Albums monet nävöt
Pauliina's solo album came out in autumn 2005. The music on this recording is mostly composed by Pauliina there is also one traditional polska melody included. Improvisation plays an important role in her music and she has been developing own, modern playing techniques. She likes to search for acoustic effects and kantele is also used in a percussive way, hitting the strings with metal finger-picks.
This album is historical, as it’s the second-ever played on the match-plucking style. It has also a significant cultural value: the style almost disappeared from Finland. Due to Pauliina’s restoration work, many young players have adopted this way of playing and the tradition can continue.
Introduction text: 
“A hundred years ago many players in Finland used matchsticks to pluck at their kanteles. However, by the time I became interested in the style in the 1990’s, it had almost disappeared. The strong, grainy soundscape created using matchsticks has inspired me to experiment with new sounds, using props such as finger picks and even Blu-tak. Throughout this musical adventure the point of departure has been the traditional shimmering sound of the Saarijarvi kantele. Improvisation lies at the heart of my music: music lives in the moment, reflecting my moods. I like to search for strange and unfamiliar tones of sound, resembling those of another instrument or an electric sound effect. “
Monet nävöt album-review (FolkRoots Magazine 2006) “ --- Using traditional and innovative techniques she gets a remarkable range of strong, exciting sounds out of the instrument, rippling clusters, ringing harmonics, abrasive chopping, koto-like bent notes, scratching, clicking and wonderfully deep chiming bass. --- it's so multi-layered and full-sounding it's hard to believe there's no double-tracking or editing. Not only this is one of the very few recordings featuring Saarijärvi kantele, it's one of the most interesting and impressive kantele recordings available.” - Andrew Cronshaw Album review Pauliina Syrjälä's first solo album consists of new folk music played
on one Saarijärvi kantele. Four of the tracks are the artist's own, one
("Koivusaari") partially traditional. Everything on the album has been
played on a singular take, so there are no layered tracks in use.
Syrjälä, a known master of her instrument, plays kantele mainly in the
almost forgotten way of plucking it with a matchstick. Occasionally
there are other tools in use as well, such as finger picks and Blu-tak.
The artist's virtuosity with her instrument is immediately obvious to
even a layman listener. So is the incredible range of structural and
tonal shades a single kantele is able to produce.
The tracks on this album can be divided style-wise into three
categories. First of these is a very modern-sounding fusion-folk, which
builds up and intensifies towards its apexes while constantly
transforming in small ways along the road. Imagine one person invoking
the whole scale used in early Godspeed You Black Emperor works with a
single instrument, and you can get close to what this is like. The
opening track "Timotei" and especially "Mehtä" fall into this category.
The second style is a more "traditional" (read: fitting the layman
stereotype of kantele music) one, yet one that has lots of unusual
nuances and loads of power. The "Muanitus" and the afore-mentioned
Koivusaari are representatives of this type of song. The third style,
the one I myself found most intriguing, was that of acoustic drones. The
12-minute song "Kamprovisaatio" is essentially three different
drone-waves in a row, all of which have a highly hypnotic quality to
them. Our readers may gain a decent idea about the track by combining
Hei's organic soundscapes with The ingenious constant variation of
Troum's drone works. The album's final song, "Miele", is brighter,
slower and calmer than the others, and does not fit any of the
categories described above.
The creative emphasis of all tracks on Monet Nävöt is clearly in
improvisation, but it is obvious that a folk musician who has graduated
from the Sibelius Academy has a huge store of elements she may draw upon
even when creating something uniquely her own. This has resulted in an
astonishingly effective combination of familiar-seeming music that keeps
surprising its listeners repeatedly. Especially the wealth of variation
in every piece makes sure that both the listener stays interested and
the music is very rewarding at all times.
Thus, for a fan of either kantele-playing, modern folk music, or both,
this is a mandatory purchase. In addition, I can easily recommend it to
open-minded fans of neofolk - as well as those who favor ambient,
because despite differences in the instruments used, Monet Nävöt most
closely resembles that genre in mood and feel. It is a great musical
experience, as long as one is open enough to its influences.
-Jiituomas, Kuolleen Musiikin Yhdistys (Finland)
Order your own monet navot -CD Send e-mail to pauliina.syrjala@kaustinen.fi - don't forget to give your post address! The price of the CD is 17 euros + postage fee |