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LP
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ACU 002LP
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Islaja presents her new album Angel Tape, her debut release on the new Helsinki-based label Other Power. Drawing inspiration from childhood epiphanies while listening to an alleged recording of angels singing, Islaja has crafted an album that stands out as a major work in her expansive and celebrated catalogue, which includes previous releases on labels such as Ecstatic Peace!, Fonal, and Svart. Islaja, aka Finnish artist Merja Kokkonen, describes her new album as a "counterwork" to her most recent albums, where the mode of composing was more song-based. This time around, she goes more in the direction of vast fields of sound where the human voice is a key ingredient of music that breaks free of strict stylistic guidelines and traditional song forms. Rough around the edges, atonal and otherworldly, Angel Tape is the result of a lifetime of inspiration from something beyond the immediate realm of our experience, an attempt to catch the elusive essence of musical otherness. Whereas Islaja has often thought of albums as being collections of recent songs presented together, Angel Tape has a strong sense of conceptual coherence. The music comes from a place. That doesn't mean that one must take a single path from one place to the next, as close listenings of the album reveal layers upon layers of not only sound but also of mood and meaning. From the human voice in its barest form, to the rising dense walls of sound moving and reshaping, Angel Tape is a captivating album that unveils new contours with each repeated listening.
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CD
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MONIKA 081CD
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Monika welcomes a new artist to her roster: the Finnish producer and composer Islaja aka Merja Kokkonen. The new Islaja album marks a radical transition for the former folk musician into a solo artist who skillfully arranges lyrics, melodies and imagery into a much more electronic style than she has been known for in the past. The album is called S U U, which is Finnish for "mouth," and Islaja's bold vocal style and lyrical content will make you want to tune in to what's coming from her S U U. Islaja has been part of the contemporary music scene for several years, already producing wonderfully-arranged surreal pop tracks in her solo work, as on 2010's Keraaminen Pää (FR 072CD/LP) as well as in collaboration with other musicians as on the Hertta Lussu Ässä project in 2011, or recently as a contributor to AGF's Kuuntele compilation in 2013. In total, she has previously had four full-length albums on Finnish label Fonal plus one on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace! Records. Still, so far it has mainly been insiders of the underground music scene that have been familiar with her work. Her music is strongly associated with the D.I.Y. scene, and so represents a prime example of a female musician who has developed a singular musical and aesthetic expression. Somehow Islaja fits in with these new modern female acts such as Anika, Nite Jewel and Yula -- even if their styles are all quite distinct. Now with her fifth album appearing on Gudrun Gut's Monika Enterprise, the latest activities of Berlin-based Finnish pop musician Islaja have shown a surprising change in style and sound. S U U was coproduced and mixed by fellow Berlin resident Heidi Mortenson. The record's development is firmly rooted in the city. The songs on S U U are so full of surprises, one doesn't really know what to expect next, so her current metamorphosis falls right in line with Islaja's nature. While mystical aspects were mainly expressed in older work through lyrics with strong links to Finnish mythology, they now appear on the compositional level and in vocals driving the beats into forward-moving tracks ever permeated with a sensation of the unreal. The low-pitched voice is somewhat reminiscent of Nico, and the presence of synthesized sounds also evokes references to '80s new wave and pop. Nevertheless Islaja's work is by no means retro; rather, it creates a unique and unusual atmosphere. Her sound is as intriguing and humorous as it is original.
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LP
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MONIKA 081LP
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FR 072CD
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Islaja is the recording alias of Merja Kokkonen, a musician and visual artist from Helsinki, currently based in Berlin. A regular contributor to the more psych/folk and improv-oriented Kemialliset Ystävät and Avarus, Islaja's recordings are by contrast almost entirely self-contained, reflecting the more personal nature of her music, and a natural affinity towards an independent/DIY aesthetic. Her fourth album for Fonal, Keraaminen Pää (trans. "Ceramic Head") contains many shades of black. It also bears witness to a shift in perception and execution; yet the thread that weaves its way through all Islaja's work remains resolute, visible and intact. If Islaja's previous albums for Fonal appear to exhibit a more overtly pastoral nature, this in part feels coincidental, or secondary to something much larger and more difficult to define. From the earliest Islaja recordings, Merja has made the simplest of instrumentation work to her own ends, displaying a disquieting combination of innocence and fearlessness, and a seemingly innate ability to transcend the confines of a genre. It is the same singular approach and vision that informs Keraaminen Pää -- born largely of whatever instruments were on hand; if the sound has shifted into more electronic terrain, it remains as immersive and subtly evocative as ever. When sketching out the dimensions of Keraaminen Pää, Islaja was clear about one thing: the album should have a soul within, preferably silky thin and translucent, like a jellyfish swimming around in the ocean. During the recording process, however, Keraaminen Pää turned into a heavy, robot-molded disc of clay. It spins, shines, pops and crackles, all the while escaping definition. This is also is the first Islaja album to feature English translations of Merja's lyrics. The songs on Keraaminen Pää were written, composed, and recorded on three continents over a period of three years, with Islaja performing, recording and mixing the majority of the album herself. The recordings may recall the waves crashing on the Bight of Benin, the frogs croaking on Lantau Island, the starry sky above Roihuvuori, Helsinki, or maybe a one-euro pizza in Berlin. Less fractured and more fleshed out than previous Islaja recordings, the songs still careen recklessly, pulsing and shifting with a life of their own.
