Vellamo
Album: Vellamo
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 13
Website: http://vellamoband.wordpress.com

This is the debut album by Finnish acoustic duo Vellamo (Pia Leinonen and Joni Tiala), who take their name from that of the goddess of the sea in Finnish mythology, and it contains much enchanting music. However, there's a barrier to overcome at first, simply because two-thirds of its tracks are sung in Finnish and no translations are provided (although, perversely, the lyrics themselves are given in full in the lavish insert-booklet). Don't misunderstand me - Finnish is a great language to sing in, and it has a most persuasive aura, but I really do believe that Vellamo are doing their potential listeners a disservice by not telling them what the songs are about at least (eight of the disc's 13 tracks are sung in Finnish, of which four are penned by Pia herself, two come from other writers and two are from traditional Scandinavian sources).

But, laying that purely linguistic consideration aside, there's so much to like about Vellamo's music, which has a strong, and intensely appealing, retro feel - kinda Trader Horne/first-album Fairport, maybe more than a hint of the Fariñas, with a touch of early-electric-Dylan/McGuinn jangle, get the picture? And Pia's singing is rather exquisite, just what the doctor ordered for this fresh-toned, ethereal brand of sunshine folk-pop and its light textures (a tinkling, jingling musical backdrop with acoustic guitars, occasional mandolin, prominent Hammond organ and softly moulded rhythm track). The five songs sung in English (three of Pia's, two traditionals) are naturally easier to critically assess, I guess: Lovebirds is rather like one of those Wee-Tam-era ISB charmers, while Come On is a Beatle-ish chummy singalong toetapper and Drifting Away just does that, whereas the pair of trad-arrs comprise a rather nice 60s-folk-rock-beat treatment of Silver Dagger, complete with hard-edged electric-guitar solo that betrays Joni's founder-member status with Finnish prog-rock band Moonwagon, and a tentative and not entirely convincing minstrel-like take on Geordie.

At times, Pia and Joni are augmented by the multi-instrumental skills of producer Ken Anderson (one half of duo Hungrytown, whose Rebecca Hall also contributes some backing vocals here); and the album was recorded in Ken's home studio in Vermont (US). Even more surprising, perhaps, then, that the listener doesn't get given the chance to unravel the mysterious delights of Pia's songs, especially the tender, chanson-like Elin I Hagen and the broodingly Slavic waltz-time Ja Se Mies (with its uncannily Al-Stewart-like melody line). Whatever, the music on this disc is still worth investigating.

David Kidman