Hannu - Harhailua

Hannu
Harhailua
(02.2009, Kesh)
RIYL = Lau Nau, Colleen, Deaf Center

Now here is a glistening beam of pure, beautiful oddness - and I mean that in only the most Scandinavian way. Yeah, that’s right; it’s one of those. Harhailua is the miniature follow up to Hannu’s debut album Worms In My Piano. I never got around to the debut (though I will claim cool points by having it on my list of things to check out – sorry, need all the cool points I can) and Harhailua has just assured me that this was a mistake. I will surely be backpedaling with this group. Reason being that this, the follow up, is bri-lli-ant! Gots to separate those syllables on this one folks. Composed of seven cumbersome tracks, Hannu deals with the oddities of northern European splendor in terms of analog electronics mixed with vintage classical instrumentation: you know, harps and glockenspiels and music boxes, pretty much all the stuff that is buried in dust of your long lost dead Scandinavian aunt’s attic; Hannu has stolen it. It is ok though, once you’ve heard Harhailua you will be happy that they did. Add to this a bevy of succulent sound samples from the frost bitten wild hinted at on the cover and you’ve got yourself Harhailua. It is atmospheric like you wouldn’t believe and with a resonance that must have been achieved through only the most studied sound engineering. Gorgeous gorgeous stuff. Anyway, sorry for the little gap in coverage as of late, Sass and I have been in the hospital tending to the newest addition to the FG roster. We’ll have post up by him soon. In the meantime, revel in this for it is most mightily wondrous, like a journey into an enchanted forest or something.

-Lil' Thistle

Stream of Harhailua