Where to even begin is always the hard part; this album sets out to soothe an anxious soul from the very first note of the very first song. Where We Belong is stunning, it’s a beautiful and warming concept in itself, and the music does not sway away from this. The title track opens the project up with an inherently simple and minimalist style, and it’s just beautiful. Superbly atmospheric; you can press play, set to repeat even, and the whole strain of the day just fades away into oblivion. A wonderful achievement and exactly the kind of thing great music should do.
Elmo Karjalainen is a guitarist and musician from Finland, who has recently recorded this solo instrumental album inspired by all things creatively acoustic. The opening track sets the tone appropriately, and in actual fact – that repeat button isn’t necessary – the music continues to wrap it’s warmth around you as you listen. It’s so simple, but so emotionally played, and that emotion transfers from the artist to the listener quite effortlessly.
Elmo doesn’t overload the music with fast playing or excessive, self indulgent showmanship. What I mean is, there is an undeniably high level of skill within the playing, but you only get the occasional glimmer of those fast flicks and flair. This is a fantastic guitarist, who clearly understands the importance of art, and the skill involved in creating real, effective music. Music that one can unwind to, that lets those daily struggles and problems just fade away for a while. That’s when skill becomes art, and it sounds amazing.
What’s interesting about this album is that although the instrumental content is very minimal, there is a really distinct mood created by each track. On occasion you are transported to some exotic and sun drenched part of the world, and then later it feels like a rainy winter’s night. A really wonderful thing to bring through music. Black Jack Time is a perfect example of this kind of extreme scene setting. Turn it right up and just see where your mind takes you. An extraordinary effect.
I can’t recommend this album enough, not to be missed – stunningly creative and expressive guitar music. Head over to Elmo’s Website to download the album, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter to show some love and to officially get involved and stay up to date. You can also head over to Bandcamp to grab his previous albums and releases. Elmo’s musical past is brilliantly varied and involves a lot of much heavier music – use the socials above to find out more about his rock and metal endeavors.
