Customer Reviews

Kokko

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3 star:		(1)
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My first exposure to Varttina was via Seleniko, which remains their strongest effort in my opinion. Seleniko was straight-forward Finnish folksong being performed by a band that had clearly consumed large quantities of New Wave and Techno sounds. Kokko is Vartinna's first attempt to bring folk and modern sounds together. It works stunningly well. Varttina attacks the material with giddy abandon, trying to fit intimidating polysyllabic finnish phrases into 4/4 measures. There is something delicously disorienting about the poly-rythms that result from this mixture. This all sounds rather academic, but this is simply fun music. I find it wonderful stuff for dancing, sure to please even your Great Aunt Helga from Minnesota who loves Polkas. I was a bit disappointed to see a lack of movement from the audience when I saw them in Virginia in 1997. The band seemed a bit dismayed as well. This is great music and a good time. The pure folk beauty that was so enchanting on Seleniko remains and is mixed with modern rythms to produce a truly impressive sound here on "Kokko".

Finnish neo-folk group Varttina continues their musical evolution in this 1996 Nonesuch release, developing a more modern sound while retaining the distinctive, strident folk-singing style of traditional Finnish music. Like Varttina's previous album, "Aitara", most of the songs on this recording were written by members of the group. This is my favorite of their albums--primarily upbeat and cheerful, but with a satisfying depth as well and a graceful blending of a wide variety of world music elements--Finnish, Celtic, African, Middle Eastern, rock and jazz. The title of this album means "eagle", and I like the variety of the release as well as the power and maturity of its sound. Varttina's previous CD was "Aitara" while their next is "Vihma". If you like the sound of Varttina's singers, particularly on the last track, "Emoni Ennen", you may also enjoy the work of Bulgarian women's choral groups in such albums as "The Magical Voices of Bulgaria" by the Bulgarian National Folk Ensemble.

I first discovered Varttina when my wife got me the world music Cliff Notes CD called "Planet Soup", released in the mid-90s, and that led to my purchase of this one. It is delightful, funny at times, very pop, but still with strong Finnish folk elements, refecting their origins as a band. I once heard their singing described (with a nod to legendary 60s producer Phil Spector) as a "wall of girls" - right on target. To me the dominant characteristic of this music is its ability to lodge in your brain. You will say "I can't get that song out of my head - PLAY IT AGAIN!" For me this is especially true of "Ottajat" (Track 3), my favorite. What ear candy! My second favorite is "Pyat", (Track 5), the only instrumental, the folkiest cut of all, but also just about the rowdiest - kind of a Finnish hoe-down. Its best moment is toward the end, when the soprano sax plays long, eerie and mournful notes above the dance beat, like the northern sun setting on a wild Finnish party.

This is my first purchase of a Vattrina CD. I hesitated because I wasn't too interested in their, what I call, speed singing. However, when I listened to the CD as a whole, Vattrina quiclkly went to the top of my preference list!! What REALLY sold me was the amazingly tight harmony. When those six women break off into their indiviadual harmonies; MAN, that's where their music grabs my spirit and just rattles it beyond belief. Not only is this music folk in origin, there is also quite a bit of the contemporary sounds. Until now, Hedningarna's TRA has been my undisputed favorite. Since hearing this, weeeeeelllll . . . . . .???????? Do you want something a bit different? Ya gotta try it!!!

This album represents the real shift of Värttinä from relatively strict Finnish folk music to the rock-folk arrangements so popular in Scandinavian music these days. The folk melodies are still there, just as they are with groups like Garmarna and Hedningarna, but underpin a strong drum beat and other electronica. It's actually quite a tasteful first offering in this regard. Even if you don't care for the lengths to which the group went in its most recent offering (Vihma), you'll like Kokko.

I prefer Varttinna's more frenetic blend of harmony and dissonance, so (aside from a couple of standout tracks: 7, 11), this album doesn't do it for me as much as Oi Dai (traditional finnish) or Vihma (darker fusion incl. some synthesizers). In between those phases Varttinna made Kokko, which blends traditional Finnish folk w/ a more contemporary sound: songs are somewhat slower and more pensive, stressing the harmonies over the dissonances.

My boyfriend actually first bought this and copied it on MD for me. I've been listening to it nonstop for the past few days. I know next to nothing about Finland, nor do I speak any Finnish. I find Värttinä's music almost Celtic at times (I love Celtic music). My favorite track is 11, Emoni Ennen. You can always tell good singers by how well they do acapella. Värttinä's voices blend perfectly; you can see their obvious talent and love for their music. Buy it. ^_^

Varttina is a very fine group of performers. The cd "Kokko" is possibly their best ever. Though not in English, it is extremely entertaining, and a bargain at any price!