Kuupuu ‎- 'Yökehrä' (Dekorder)

This is a compilation of earlier releases by Kuupuu and it hews closer to other Finnish underground music of its time than some of the later work by Kuupuu (Jonna Karanka) and related projects. There are many names from the Finnish scene of this time (2002-2005), some of which have dissipated into our distant memories (The Anaximandros, anyone?) and others which are still active, though quite different in today' s incarnations (Avarus, Kemiälliset Ystävät). All certainly bring to mind a certain vibe, and that vibe, to me, is 'small' - short form pieces, often just sketches, recorded and left to lie and marinate rather than be overworked. Kuupuu, at least in these earlier recordings, has a certain delicacy to her approach and I'm finding it perfect for this evening's imminent sunset. Acoustic sounds are prevalent and these compositions are more content to move forward slowly, if at all. There's a tendency towards space and texture, and the sequencing is well-chosen here, breaking up the running order from the original cd-r releases and reassembling here. The home-recorded nature of Karanka's work from this time sounds great when transfered to vinyl and I guess it's thanks to Dekorder doing a solid job with the mastering, as usual. When there's hiss and tape noise around the material, it somehow sounds grandiose and important on wax. When she uses her voice, especially on side 2 ('Pihlajapuu', 'Tuli Uni'), it's all breath and transference, mixing with the hiss to be wordless or essentially so. More recognisable melodies on squeezeboxes and keyboards peer out but don't overstay their welcome. In lesser hands this could come off as hackneyed goth music, but there's a really personal vision which seems to abstractly convey experience, which is all I could ever want from music. Her later work becomes a little denser, and more focused on motion in conjunction with texture, specifically the music's own internal ebb and flow. One could probably argue that Kuupuu recordings also become more distinct later on, and that the pieces on this record are more simple or somehow less developed. But there's a care evident here, a sculpting that isolates her from any traditional musical precedents while also situating her work as part of a movement.