Lau Nau
Kuutarha
Locust
Lau Nau is a one woman Finnish rural post-rock show along the same lines as Movietone and Appendix Out. Armed with an arsenal of unfamiliar instruments and sounds, Lau Naukkarinen etches out plunky, droning and brittle melodies that sound like they could come from an antique, weather-worn music box. The interplay between two acoustic guitars on “Kuula” has the regal feel of courtesan music, while “Puuportti-Joleen” is a sprightly-paced celebration to a waning winter.
Moreso than her contemporaries, Lau Nau is interested in the experimental side of post-rock and the genre-mashing that brings it about. “Kivi Murenee Jolla Kavelee,” a Nepalese traditional, with its hushed bells, hand drums, shakers and fiddle, sounds like Appalachian folk caught in a Himalayan mountain cave. On the closer, “Sammiolimnut,” she indulges completely, offering up a free-form metallic flurry that evokes popcorn in a kettle over a fire. It’s a perfect example of what sets her apart; Lau Nau’s organic, amateurish sound isn’t concerned with soundtracking the mystical world she’s got in her head. Instead, her aim is to momentarily capture the everyday sounds of that world’s daily life. She succeeds, creating an album that sounds exotic, otherworldly and ancient simultaneously.
Locust Music: http://www.locustmusic.com
