Kesämaan lapset

Album Review

With whatever full punk rock era bias toward random swooping synth explorations in music having thankfully been put to bed, the work of Es can — and does — thrive. On Kesämaan Lapset it does in spades, beginning with the swirling funhouse fanfares and flows of "Ennen Oli Huonommin" and getting even more elaborate from there. If it's a new century's psychedelia then the roots to the past are clear enough in turn, but whether one wants to look back to early space rock or nearer to any number of drone collage experimenters, it's clear that Es (aka Sami Sänpäkkilä) is having the time of his life on his fifth album, created in tribute to the work of fellow Finn Pekka Streng. "Säteet Sun Sielusta," starting simply with piano, builds into a lovely out-of-this-world combination of instrumentation. His brief vocal parts sometimes add the perfect touch — on the more active "Kesä Ja Hymilevät Huulet" they feed into the gentle energy, but on the title track they really shine, the extended slow unfolding of the arrangement allowing his words to emerge and retreat like ghosts at points behind his beautifully strange music. Meanwhile, the final exultance of "Haamut Sun Sydämestä," with its wordless choral tones and shimmering synth beauty, ends everything on a rising swell of awestruck contemplation.