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CD
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PRE 029CD
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This is the debut album from Helsinki, Finland's Ous Mal. Ous Mal is the recording project of Olli Aarni. With previous CD-R releases for both Finland's 267-Lattajjaa and the UK's Under The Spire, Ous Mal has already gained notice for his expansive sound, further developed in widescreen on Nuojuva Halava. Finding common ground between the dusty tenor of old-school hip-hop cassettes and the fog of deep ambience as a base, the music of Ous Mal also takes on an ingrained influence of traditional Finnish folk for an epic, otherworldly take on sound and song. These atmospheric pieces can slowly swell into ecstasy or settle into hazy shades and spring into moments of joyful pop abandon. That line back to tradition -- with some pieces using the age-old Finnish stringed-instrument, kantele and others drawing from old Finnish hymnal albums -- makes for a lyrical imagery that evokes an elusive sense of place. It's a sound with the lingering presence of the past but with one eye set firmly on taking it into the future. Roughly translated, "nuojuva halava" means "swaying bay willow." The way things in nature change through time and surroundings is a recurring inspiration for Olli's music, heard especially in the way he often takes his textures towards compelling points of decay. UK artist Jenkins conceived the images for Nuojuva Halava's artwork, creating free-falling geometric shapes against backdrops of epic spaces to connect perfectly with the music packaged within. Nuojuva Halava creates a picture of great scope in its colliding of ideas into kindred spirits, arriving at a zone that's bold and blissful as it is personal. Mastered by renown Italian composer Giuseppe Ielasi (Pimmon, Heather Woods Broderick).
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