Tenhi
Airut:Ciwi

If you already know this group, good for you because you are familiar with one of the most interesting bands of recent years. If you haven't listened to them yet, I hope to pique your interest with this my first review.

I want to preface that what I'm about to review is one of their most peculiar works, so I recommend you listen to all the rest as well before forming a definite opinion about this band. I'm talking about Tenhi, a Finnish trio which, in my opinion, is difficult to categorize as their music is a blend of different genres ranging from neo-folk to ambient, with gothic elements. The album I'm going to review is actually an EP, namely "Airut: Ciwi".

This album is the first of a trilogy, the Harmaa, in which Tenhi experiment with new musical styles. "Airut: Ciwi" was released in 2000 and was followed in 2006 by "Airut: Aamujen". A third act, "Airut: Saavoie", will be released soon.

In this first act, a strong folk imprint, with dark tones, is evident, and the first track "Tuulennostatus" is its most obvious example. The track, which serves as an intro, is very short but clearly hints at what follows in this album, brief yet intense. "Tuulennostatus" resembles a tribal dance, a shamanic rite, with background cries and indistinct sounds that make this track mystical, opening the mind to uncharted scenarios. It is followed by Tenhi's absolute masterpiece, Kielo, a very long track, over 10 minutes, that seems to be a chapter of its own. It alone occupies half of the record and is undoubtedly the reason for its existence. A somber melody punctuated by cold piano strokes interspersed with Saarykko's shamanic voice transports the listener's mind to another dimension. The slow pace of the piano strokes highlights the pauses, leaving the listener immersed in their darkest thoughts. The third and final track is "Ciwenkierto", from which the whole album takes its title. With this track, the atmosphere with which the album opened rekindles. The use of particular instruments (notably the didgeridoo) makes this piece extremely interesting and marks almost a turning point in Tenhi's sound, as they will later take up the experiments from this track to create the piece "Sutoi", featured in the album "Väre", but also in "Tuulenkaato", where the atmosphere of "Tuulennostatus" is undoubtedly present. In "Ciwenkierto", the voice seems inspired by supernatural forces, the percussion is obsessive, the flute seems insane, the jaw harp rings with all its mysterious charm, and all of this is barely kept in check by the warm and engaging acoustic guitars and the violin, which intervenes sporadically, adding an additional folkloric and personal touch to this bewildering final track.

The only negative note is the brevity of the work. Given the quality of the three tracks, it would be reasonable to imagine a fantastic LP if one had been made. But overall, it's just as well. Perhaps it is precisely in its brevity that this work finds its greatest strength, marking a turning point in Tenhi's musicality, not so much evident in Väre but already prevailing in Maaäet.