Folk It!

fri 5 apr 2024 21:00 hour

Nordic Sounds

From the Finnish city of Turku comes the six-member ensemble Kosmos. As the name suggests, Kosmos’s music sounds like an expanding cosmos, but in a musical sense. At its core lies an interest in folk music, alongside psychedelic and symphonic rock from the 1970s. The music is both intimately transparent and fragile, as well as rocking, grandiose, and voluminous. The latter is particularly due to the use of the mellotron, among other keyboards. Add to that the (transverse) flute, and sometimes Kosmos’s music evokes associations with groups like The Moody Blues, Renaissance, and Illusion. The compositions are all original works, born in varying combinations among the group members. Singer Päivi Kylmänen delivers the Finnish lyrics with an angelic voice. The content of these lyrics is described as ‘the other reality’, with themes ranging from the supernatural, natural, magical and mythical, to the elusive.

Aapo Helenius, Päivi Kylmänen, Kimmo Lähteenmäki, Kari Vainionpää, Olli Valtonen, and Ismo Virta’s music is created using guitars (acoustic and electric), bass, drums, percussion, keyboards (mellotron, synthesizer, piano, organ, harmonium, shrutibox), flutes (transverse flute, various recorders), supplemented by violin, bassoon, bombarde, saxophone, and others. Kosmos’ music literally comes to life in the studio, where compositions are collectively given expression, but have never been performed live (yet). A remarkable group with a completely unique sound, diverging from the usual Nordic sounds, but perhaps that’s precisely why attention should be paid to this formation in Folkit! Nordic Sounds. Contemporary folk with a hefty dose of mystique…