“The birds gifted us their song thousands of years ago. Now it is our responsibility to ensure the vitality of their song.”
Those words from Heikki Laitinen, a musician, researcher, and emeritus professor of folk music, state the theme of this glorious new collection of Finnish folk music. The sub-title of this collection, Lauluja Monimuotoisuudestat, means “Songs About Diversity,” which is apt, because the selections demonstrate the vast diversity of Finnish folk music itself.
These artists came together with the aim of helping to preserve their homeland’s biological diversity. What better way than through this music, which traditionally features many references to the way human lives are intertwined with their ecosystems. From fiddle tunes to sorrowful laments, ancient instruments to modern synths, these songs speak with one voice of wolves, the sea, microbes, lichens, and spirits.
As with any collection, some listeners will be drawn more to some songs than to others. It begins with something anybody who knows Finnish music will recognize, a lovely dance tune “Vid Stormyren” from Frigg. And as I noted above, it ends with a group sing-along on a song titled “Vaskilintu,” the multiple voices accompanied by lots of violins, some accordions, woodwinds and more; it’s lovely and very moving.
In between there are lots more fiddles and accordions and a wide variety of singing styles. On Antti Paalanen‘s song “Laulu luonnolle” (Song to Nature) we find him accompanying himself on a diatonic accordion as he sings in the Siberian throat singing style. Kimmo Pohjonen also sings and plays accordion, but his song “Unelma” (Dream) comes in an electro-folk setting with lots of synthesizers and other effects as well. I find it powerful, even speaking as one whose tastes lean more to acoustic music.
Maria Kalaniemi was one of the first Finnish musicians I reviewed, 20 years ago or more, and she remains a force in this community. Here she plays a beautiful solo piece “Suden tuutu” (Howl of the Wolf) on her big ol’ free-bass button accordion, and also duets with kantele player Maija Kauhanen on the mysterious and atmospheric “Sadejärvi” (Rain Lake). Kauhanen, who’s also a singer and composer and member of the band Okra Playground, sings an amazing duet with Sami vocalist Ánnámarét. On “Háldi – Haltija” Kauhanen plays kantele while she and Ánnámarét trade verses, Ánnámarét singing in the joik style and Kauhanen in traditional Finnish. It’s one of my favorite songs here.
Rounding out the disc … on the more traditional side there’s violinist Piia Kleemola with a couple of solo polkas, and the chamber folk ensemble Kasvu bridges traditional and modern with “Sammal” (moss), an intriguing and lively song featuring layered vocals and lots of acoustic instruments including cello and nyckelharpa. For singer-songwriter fans, Desiree Saarela plays guitar and sings “Evighetens (everlasting) ocean,” and Anette Åkerlund incorporates her Roma heritage with some flamenco style guitar on “Panjako neer – Veden lähellä (Near the water).
Nouse Luonto is available on Bandcamp and other platforms including Spotify.
(Nordic Notes, 2025)
