The aim of this site was always supposed to be to cover more Album and EP releases than singles / videos where possible, and we do want to remain true to that in 2018. We've always been happy to cover releases that we missed from previous releases too, so we have no hesitation in covering Finnish born singer songwriter Heikki Rasilo's EP from last year entitled 'Before I'm Covered'.
I think, firstly, this is a great contrast to our first feature of the year, the huge alternative rock EP from 'Orochen'. This is purest singer songwriter style music, handcrafted by Heikki Rasilo using a mixture of guitar finger picking and some fairly extravagant sliding guitar sections. And whilst there is a simplicity in the style and in the traditional feel of the songwriting, there's an interesting dynamic to it, with melodies that don't always go in the direction you'll quite expect.
The EP opens with 'Craftsman's Ballad', and it's clear that Heikki Rasilo has a soft, likeable voice, which is easy to get accustomed to. The melody, as with all his music, has a laid back feel, and there is a warmth to the instrumentation and lyrics. In 'Song for a Brother' I love the gentle contribution from the piano, the melancholy slant to the vocals, and the meandering direction of the chord sequences. ' Before I'm Covered' shows off Heikki Rasilo at his finger picking best, and actually I like this style of guitar playing in his music much more than the longer guitar solos. Just turn up the music really loud, and let every note squeeze into every corner of the house - whilst the chorus is particularly clever in its crafting.
'Bones of St. James' is up tempo, and melodically has a more traditional feel, but it's great fun and provides a good contrast to the some of the melancholy tinged tracks. The EP then finishes with 'Circus Song', a whole 8 1/2 minutes, and I like the 'storyteller' feel to the song, whilst the highlight is the fairly extraordinary and slightly surprising middle and end sections, which introduce brass and strings, with the middle section having a dramatic cinematic quality, and the end a haunting trumpet. I'd love to see more of these arrangements in future songwriting.
This is exactly the type of musician that we promise to keep covering in Nordic Music Review. Independent, talented and thoughtful musicians, who craft songs using their fingers and hearts. Songs such as 'Song for a Brother' are beautifully written, and worthy of a place on anyone's playlist, and we're delighted to add Heikki Rasilo to our list of talented singer songwriters that you can reach for to warm your hearts on those dark winter evenings.
The lovely artwork for the EP is by Yana Knight.