Kosmos - Vieraaan Taivaan Alla
(Kosmos 003)
Kosmos - Vieraaan Taivaan Alla
(Kosmos 003)
From Aural Innovations October 2009 update
This is the third album by this amazing Finnish folk rock band from Turku. I just really get sucked into the beauty of their music and her (Päivi) voice,
even though I can't understand a single word of the amazing Finnish language. The CD/LP features yet another beautiful painting on the cover artwork. While
the last one was a bit more psychedelic, this record is more folky to start but it evolves into some heavier progressive material. The opening track Uneton
Enkeli is a beautiful track that starts your trip into a fantastic dream world, with acoustic guitars, haunting pad like synthesizers and the beautiful voice
in the language few can understand. Luovun is next as you dance slowly under the giant mushroom with the fairies to the acoustic guitar, recorder and singing. Now, we enter into the forest beyond the mushrooms into the valley with the green fields, galloping unicorns and high Finnish mountains on the left side. Under a tree sits a strange band playing hauntingly beautiful music with lush mellotron, glockenspiel, acoustic guitar and violin fills the valley below as
the gnomes and all animals take notice. The violin solo has a special effect on the unicorns, which stop and stare with wonder and amazement at the beauty
of the music. The actual lyrics for the third track, Renée are much darker though. Don Juan is a short track and reminds me a bit of older Crosby Stills
Nash and Young stuff without the harmony vocals. The use of the bassoon balanced against the strumming guitar is great. Yön Hiljaisuus is another evocative, beautiful track that leads us back into the forest in search of a tranquil place to rest under the mushrooms and have a sip of the cosmic mead presented to us in wooden flasks by small magical creatures. Now the second side of the record the music takes a different twist with the 8½ minute and amazing track, Tuulisina Päiinä. This track slowly builds up as we move out of the forest feeling a little intoxicated from the cosmic mead and we enter underground and go down and down the spiral path, fascinated by the coloured lanterns that lead the way. Small lichen and moss grows everywhere and some pulse with color. Suddenly, we enter into a large room with a band playing electric instruments (guitar, bass) as a pulsing building rhythm takes over our thoughts and feelings. Standing in the middle is a beautiful creature with a magical mystical voice singing whether angels are sad when in rains and soaks the earth. The sound swirls around us as we feel the psychedelic music pulse us with sound. The mellotron is poignant; almost scaring us but we are brought back down to a tranquil state with that beautiful voice. The album ends with the 12 minute Vieraat (split into 3 parts on the CD). The first part has a drone over which the lyrics are spoken before the music starts in part 2. Now, you are feeling wonderful and had fallen asleep and awake under the stars gazing up into the night sky and many objects appear to flash across the skies as you are mesmerized by the cosmic psychedelic groove of the music and transported to yet another destination, your final on this trip. What can I say. A totally amazing record. Wow…
Check out the bands web site at: http://www.nic.fi/~ovaltone
Reviewed by Scott Heller