Customer Reviews

Oi Dai

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first heard VARTTINA on the NORDIC ROOTS 2 cd and was hooked by their unique female voices and the wonderful instruments that backs them up. Every cd of their's that I listen to is a sonic revelation. VARTTINA has successfully fused ancient FINNO-UGRIC words and melodies with the best of modern musical expression. WOW! I cannot stop listening to them. They make me smile all day with their bouncy tunes and the poetic lyrics (in Finnish). And wait till you hear the accordion players. Long live VARTTINA.

This is a fine album - I've had it for ages and always liked it - and it doesn't stand out particularly as one of the poorest entries in Varttina's ouevre as I've heard it argued. It, at times, seems a lot simpler then the others but nonetheless it has all the qualities that make Seleniko a great album. In other words, everything you buy Varttina albums for is here - energy, tight harmonies, weird time signatures, and interwoven melody lines playing off each other. Great stuff - and highly recommended ...!

One of the best-selling Finnish albums ever, and one of the most important albums in the geneology of the current Skandinavian world-music craze, Varttina's Oi Dai is an essential piece of work which (along with the follw-up album Seleniko) displays a more organic side of this world-renowned group. The production is in many places lacking, but the sheer UMPH of such tracks as Miinan Laula, Ukko Luomi (which is better originally, I think, than the Hector Zazou version), and Tupa Taynna Tuppasuita is undeniable. It may also be the only American release album (again, besides Seleniko) in which the band's tenet of singing lyrics in the line of Karelian folk tradition does not at any time seem...a bit out of place. Definitely something worth checking out.

This is definitely my favorite Varttina album of the ones I've heard (in order of decreasing preference: Oi Dai, Vihma, Seleniko, Kokko, with the last one being the only I wouldn't unhesitatingly shell out my cash for). Oi Dai has some of the fastest, tightest harmonies (on average), and also happens to be the most 'native' sounding. I tend towards interesting new sounds, so I like their more electronic fusions like Vihma, and the traditional harmonic/dissonant sounds from Oi Dai, but am least inspired by their blends of traditional with less-remarkable-sounding pop (as on Kokko). That said, all these albums are very enjoyable.

You can't deny that the upbeat tempo and fascinating harmonies are a lot of fun to listen to, but let's face it: this music seems better in small doses than in full-length albums. For a small dose, check out Hector Zazou's _Songs from the Cold Seas_--an unbelievably transcendental collection of songs, one of which is Varttina's renamed version of song 6 (or is it 5?) on this album.

If you are going to buy this CD based on the < Oi Dai> song, you will be somewhat disappointed. The only tracks that live up to the moving power of the < Oi Dai> are <Tantsukolena> and maybe <Tupa Taynna Tuppasuita>. Definitely listen to the samples before purchasing this CD.