Folk, World, & Country

Luurankolauluja, the second album by Uusi Aika, opens with Luurankouni, a shakuhachi kata rooted in ancient tradition and named after a poem by the 15th-century Japanese Zen poet Ikkyū. This meditative prelude sets the listener adrift, unprepared for the unfolding journey that follows. After multi-instrumentalist and saxophonist Otto Eskelinen’s (Joose Keskitalo, Mystic Revelation of Teppo Repo, Tahmela Six) opening, the spotlight turns to drummer Amanda Blomqvist, whose composition Vattnet is rendered with piercing emotional clarity. The record also features compositions by double bassist Tapani Varis and guitarist-sitarist Antero Mentu, whose Sammaltukka—steeped in forest mysticism—emerges as a focal point of the album. Between Finnish woodland mythology, Indian raga-inspired colors, and Asian minimalism lies a wide spectrum of moods, culminating in the epic finale Turyasangitananda. This carefully orchestrated three-movement jazz opus, with its luminous harp and sweeping strings, could almost be imagined as a lost Gil Evans production. Luurankolauluja does not draw on the fashions of the present, but on what is timeless and unchanging. It is an album that rewards deep, attentive listening, leading the listener into places where time dissolves and distance becomes intimacy.