Sprouting from the fertile Finnish psychedelic underground, Jan Anderzén's music has always been sui generis, transcending the "forest folk" pigeonhole that was sometimes attributed to his oeuvre — and to the sounds of those within his inner circle of like-minded weirdoes — since the early aughts. Anderzén frequently incorporated electronics and samples into his repertoire, both solo as Tomutonttu and with his bandmates in the sprawling ensemble he named Kemialliset Ystävät ("Chemical Friends").
In the past, Anderzén was a prolific producer of bizarre and otherworldly sounds, yet his recent focus on art has caused his musical output to slow somewhat. Kevätjuhla is his first full-length vinyl LP in five years, and finds him returning to the Alter label, which is curated by Luke Younger of Helm fame. Anderzén is a cut-and-paste maestro, and the music found here is the culmination of a decades-long career juxtaposing glossolalia, Casiotone bleeps, a veritable kitchen sink of acoustic instrumentation and an almost unlimited bank of zany samples.
This particular project finds the musician and artist at his most focused and song-oriented, most likely due to the music's origin as the sonic material for an eponymous installation. Created to investigate the bond between sound, earth and other organic matter, the art project incorporated a distillation of his singular musical vision, which was delivered to onlookers via speakers sprouting from a pile of dirt. Anderzén then created a graphical score –— which now adorns the album cover — from sticks and orange peels.
The entire undertaking is a thrilling ride through Anderzén's vast catalogue of uniquely spliced sound, yet is also a distinct look forward to undiscovered territory.
(Alter)In the past, Anderzén was a prolific producer of bizarre and otherworldly sounds, yet his recent focus on art has caused his musical output to slow somewhat. Kevätjuhla is his first full-length vinyl LP in five years, and finds him returning to the Alter label, which is curated by Luke Younger of Helm fame. Anderzén is a cut-and-paste maestro, and the music found here is the culmination of a decades-long career juxtaposing glossolalia, Casiotone bleeps, a veritable kitchen sink of acoustic instrumentation and an almost unlimited bank of zany samples.
This particular project finds the musician and artist at his most focused and song-oriented, most likely due to the music's origin as the sonic material for an eponymous installation. Created to investigate the bond between sound, earth and other organic matter, the art project incorporated a distillation of his singular musical vision, which was delivered to onlookers via speakers sprouting from a pile of dirt. Anderzén then created a graphical score –— which now adorns the album cover — from sticks and orange peels.
The entire undertaking is a thrilling ride through Anderzén's vast catalogue of uniquely spliced sound, yet is also a distinct look forward to undiscovered territory.
