ES: KESÄMAAN LAPSET CD/LP/DD (FR-64)
LISTEN TO THE FULL ALBUM IN MYSPACEPRE-ORDER CD/VINYL
"This is my fifth solo release as Es. Kesämaan lapset was recorded
during a three year period. It is a mix of soundscapes and pop tunes.
You can hear influences varying from contemporary indie to ancient
classical music. It’s a summer album and a childhood photo album. The
name translates as “The Children Of The Summerland”. It an homage to
the Pekka Streng album “Kesämaa” (Summerland) which is one of my
favourite Finnish albums ever made. It also refers to Finland of
course. I’ve been travelling a lot these past three years and every
time I return here it feels more and more like home.
I’ve used
lots of instruments, from high-end analogue synthesizers and upright
pianos to cheap flea market Casios. I’ve recorded parts of this abroad
and at home in my studio and in my bedroom. There are a few special
guests: Laura Laurila plays violin, Tuomas Eriksson (Risto) plays
trombone and Elissa Määttänen who has sung on most of my albums is
present again to give her special voice to the tracks.
I hope
you enjoy the album. It is not as ambitious a work as my previous
double album Sateenkaarisuudelma. But this one is meant to be listened
to in many more situations and it might just fit as music for a house
party too…"
-Sami Sänpäkkilä
KIILA: TUOTA TUOTA CD/VINYL/DOWNLOAD (FR-65)
LISTEN TO THE FULL ALBUM IN MYSPACE
PRE-ORDER CD/VINYL
"Tuota tuota is the third full-length album by Kiila. Its songs were
born of peaceful, focused work and intense rehearsals with friends,
interspersed with sleep and mealtimes. The album features an
eight-strong core line-up but, as always, the composition of the group
varies effortlessly according to need. At this table, there is room for
everyone.
As musical form, songs have always been important to
Kiila, and consequently Tuota tuota develops around its songs. On the
other hand, the album consists of many details: the sound is full, the
web of instruments more varied and carefully orchestrated than before.
It is unnecessary to separate the electronic from the non-electronic
components. Different traditions of folk and pop music intermingle with
electronic music and improvisation, tones and sound itself. This way,
the album also poses questions about songs and songwriting.
The
motifs in the songs are not easy to render in English, but one can at
least attempt to translate some of them: master of the house, elk
antlers, tree bark, sound of rapids, fog, letters, calves, fingers. The
list, however, doesn’t make the songs easier to understand in a foreign
language. The words sound archaic, anachronistic or timeless, the
language of the myth. But can they be something else, too? And how
transparent do we want the myth to be? At the risk of sounding dull, I
suggest that the songs do speak to their age, our age, the nature of
knowledge and work, the fluctuations of inspiration and threat.
Unfortunately, it is mostly only the Finnish-speaking listeners who
will be able to assess the validity of this idea.
The name of the
album, Tuota tuota, translates roughly as “well, well” and signifies a
thinking pause, a moment of contemplation. The language alone is likely
to give pause to an English-speaking listener, but I hope the idea will
convey itself in more ways than just that. And a pause for thinking is,
of course, never a waste of time.
Jump right in!"
Turku, March 25, 2009 - Niko-Matti Ahti
TOMUTONTTU: TOMUTONTTU CD/DOWNLOAD
TOMUTONTTU: TOMUTONTO CD/DOWNLOAD
Fonal Recods is re-releasing these long sold out gem previously released on vinyl by Ultra Eczema and Beta-Lactam Ring. Tomutonttu
(“dust gnome”) is a human called Jan Anderzén, a visual artist and the
leader of a respected avant-garde sound group Kemialliset Ystävät. Toy
reed streams, mutilated vocals and groovy loops of animal noise are
some of the colours used to create the whirling mess that is the lonely
song of Tomutonttu. It is like a confusing detail of the Kemialliset
Ystävät freedom flow, a microcosmos of strange sound creatures and dirt
flying around in the stereo space and interacting with a logic all of
their own. Tomutonttu has collaborated live with Mike Bernstein (Double
Leopards, Religious Knives), Joshua Burkett, Tara Burke (Fursaxa), The
Skaters, Glenn Donaldson (Jewelled Antler), Sami Sänpäkkilä (Fonal, ES)
and Clay Ruby (Davenport). Recently he played a series of concerts for
school kids at the planetarium of his home town Tampere. His
discography is a labyrinth reflecting the nature of his music.
PRE-ORDER CD
Competition: Photograph your record shelf! Awesome prices!
LINK TO FONAL FORUM
Take
a photograph of your record shelf with Fonal Records releases in it.
Upload it here as an attachment. A jury consisting of me and a few
other Fonal artists will select the winners. We have awesome prices!!!