Hämärä

If you see the name Eero Grundström (Sväng, Suistamon Sähkö) on any release, go for it. It’ll be a bit weird, superbly produced, a walk on the wild side and a deep dive into traditions.

He turns up here playing what he describes as ‘machines’ in the trio Sähköpaimen alongside vocals, mouth harps and winds. Researching the archive of the Finnish Literature Society their findings included verses from different regions including Karelia and Ingria.

Sähköpaimen’s philosophy is that anything can happen, so they take us into what they call a ‘twilight zone’ (Hämärä is Finnish for dusk, or things that are a bit odd), mixing obscure curses and spells with cattle calls, the flutes of shepherds whose flocks have wandered and cautious lullabies; and they wonder what electronics might have sounded like in 1864.

This zany party needed a few guests so they invited a choir, Li Magnoutoun, who speak the Italian minority language Franco-Provençal, (they’ve brought some cow bells too), and there are contributions from Roma music specialist Hilje Grönfors.

There are moments of light and calm in the midst of this twilight zone but each track is an adventure worth taking whether you understand ancient tongues or not.