{"id":298090,"date":"2025-06-17T00:54:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T00:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/ambient-music\/sontag-shogun-x-lau-nau-paivakahvit\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T00:54:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T00:54:10","slug":"sontag-shogun-x-lau-nau-paivakahvit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=298090","title":{"rendered":"Sontag Shogun x Lau Nau ~ P\u00e4iv\u00e4kahvit"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Sometimes the meaning of an album title is hidden until we look it up, so we were delighted to discover that P\u00e4iv\u00e4kahvit\u00a0<\/em>is the Finnish word for\u00a0afternoon coffee. \u00a0<\/em>The LP is meant to accompany the \u201cwaning afternoon light,\u201d although it sounds just perfect any time of day, with any kind of beverage. \u00a0But the non-negotiable part is nature, as the set sings of summer and rings with the sound of children at play.<\/p>\n

The album almost didn\u2019t happen. \u00a0Containing nine songs from the Valo Siroutuu<\/a><\/strong><\/em> sessions and four new interpretive reworks, the album took a while to gel; songs that were once considered out of place took on new meaning and value, while the original time spent on the island of Kimito\u00f6n glowed with new luminosity in light of world events. \u00a0The reinterpretations were a later idea, as was the twelve-live live bonus track, included only in the download.<\/p>\n

Might P\u00e4iv\u00e4kahvit\u00a0<\/em>help listeners to find peace in troubled times, in the same way as\u00a0Valo Siroutuu\u00a0<\/em>helped people to navigate the waters of the pandemic? \u00a0The album exudes that same peaceful exuberance. \u00a0The small miracle is that the combination of old and new, studio and live flows beautifully as a suite, highlighting the value of wise sequencing. \u00a0Unlike other albums that adopt this tactic, the reworks are sprinkled throughout, appearing as tracks 5, 6, 9 and 12.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The listener is left to bathe in the sounds of songs left off of the original set, akin to discovering a cache of hidden Christmas gifts one has forgotten to open. \u00a0Rain is falling as the album begins, but the piano promises sunshine, which arrives in the first words of Lau\u00a0<\/strong>Nau<\/b>. \u00a0Her collaborations with Sontag Shogun\u00a0<\/strong>have all proven fruitful; how could it be otherwise, sparked by an island retreat? Birds start singing on track two, which includes hints of wind chimes and the first appearance of children. \u00a0The guitar and percussion are languid, as if the artists have simply woken up and begun to tap and strum. \u00a0While not explicitly stated, we suspect the players enjoy aamukahvi <\/em>(morning coffee) as well.<\/p>\n

The tracks flow together like fluid conversation, without breaks in-between. \u00a0Soon it is afternoon, and Jesse is advising listeners to \u201cGo north,\u201d a track that builds to an extended drone, recessing like a wave, the last echo of voice fading into the ether. \u00a0Fabi Taddal tackles the forest of \u201cThey came in through the front door,\u201d highlighting texture and atmosphere, the contrast between work and play; Amulets (whose own new album is also on Beacon Sound) reworks \u201cTropic movements,\u201d tiptoeing between chords so as not to disturb the birds. \u00a0A similar approach is used on \u201cBottles + birds,\u201d in which the bottles are blown upon rather than struck, allowing the tweets to continue unabated.<\/p>\n

The album contains very few lyrics, but Lau Nau\u2019s voice is a constant, glimmering presence. \u00a0The Post Dukes take on \u201cThe Vala River,\u201d chock-full of bells and beats, is but one example, sparse voice accompanied by Laura Naukkarinen\u2019s glockenspiel and violin. \u00a0Ironically, \u201cMiten aloittaa\u201d (\u201cHow to get started\u201d) appears late in the set, implying a beginning rather than an ending; here the singers entwine their voices, accompanied by something like a calliope, with happy children shrieking in the background and repeated instructions to hold the handrail. \u00a0Jeremy Young takes another shot at \u201cA pale view of dem hills,\u201d resulting in the album\u2019s most electronic, clubworthy track.<\/p>\n

And now one is invited to decide how the set closes. \u00a0Just as Valo Siroutuu\u00a0<\/em>seemed to end, but this year takes on new life, P\u00e4iv\u00e4kahvit\u00a0<\/em>offers one the choice of the last debut piece, \u201cVeden yli\u201d (\u201cOver the water\u201d) or a double-length live version of the former album\u2019s title track. \u00a0The first is humble, a return to lapping waves and glockenspiel, an island memory revisited. \u00a0The second is spontaneous, a celebration of life together and in person. \u00a0Each has its own appeal. \u00a0When the late afternoon has faded and the caffeine has kicked in, the evening adventure begins. \u00a0(Richard Allen)<\/strong><\/p>\n