would rather pretend wasn’t there, creating an intense listening experience best accompanied by a aimless mid-afternoon walk through a desolate, misty city.