Musta Huone: Hälve / Huove (LP)

Musta Huone: Hälve / Huove
LP
Paa Jotaki, no cat. #, Finland, 2021


A1 Valtakunta

A2 Maailmanloppu

A3 Aamuyö

B1 Hidas valo

B2 Aistit

On Hälve (translates in Finnish to ”clearing”; in Estonian to ”deviation”) the Helsinki-based quartet Musta Huone expands their sound palette and sonic exploration further than before.

At its fiercest, the soundscape is a maelstrom of noisy guitar walls and piercing synths that crackle and throb. These moments of anxiousness are counter-balanced with cold and delicate ambience, buried under intricate layers of electronics, as well as clusters of baritone saxophones performed by guest player Vesa Hoikka.

The overarching theme of Hälve is night time, both in literal and metaphorical sense, with the focus on deviants, hermits and outsiders. ”Valtakunta” recounts the story from 1980s when a locksmith enthusiast-cum-serial stalker evoked fear among residents of a Helsinki neighbourhood, with the song examining manipulation and misuse of power through the eyes of the perpetrator. Themes of domestic terror continue with ”Maailmanloppu”, in which the narrator – locked inside his apartment – is convinced the world is about to come to an end based on the ominous sounds he hears coming from outside his house. The claustrophobic tension is finally released with Cormac McCarthian slow-burner ”Aamuyö”, as the cities are on fire in a distance and the night appears to never end.

released March 19, 2021

Hälve recorded at Artlab, Helsinki in May 2020 and various locations around Finland in June–August 2020.

Huove recorded at Artlab in December 2018.

Mixed by Tom Brooke (Tonehaven).

Mastered by Jaakko Viitalähde (Virtalähde Mastering).

Cover art by Pietu Arvola.

Musta Huone are:

Ville-Matti Koskiniemi, guitar and vocals

Pietu Arvola, synths and noise

Santeri Paasiala, bass

Joonas Paasiala, drums