Es - Kesamaan Lapset

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4...according to our Brian on Thu 18 Jun, 2009.

Wonky Finnish avant-pop sensation Es has his fifth full lengther out on popular sideways experiScando stable Fonal and he's christened the collection 'Kesämaan Lapset'. Over the course of 5 tunes of uneven duration he explores juddering cosmic synthscapes, chiming ambient moods & toytown analogue minimalism. On T3, 'Säteet sun sielusta', ponderous Satie-esque ivory tinkling drapes itself over sustained organ notes and this harmonious arrangement begins to build towards something incredibly beautiful, an cosmic epic along the lines of Terry Riley goes space drone. The piano appears like a cascading & volatile waterfall beneath the sound of an awe inspiring UFO landing, a proper gorgeous kaleidoscope of sound. 'Kesämaan Lapset' is the self-titled centrepiece, a seriously lengthy odyssey consisting of proper woozy astral pop & twinkling proggy ambience that comes across like a more spangled Animal Collective shagging Tangerine Dream's leg. Oh yeah baby, this is the king dong oooh aye, give it to me...give it to me....OOOOOOHHH! LP/CD packaged with many unnerving pictures of children dotted around the various sleevature that should be cute but are actually a tad freaky.....

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"[Sänpäkkilä's] knitting together of the sacred and the homespun, the
majestic and the naive, yielding a distinctive take on memory tripping." -
Nick Richardson / The Wire

Sami Sänpäkkilä's fifth release under the Es moniker pays homage to one of
his favourite albums, Pekka Streng's 'Kesämaa' (Summerland). 'Kesämaan
lapset' (translating to 'The Children Of The Summerland') is something of a
'childhood photo album' for Sami, filled with summery retrospection and warm
memories of home. Recorded over a three year period both abroad and at home
in Finland, the spectral-pop soundscapes created using a variety of analog
synthesizers and flea-market toy casio's produce a sound brimming with warm,
gentle tones, and slowly shifting textures. A variety of additional
instrumentation adds even more colour to the pieces, which are part
instrumental and part song. 'Kesämaan lapset' sees something of a shift from
the previous Es album 'Sateenkaarisuudelma'; a little more understated, and
perhaps a little lighter - an astonishing work of cosmic pop.