Velvet Grooves

Now here's a release I can really do with - the debut album from Finland based Hannu on Osaka records. It was the first thing I plopped into my cd player just after I got up. Still waking up, the sound was beautiful. It was like my tired mind and the music were working nicely in parallel to put my day to a great, melancholic start. If there IS a god - this was his gift to me for the busy day head! :D

Melancholic is a good way of putting it, because here we have a CD full of textured soundscapes, orchestral landscapes and chillout sound waves, combining into something along the lines of Colleen - which it might be hard to top this year. First track 'Sumu' reminds me of that electronic track from 'The Elephant Man' if you know what I mean, brilliant, soothing stuff - and that xylophone at the end makes my spine tingle. Whilst in 'Haapavesi', the Colleen effect grows ever stronger with crackly lo-fi melodic loops which really add a great effect, quite an eerie one actually.... hmmm, it actually sounds a bit Bronnt Industries Kapital as well! :D

'Metsa' is heavy on the lo-fi static sound with xylophones gently infiltrating, making me day-dream like I'm in a dripping ice-cave. The most beautiful cave in the world infact. 'Worms In My Piano' starts off as a kinda eerie and messed up Orbital track. Maybe even Amon Tobin. Hannu really does know how to put the elctronics down and mixed em with samples. Clever fella! :D

See, what we're hearing here is a standard for the rest of the album. If you like your midnight drives with chilled, beautifully structured, melodic folktronica - this is for you. Amazing stuff!