Jussi Lehtisalo - The Complete Solo Works

Artist: Jussi Lehtisalo

Album: The Complete Solo Works

Label: Ektro Records

Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie, Atmospheric rock, Psychedelic rock

Jussi Lehtisalo is a Finnish musician who's been active over the past 20 years in bands such as Circle, Pharaoh Overlord, Slussenanalys, Rakhim, Split Cranium, Grumbling Fur, Steel Mammoth, and Arkhamin Kirjasto – alltogether good for almost 100 different recordings over a wide spectrum of musical genres. Besides his musical endeavours, Lehtisalo also runs Ektro Records and Full Contact Records.

On Ektro Records, The Complete Solo Works by Jussi Lehtisalo is now released. As you might have guessed from the previous description: this man knows music. This man breaths, eats and lives music – and talks through his compositions.

The Complete Solo Works is a combination of 2 solo albums by Jussi Lehtisalo: Rotta from 2010 and Interludes for a Prepared Beast from 2012. As Ektro Records describe these works:

“The Complete Solo Works is but merely one "mask" that the artist wears, yet it's one that reveals so much whilst retaining an air of elusiveness and mystery. The darker of the pair, Rotta is lambent and lonely, yearning and churning, haunting and haunted, a meditation on landscapes unknown and terrain untrodden. In contrast, Interludes For Prepared Beast is often furious in its playfulness, exploding early yet retaining a sense of fast-forward bliss, only to downshift to a glorious lullaby and then back again, Loki-like. Between the two, Lehtisalo is seemingly communicating in a language all his own, malforming all manner of space rock, kosmische, black metal, free folk, and avant-garde guitar, referencing everything and nothing simultaneously, taunting the listener and beckoning him/her, being "in the moment" and also escaping it. “

The Complete Solo Works contains 6 tracks, of which the shortest , the opening track “Veljeni“ is 9 minutes. The second track “Viimeinen Kalja” is filled with sounds of wolves or dogs that invoke empty plains – a feeling that is only reinforced by the haunting vocals of Jussi Lehtisalo. It all together feels like a very nightmareish scenario.

The third track “Aiokja Sitten” brings us a combination of Gregorian chanting, speaking and mumbling that has quite an unearthing effect. The fourth track ”Ei Siin Mittää” sounds like a magic spell or an evil curse, in which the repetitive bassline has a pulsating effect.

“Caterpillars” brings fast drums that give a feeling of panic, stress and the effect of being in a rush. There's a hint of black metal-like chaos, as if we've entered a psychocircus with clowns on acid. The final track “Here march the cranes” is a continuation of “Caterpillars” and sounds like a merry-go-round that makes us all dizzy. The track also features a very groovy bassline that starts around the 14 minute mark.

If you want to hear something original, fresh and thought-provoking, I recommend checking out The Complete Solo Works by Jussi Lehtisalo.

You can listen to the album and order it from the website of Ektro Records.