jakob olausson

jakob olausson ~ morning & sunrise (de stijl, 2011)

"At some point all great explorers, from Amundsen to Kishan Singh Rawat, come to an opening up and cast their minds across a big space. A clearing, a promontory, a look out from a place no one’s been before. Jakob Olausson ventured deep on Moonlight Farm, his debut for De Stijl in the winter of 2005. His singular expression returns on Morning and Sunrise, an explorer’s codex, a gaze through to what’s more important and less seen. The path yet traveled and the sun arcing over it. Morning and Sunrise is a different record from Moonlight Farm.

There is more electric guitar and it really whisks at your earbones, the playing is beautiful. Jakob’s singing glows more. It gives light and shows love as it reassures, makes no false promises, says: You can be understood. Honest as the elements, words like "loner" will be hung on Morning and Sunrise, and that’s okay, we associate clarity this potent with solitude. And this could be the most lucid psychedelic record ever, morning is just so clear, and anyway, it’s not really loner, because You are there all along." de stijl

welcome traveler

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hertta lussu ässä

hertta lussu ässä ~ s/t (de stijl 2011)

"Kuupuu (Jonna Karanka), Lau Nau (Laura Naukkarinen) and Islaja (Merja Kokkonen),  all together in one band - it's like the dreamiest Aquarius daydream come true! All three of these ladies have been responsible for some of the most mystical and beautiful recordings of the last few years, all of which have become permanent favorites with everyone here. Lau Nau, and Islaja's recent recordings have shown them moving toward a more direct approach in their songwriting, but this project really lets all of these ladies dig deep into their textured, experimental roots.

It's a bit like listening to a seance happening miles away. Distant and subtle rumblings, murmurs, and gently conjured spells. One of those records that you can't identify what instruments/electronics are being used, with many of the sound sources seeming to be drawn from nature. Hertta Lussu Ässä use their voices as another haunting instrument that glides in and out of these four long tracks. It has us thinking of the Jewelled Antler crew performing an Arvo Part piece, or Grouper and Hala Strana collaborating on the soundtrack to a pagan solstice ceremony. Completely breathtaking!" aquarius records

...y poco más puedo añadir a lo que nos cuenta aquarius. la emoción en estado puro. dicen que este nuevo disco de islaja, laura y jonna es como un sueño hecho realidad. jewelled antler interpretando una pieza de arvo part, o grouper y hala strana colaborando en la banda sonora de una ceremonia pagana. tan sólo añadiré que las risas, murmullos, susurros, palmas, flautas, maullidos y pianos, convierten a estas cuatro canciones nana en otro disco familiar y acogedor del que no quieres salir. y que jewelled antler y finlandia es lo mejor que le ha pasado a la música en los últimos diez años. alabados sean por siempre ^^

foto via jesse treece

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charlie nothing

charlie nothing ~ outside inside lp (de stijl 2011)

"Charlie Nothing was the fractured-psyche pseudonym of author, father, horsekeeper, organic farmer, beekeeper, philosopher and clown Charles Martin Simon, inventor of the dingulator (guitar sculptures made out of the metal from American cars)..." meditations

"...Charlie keeps his work and his music simple, humble, and deeply in tune with the cosmos. “Inside/Outside” is a mostly quiet, living room affair, intimate and gentle, consisting of a simple flute melody and organic environmental sounds. It is as if, for 40 minutes or so, Charlie Nothing has invited you into his world to taste some of his vibe. Meditative and generous with space and silence, it is truly music that is unself-conscious. You feel like you are either eavesdropping on Charlie, or waiting for him to finish so he can give some of his attention..." foxy digitalis

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jakob olausson

Jakob Olausson - Moonlight Farm (De Stijl Records lp, 2006)

Pienso en Ben Chasny (preciosa 'What will tomorrow bring'), incluso en Syd Barrett, en Skip James (un loco a seguir: Jefferson Airplane y Moby Grape), Greg Ashley (de Gris Gris)...o Leonard Cohen (la hipnótica y decadente Queen Bee) bajo mil capas de drones e instrumentos tradicionales japoneses construidos por él mismo. Un universo mágico en el confluyen cielos de napalm, y nada más y nada menos que cincuenta lunas , y el viento que peina sus cabellos, y equilibristas que levitan en el aire...y fábulas fantásticas que hablan de perdedores atravesados por la flecha de Cupido y cuya historia sólo él conoce. Highest recommendation, según Volcanic Tongue.

Una canción: Listen, sister.