Browse by Artist: ISLAJA

Artist:	ISLAJA
Title:	Blaze Mountain Recordings
Label:	ECSTATIC PEACE
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	E#106CD

"Islaja is Merja Kokkonen, a visual artist and musician from Helsinki, Finland. She's been releasing records on Finnish label Fonal since 2004. The first one, Meritie, introduced her lovely sense of musical wonder to the world and garnered excited praise from the more astute ears at The Wire (UK) and Dusted Magazine (USA). The 2nd release Palaa Aurinkoon was equally boss and brought Islaja to North America with compatriot Finnish folk experimentalists Lau Nau and Kuupuu where she mesmerized audiences with a captivating minimalism of sweet singing and small toy and hand-made instruments played by herself and companion Jukka Raisanen. In 2007, she released her third album Ulual Yyy which expanded her sound into further psychedelic paths. Since then Islaja has played numerous large festivals including Eurosonic, Sonar and the 2006 All Tomorrows Parties/Nightmare Before Christmas curated by Thurston Moore. Animal Collective invited Islaja to play a two week support tour with them in Europe. Blaze Mountain Recordings is a live document, all music and words by Merja and played by Merja and Jukka. It's the perfect portal to enter the living world of Islaja's music/art spirit with a unity of traditional Finnish forest mystery and a radical song universe."

Artist:	ISLAJA
Title:	Meritie
Label:	FONAL (FINLAND)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	FR 032CD

This is Islaja's debut, originally released in 2004. Islaja might well be a forgotten islet somewhere or a name of a courageous sword-swinging heroine in a forgotten fable. For certain, Islaja is a young woman that has sang and played an album full of heart-rending, intimate music. On Meritie, Islaja whispers in a fever and sings an Oriental monkey. At times, it is impossible to tell where the sounds are coming from. The variety of instruments is vast, but all have their space. Islaja has exceptional sense of harmony that alone makes the album a magical listening experience. The voice of Islaja sounds bravely over the screaming, crazed seagulls. It is stunningly honest. This is a great victory in these times of sadness.

Artist:	ISLAJA
Title:	Palaa Aurinkoon
Label:	FONAL (FINLAND)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	FR 036CD

This is the second full-length by Islaja, originally released in 2005. Palaa Aurinkoon was born in two different places that have been sewn together with a binding of words within a rich sound world. Here and there, Islaja's friends have lent their voices to this world. Loose guitar paths, long strokes of wind instruments, glasses and toys that clink, rattle and tinkle, rhythms, keyboards and Islaja's wonderful, many-faceted voice coo in a miraculous net. The album is a spontaneous texture of muscle, cartilage and liquid, everything organized in such a surprising way, that one can't believe right away that it's a human being, but soon enough, it becomes clear that it's a most ingenious creature. It evolves by itself. It tells us how everything metamorphoses, it relies on itself and infuses belief into the listener that one can change the world.

Artist:	ISLAJA
Title:	Ulual YYY
Label:	FONAL (FINLAND)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	FR 049CD

Islaja's third album, originally released in 2007 on the Fonal label. Ulual YYY, to the listener, is a journey deep into dreams and fairytales, but to the artist herself, it is a reality. Her songs tell us about the decay of our age, its demise and immorality, its plunge into heartless consumer culture. Islaja herself does not burn in that same fire. Her fire is an inner fire. Behind her eyes and in her heart you can see and hear her true charisma. True dedication and utter disrespect for the artificial authority made by men. Yet, she is not the self-destructive Nico or the eccentric Björk. Her songs are poems and stabbing knives. Islaja is Merja Kokkonen, a young visual artist and musician living and working in Helsinki, Finland. Islaja records her music at home using a rainbow of instruments to accompany her personal vocal delivery sung in Finnish. She has performed with Avarus, Kemialliset Ystävät and is also a member of Hertta Lussu Ässä, a free-folk super trio with members of Lau Nau and Kuupuu.

Previous Page Index of Artists Next Page