VALKAMA

Tenhi 7th melancholic opus distilling tales from twilight, austere and marvelously solitary lands.

'Saattue' intro... cold, bewitching voice of Tyko, the sound is launched for a slow crescendo 'bolero de Ravel' monolithic from which emerges a saving melancholy. 'Kesävihanta' grinding and crystalline arpeggio and guttural voice. 'Valkama' where twilight musical art comes into its own; solemn, intimate and airy with the piano in front, Anathema must adore. 'Rintamaan' epic folk par excellence with flutes and warlike songs that could be played while watching a warlike army march past. 'Rannankukka' continues with a lonely tribal tambourine in the middle of the guitar, hilarious. 'Laineinen' on the majestic organ which pierces a body, airy and dreamlike.

'Hele' continues on a long monologue from which the spleen itself cannot be extricated, a few Japanese notes amplifying the air; the instrumental finale gives a feeling of sovereignty. 'Ulapoi' surfs with a koto or what looks like it for a majestic twilight subarctic symphonic phrasing ballad. 'Elokuun linnut' to the choirs coming to warm up this gloomy atmosphere; simple but engaging. 'Sydämes on tiel' headline flute and acoustic Floydian guitar. 'Veden elein' in continuity on the acoustic guitar before a cathedral vocal finale, on the languorous Anathema; the fairly discreet drums come to light here, setting the solemn tone. 'Aina sininen aina' immediately reminds me of a very ethereal Enya tune; vocal guests accentuate the vibration and give the impression of coming from above, latent, melancholy, soothing.

So Tenhi waited 12 years to bring his dark post-folk with neo-classical overtones to a port where the atmosphere exudes peace, romance and harmony; less ambient, more raw, more emotion and serenity; a musical darkness brightening our brains for a saving message about time, the world, us, to believe in tomorrow with an omnipresent piano; a concept opus to immerse yourself in the incomparable and unique space of Tenhi.

Finnish village elders TENHI resume their Fibonacci sequence based release schedule, meaning the next one might be due in 15 years or so. Even though I feel that Tyko, Ilmari and company have never quite matched the brilliance of their first 2 efforts, I was still quite excited to learn about "Valkama". And overall I'm pretty pleased, as this is a marked improvement over 2011's "Saivo".

Unlike some artists who may be judged by the breadth of styles and moods they present, TENHI's strength lies partly in their uniformity. It's a one hour investment in meditative contemplation at the intersection of profound tristesse and soaring silent awe. To this end, while the opener is monotonous even by their standards, it does serve as an effective induction. Barely shifting in over 11 minutes, it is nonetheless an exercise in choral elegance that sets the stage for all that follows. While variation presents in the martial rhythms and flutes of "Rintamaan", which reminds me of German neo folk like FORSETI, and the acoustic amber of "Sydames On Tiel", two of my favourites, the whole would not be as strong without classic TENHI like "Hele", the ritualistic "Elokuun Linnut", and the hypnotic "Veden Elein". One of TENHI's many understated strengths is the authentic integration of voice such that I'm hard pressed to remember which tracks even include vocals. While they rarely attain some of the starkest summits of their earliest recordings, only "Rannankukka" and the closing number remind me of the type of morbid morosity that occasionally besieged the "Maaaet" and "Saivo" eras.

In all, "Valkama" offers a haven for TENHI's strengths and retrenches their mastery over icily cold yet warmly soulful neo folk, Nordic style.