There’s an intangible magic that sparks to life when artists collaborate in the same physical space. Brooklyn’s Sontag Shogun traveled to Lau Nau’s home in Kimitoön, Finland to write what would eventually become Valo Siroutuu (“The Light Scatters”), but in the process opened a window into someplace greater, onto something important. On the title track, eyes and hearts are open to forgotten possibilities.
Place is a thing that often gets lost in how we experience music and in the role it plays in a song’s, or an album’s, creation. “Valo Siroutuu” is full of rich, intricate arrangements moving in conjunction with everyday life; birds, distant voices, cars add textures that put listeners directly in the moment. Guitars are plucked with care, sidled next to lamenting piano chords that hold Lau Nau’s voice aloft on a fragile shell. Moments become mountains, the feathery ambiance catching fire as an imposing halo surrounding every step deeper into the forest. As Lau Nau’s vocals give way to Jesse Perlstein’s hushed voice, an understanding is forged and tide rolls in and the energy drifts off toward the constellation-strewn midnight sky.
“Hidas Laulu” carries a similar spirit, though the morning is saturated with impenetrable fog while somber phantoms carry muted lanterns through the streets. Ruminative piano passages seep into the island soil while disembodied voices echo across the spatial plane. The song echoes across the physical landscape, building tenuous connections to this world’s roots and collective spirit.
Valo Siroutuu is available to pre-order out now and will be released April 8 via Beacon Sound on digital and vinyl formats. There is also a booklet that accompanies the release that will be included in all vinyl pre-orders (otherwise it will be available as a standalone piece). Ricco will release it on CD in Japan. Get it HERE.
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