Kuupuu: Unilintu (Dekorder LP/digital)
Kuupuu is a solo project of Finnish artist Jonna Karanka. She's been involved in a laundry list of groups such as Avarus, The Anaksimandros, Maniacs Dream, Kukkiva Poliisi, Lussu&Pami, Lussu ja Magneetti, Kermakolmio, Hertta Lussu Ässä and Thriller Bingo, but to be honest this is my first acquaintance with her music. I stumbled onto it by chance when perusing the digital music releases on Boomkat and felt compelled to check it out. I'm glad I did.
Unilintu is comprised of recordings made for very small-run CD-R and cassette releases from the past few years. Karanka has a reputation as a prime mover in a Finnish community of psychedelic, free folk musicians, and it's well-earned based on the nature of these recordings. There is definitely a free spirit at play here, unafraid to be alternately bold and meek, embracing error and imperfection. However, even while seemingly stumbling into her own ideas by accident, Karanka exhibits a certain degree of comfort and confidence. The DIY feeling of these recordings only adds to these qualities; many of the quieter moments warble and hiss with the haze of tape, a case of lo-fi as supporting player. It fills in the spaces between and somehow makes these songs far more intimate, as if we are eavesdropping on Karanka's own private conversation with herself.
Aesthetically the tracks compiled on Unilintu are quite varied. Listeners need not be too scared away by the distorted yowl of opener "Linnut," bristling with electricity and feeling very much like an uncomfortable living organism; it only sets the stage for the weird experiences to follow and contradicts any associations the "free folk" tag might bring to the table. Subsequent tracks scream with the volume of a whisper, such as the wandering, plucky third track, "Myrskylaulu," or the strained, faltering brass of "Mustaruhtinaan Laulu." In the center of the album is the 11-minute "Onnenkuolaa," which consists primarily of near-aimless piano plunking, vaguely out of tune and persistent. Somewhere halfway through it becomes less of an experiment in chance and a more deliberate meditation, getting quieter and quieter until a point of silence which then is prolonged for three full minutes or so. Perhaps this was a deliberate attempt to emphasize presumably the sides of the LP (I got the digital version)?
As one-off tracks, sometimes Kuupuu's aesthetic doesn't work so well, but as a complete listening experience, there is enough mystique and weirdness in these pieces to allow it to reside somewhere between endearing, confusing and haunting. It's well worth a listen for anyone interested in the outskirts of accessible music, along the way allowing a few rare moments of insight into the raw human spirit.
mp3s: Myrskylaulu | Lumiportti
more information: Official site | Myspace | Dekorder
buy it: Boomkat | Bent Crayon | iTunes