Yhä hämärää

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Total Tracks: 11   Total Length: 38:34

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Chris Nickson

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
Born-again Christians from rural Finland channel Air and the Incredible String Band.
2005 | Label: Fonal / Diogenes Music

If many artists lean heavily on tradition for folk music, Paavoharju — born-again Christians from rural Finland — fall heavily into the nu-folk camp. They sound almost as if someone had thrown together Air and the Incredible String Band: wispy, psychedelic shreds of sound, from the singing of a church congregation to burbling streams, merge to create deliciously breathy songs that bridge the gap between folk and pop, dissonance and melody weaving together. From the shifting soundscape of "Ikuisuuden Maailma" to the gentle earnestness of "Valu Tikhuu Kaiken Läpi" seems a short, natural step. It's an album that needs to be heard as an entity to be fully drawn into the journey through their slightly elfin, hypnotic world. Even in its breathiness it has an ineffably Finnish quality, with an icy, alien beauty. The words might be incomprehensible to most, but it doesn't matter — the glow the group leaves behind goes far beyond language.

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from Toronto...

hadi.mousattat

This is truly something you hardly come across. Super dreamy and psychedelic. It's definitely worth buying the whole album...

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simply

blrn

one of the most magnificent albums i've ever heard. gorgeous melodic folk-ish tunes wrapped in warm white noise. a vibe like no other, and completely essential. just give this a shot, download all, listen with the lights off. wonderful.

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