Meritie

The amazing first Islaja's album

The Wire Magazine

Meritie is the debut album from Islaja, a Finnish singer-songwriter who specialises in beautifully phased acid-folk. Her guitar technique draws heavily from the Syd Barrett-Jandek axis, with erratic single note bass patterns pulsing like blood throughout her furthest navigations while the rest of her fingers knit meandering tonal rags. Double tracked vocals add to the air of total dislocation, helping to make her sometimes Bjork-like vocal sound a bit less cute. At points both vocals intersect to powerful effect, an invigorating verbal anarchy that makes for some delicious smears of pure sound, while the muzzy use of harpsichord, accordion, organ and harmonica works to encase the later tracks in a coat of warm, damp moss.
David Keenan

Dusted Magazine

Isjala's Meritie, her debut on Fonal Records, is just part of the explosion of grass roots music in Finland the last few years. Isjala wrote, played and recorded most Meritie’s 13 songs by herself.

Isjala combines gestures from various genres, but in an off-hand, almost careless way, like a roughshod Joni Mitchell. Isjala twists, bends and often breaks her forms, struggling to lace the psychedelic folk and the avant garde of the present with the remnants of childhood piano lessons. “Kukkia” begins with jaunty, if somewhat skewed, finger-picking and an aching falsetto harmony, eerily evoking Simon & Garfunkel’s pseudo-psychedelic Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme.
[...]
“Vimeisellä rannalla”, the album’s most stunning piece, showcases all of Isjala’s strengths. A stark poem bobs above drifting harmonica, accordion, organ and singing whales. Spoken more than sung, the backdrop a fractured kaleidiscope of instrumental colors.
Matthew Wuethrich

Islaja - Meritie (FR-32)

Download Album

1.		Islaja - Kristallipallosilmät	3m 48s
2.		Islaja - Kenen maa	4m 15s
3.		Islaja - Emoa ikävä	2m 19s
4.		Islaja - Kämmen, kynsi, kieli	3m 1s
5.		Islaja - Kukkia	3m 14s
6.		Islaja - Haikea, kirkas	2m 2s
7.		Islaja - Sata naakkaa sitten	2m 52s
8.		Islaja - Majassani nukut, kataja	2m 16s
9.		Islaja - Valo vedestä	2m 22s
10.		Islaja - Viimeisellä rannalla	4m 11s
11.		Islaja - Harhojen perhe	2m 0s
12.		Islaja - Halpaa kultaa	2m 3s
13.		Islaja - Aallot ja äänet	4m 33s

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