For her Islaja project, Merja Kokkonen (b.1979) constructs surrealist landscapes loosely aligned with aesthetics of the Finnish free-folk scene. The singer-songwriter has a richly nuanced vocal style; melancholic, Jandek-lite backed by a range of instruments - most of which she plays herself - guitar, harmonium, melodica, glockenspiel and miscellaneous percussion. Her arrangements are sparse, but nonetheless have a distinctly psychedelic feel. They range from delicately melodic to patently dissonant, often tinged with rock or Goth inflections.
Kokkonen made her solo debut in 2004 with Meritie, a distinctly acid-folk collection of thirteen songs that she wrote, played and recorded herself. She has since released two more albums as well as a CDr and a 7' single (split with TV-Resistori); all the official releases have been on Fonal Records, the independent label known for championing avant and outsider music from Finland. Kokkonen's 2007 album, Ulual Yyy, was received with critical acclaim for its beguiling atmospheres and textural qualities - notably the technique of layering slightly askew doubled vocals. Her third full length, the long player was also notable for it's absence of 'folky' signifiers - acoustic guitars and jingling bells disappeared and were replaced by electric guitar noise, synthesizers, piano and saturated drums - edging the music closer to psych-rock than psych-folk. While the lyric content of her songs is, being entirely in Finnish, unfathomable for most of her fans, the emotional messages communicated through Kokkonen's singing, speaking and whispering are completely accessible.
www.islaja.com