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FR 072LP
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LP version. Islaja is the recording alias of Merja Kokkonen, a musician and visual artist from Helsinki, currently based in Berlin. A regular contributor to the more psych/folk and improv-oriented Kemialliset Ystävät and Avarus, Islaja's recordings are by contrast almost entirely self-contained, reflecting the more personal nature of her music, and a natural affinity towards an independent/DIY aesthetic. Her fourth album for Fonal, Keraaminen Pää (trans. "Ceramic Head") contains many shades of black. It also bears witness to a shift in perception and execution; yet the thread that weaves its way through all Islaja's work remains resolute, visible and intact. If Islaja's previous albums for Fonal appear to exhibit a more overtly pastoral nature, this in part feels coincidental, or secondary to something much larger and more difficult to define. From the earliest Islaja recordings, Merja has made the simplest of instrumentation work to her own ends, displaying a disquieting combination of innocence and fearlessness, and a seemingly innate ability to transcend the confines of a genre. It is the same singular approach and vision that informs Keraaminen Pää -- born largely of whatever instruments were on hand; if the sound has shifted into more electronic terrain, it remains as immersive and subtly evocative as ever. When sketching out the dimensions of Keraaminen Pää, Islaja was clear about one thing: the album should have a soul within, preferably silky thin and translucent, like a jellyfish swimming around in the ocean. During the recording process, however, Keraaminen Pää turned into a heavy, robot-molded disc of clay. It spins, shines, pops and crackles, all the while escaping definition. This is also is the first Islaja album to feature English translations of Merja's lyrics. The songs on Keraaminen Pää were written, composed, and recorded on three continents over a period of three years, with Islaja performing, recording and mixing the majority of the album herself. The recordings may recall the waves crashing on the Bight of Benin, the frogs croaking on Lantau Island, the starry sky above Roihuvuori, Helsinki, or maybe a one-euro pizza in Berlin. Less fractured and more fleshed out than previous Islaja recordings, the songs still careen recklessly, pulsing and shifting with a life of their own.
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E#106CD
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"Islaja is Merja Kokkonen, a visual artist and musician from Helsinki, Finland. She's been releasing records on Finnish label Fonal since 2004. The first one, Meritie, introduced her lovely sense of musical wonder to the world and garnered excited praise from the more astute ears at The Wire (UK) and Dusted Magazine (USA). The 2nd release Palaa Aurinkoon was equally boss and brought Islaja to North America with compatriot Finnish folk experimentalists Lau Nau and Kuupuu where she mesmerized audiences with a captivating minimalism of sweet singing and small toy and hand-made instruments played by herself and companion Jukka Raisanen. In 2007, she released her third album Ulual Yyy which expanded her sound into further psychedelic paths. Since then Islaja has played numerous large festivals including Eurosonic, Sonar and the 2006 All Tomorrows Parties/Nightmare Before Christmas curated by Thurston Moore. Animal Collective invited Islaja to play a two week support tour with them in Europe. Blaze Mountain Recordings is a live document, all music and words by Merja and played by Merja and Jukka. It's the perfect portal to enter the living world of Islaja's music/art spirit with a unity of traditional Finnish forest mystery and a radical song universe."
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FR 049CD
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Islaja's third album, originally released in 2007 on the Fonal label. Ulual YYY, to the listener, is a journey deep into dreams and fairytales, but to the artist herself, it is a reality. Her songs tell us about the decay of our age, its demise and immorality, its plunge into heartless consumer culture. Islaja herself does not burn in that same fire. Her fire is an inner fire. Behind her eyes and in her heart you can see and hear her true charisma. True dedication and utter disrespect for the artificial authority made by men. Yet, she is not the self-destructive Nico or the eccentric Björk. Her songs are poems and stabbing knives. Islaja is Merja Kokkonen, a young visual artist and musician living and working in Helsinki, Finland. Islaja records her music at home using a rainbow of instruments to accompany her personal vocal delivery sung in Finnish. She has performed with Avarus, Kemialliset Ystävät and is also a member of Hertta Lussu Ässä, a free-folk super trio with members of Lau Nau and Kuupuu.
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FR 049LP
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FR 032CD
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This is Islaja's debut, originally released in 2004. Islaja might well be a forgotten islet somewhere or a name of a courageous sword-swinging heroine in a forgotten fable. For certain, Islaja is a young woman that has sang and played an album full of heart-rending, intimate music. On Meritie, Islaja whispers in a fever and sings an Oriental monkey. At times, it is impossible to tell where the sounds are coming from. The variety of instruments is vast, but all have their space. Islaja has exceptional sense of harmony that alone makes the album a magical listening experience. The voice of Islaja sounds bravely over the screaming, crazed seagulls. It is stunningly honest. This is a great victory in these times of sadness.
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FR 036CD
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This is the second full-length by Islaja, originally released in 2005. Palaa Aurinkoon was born in two different places that have been sewn together with a binding of words within a rich sound world. Here and there, Islaja's friends have lent their voices to this world. Loose guitar paths, long strokes of wind instruments, glasses and toys that clink, rattle and tinkle, rhythms, keyboards and Islaja's wonderful, many-faceted voice coo in a miraculous net. The album is a spontaneous texture of muscle, cartilage and liquid, everything organized in such a surprising way, that one can't believe right away that it's a human being, but soon enough, it becomes clear that it's a most ingenious creature. It evolves by itself. It tells us how everything metamorphoses, it relies on itself and infuses belief into the listener that one can change the world.
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