Andy Wors
J. Kajan š«š® - āKertoisinko kaikenā (Album)

I covered post / prog rock band Riutto yesterday and Iāll continue the theme of Albums with Finnish lyrics with J. Kajan, who released his album āKertoisinko kaikenā last Friday. Riutto have such a big instrumental sound that actually my terrible Finnish language skills didn't spoil the enjoyment of the album, but Kajanās songwriting feels more personal, so it has been more difficult for me to fully appreciate the release - thankfully the artist has steered me in the right direction with some lyrical explanations.
So J. Kajan (apparently his 1st name is a mystery to everyone, even himself) has been writing and performing live for 15 years. Heās very much in the singer songwriter mould, with folk, Americana and pop influences, and it was only through meeting producer Michael Bleu that he was persuaded to go into the studio.
The result is āKertoisinko kaikenā, which translates to āShall I tell everythingā, a fluid album that feels quite intimate in its delivery and performance, but benefits from Bleuās bold expansive production, and whilst actually I often like hearing quite lo-fi releases from folk / singer songwriters, I appreciate the clarity of sound here, particularly hearing the intricacies of Kajanās guitar playing. Lyrically it considers the aspirational and competitive society we live in, but leading on to considering how we as individuals find comfort and inner peace in the place we find ourselves.
Iāll suggest some highlights.āPitkƤ on matkaā (translated to āLong is the roadā) which Kajan explains āis about the bad habit of taking achievements and the positives for granted and always reaching for something more - this results in chronic dissatisfactionā, itās a thoughtful topic for a track and something that Iāve been terrible for myself at times,
But musically itās a few of the middle tracks in the album that capture my attention, with the languid flowing āElossaā offering a catchy tune, whilst āReppanan pojan tannsiā takes you on a jaunty ride with another foot tapping melody. But actually the interlude āTanssiinpyyntƶā is really effective too, with a subtle string arrangement added, and offering an interesting break in styles amongst the classic songwriting.
The album ends with āHuutava hiljaisuusā (āSilence so loudā), with words inspired by Finnish national poet Eino Leino and borrowing some thoughts from two of his poems, as Kajan explains. āWhen taking down all masks, make up and protection, do I really know the person behind, or is he a stranger? And when all protections are taken down, itās difficult to be alone in the solitude with own thoughts and self criticism, but also difficult to be surrounded by people when afraid of being judgedā.
I wouldnāt be doing myself justice if I suggested āKertoisinko kaikenā was highly recommended for everyone, clearly the Finnish lyrics do steer this more towards an audience closer to his home, and Iām probably not suggesting we have an early contender for Album of the Year either. But Iām delighted to include the album in NMR, J. Kajan (along with Michael Bleu) have done a really good job in capturing the atmosphere of his music, the songs are nicely written, timeless in many ways, whilst the lyrical themes (at least the ones I understand) are well considered, and there is an expression in both the vocals and guitar that explains why heās made an impression on people when performing live.
Find him on Facebook. Or Instagram.