It’s hard to believe now, but less than 20 years ago I used to feast on a monthly newsletter which I received from a mail order company which sent out a list of obscure underground music and the odd compilation promotional cd. This list led to discoveries. One of them was a Finnish ambient folk group called Nest. Liking this ambient neofolk which evoked an experience by a camp fire in a dark forest, my research widened and I discovered October Falls and Tenhi. This is Tenhi’s sixth album, of which I have two: “Maaäet” (Earth Waves) (2006) and “Saivo” (2011). Both are gloomy, dark, born of a proud folk tradition and strongly spiritual in their nature. Listed as having six members, whose repertoire includes flutes and violins as well as traditional rock / metal instruments, “Valkama” is the band’s first release since “Saivo”.
Calmly and patiently, we are taken through the mist. “Saattue” (Procession) has a mysticism about it, with its orchestrally slow progression, acoustic accompaniment, dusky vocal and haunting chorus. It is indeed a procession. The title of “Kesävihanta” presumably refers to the cultivation from the earth rather than the mundane “Summer Vegetable”, which is how it translates. It’s hard to tell. It is a slow and somnolent “Tales of the Riverbank” acoustic number with gloomy vocals and a rather lovely chorus. It smacks of rustic peace and tranquillity. The title song translates as “Haven”. Nothing moves at pace in this world. Nor is it dramatic. It is dreamy. The piano adds an element of colour but it’s like rolling gently along a river. A little band of campers and by the figurative fireside provide the battle chorus to the fluty, beating folk hymn “Rintamaan” (To the Front).
The eerie solemnity continues with the hypnotic “Rannankukka” (Beach Flower). Tribal drums, a distorted yet captivating acoustic rhythm and a heartfelt vocal performance give this a rich mix. Dark sadness is ever present across these ambient pieces. The deep-voiced singer wheels out his tale, occasionally supported by the drifting tones of a choir. On “Hele” (Hello) the progress is typically slow and deliberate, with instrumental richness providing variety and above all a mystical atmosphere. Where “Hele” had positivity about it and felt like nature was alive, the mood changes with the funereal “Ulapoi”. Symphonic sounds are used on both. “Ulapoi” plods on with its beating drum and slow acoustic symphony. But it is beautiful and evocative as well as being mind-blowingly depressing. Advice: do not have razor blades in the vicinity while listening to this track.
The morbid progression transforms into the moody and haunting “Elokuun Linnut” (Birds of August). The piano plays a strong part on this album, and does here, imposing majesty with the support of the choir when the dark tale is being related. I’m assuming it is a dark tale because of the tone rather than the words, Finnish not being a language that I know. What I do get out of these pieces is a wider spirituality where the human participants spread their wings into the world around them. I am guessing here but the birds of the song title represent activity in the sky. Fluty folk returns with “Sydämes on Tiel”, a strongly acoustic song in which the title is repeated on numerous occasions and there is a surge of intensity, but beyond that I have no idea what it might be about. The mesmeric sadness and hymnal climax of “Veden Elein” (Water Gestures) is followed by “Aina Sinina Aina” (Always Blue Always). Blue of the sky or blue of the sea? A childlike chorus supplements the sad piano work and laborious instrumentals. It seems to be no cause for rejoicing or celebration, in keeping with the sad tone of the whole album. The sensation is of clouds drifting skies. Our journey ends there.
Some, I suspect, will find the experience of watching paint dry more interesting than listening to this album. Others will regard it as a religious experience. I err towards the latter but must confess I found it hard going, not least because of its unremittingly depressive nature but also because the deep and throaty singer’s lyrics were lost on me, so I had to rely on the music to gauge the magnitude. “Valkama” has the mesmerising and misty qualities of “Maaäet” and “Saivo”, but where I once again appreciated the atmospheric and spiritual nature of all three albums, I found that “Valkama” branched out less in musical and instrumental scope and was rarely if ever uplifting.
(6/10 Andrew Doherty)
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