Sweden / Finland - Full Moon 227 - 03/05/15

Anna Järvinen
Buren EP
Diesel Music

This is the first half of Anna Järvinen's fourth album, released in February. It's a five track EP lasting about 19 minutes, or about the length of one side of those old fashioned vinyl LPs, you (ought to) know. The second half is due for release on 20. March. We haven't dealt with any of Anna's own releases earlier, but mentioned that she helped out on Dungen's album Skit I Allt four and a half years ago. Before and after that, the Dungen members have backed her both in concert and in the studio, including the new album.

Anna was born in Helsinki, Finland, but moved to Stockholm, Sweden when she was six and her lyrics are written and sung in Swedish. Her music is mainly quiet, careful, lyrical and occasionally vulnerable. The songs and especially her somewhat restrained voice might be compared with Stina Nordenstam's, if anyone remembers her. But Anna is probably a little bit more conventional. She got her breakthrough with her first solo album Jag Fick Feeling (I Got Feeling) in 2007. A favourite among the critics along with the two successors in 2009 and 2011. And, while we're at it, Buren means The Cage.

The new songs are not immediately catchy, maybe apart for the first one "Affären" (The Shop), the most obvious pop song of the collection with lots of tinkling synths, some kind of keyboards sounding like electric pianos and dynamic bass. The remaining four songs creeps in slowly and eventually get a firmer grip on me than "Affären". "Explosioner" (Explosions) is the favourite so far, with acoustic guitar, fascinating reverbed drums in the distance, a bit tubular bells and a choir that works the same way as the synthesized keyboards on other tracks. She sings that she knows 'exactly how explosions sound'. It doesn't seem that way musically, far too careful harmonious for that (including the drums), but she's dealing with explosions in her mind. "Jag Vil Alltid Vara" (I'll Always Be) and "Lägga Pussel" (Play Jigsaw Puzzle) also include acoustic guitars; in addition keyboards of the dreamy kind and haunting choruses (the former song) and keyboards of the swirling and electric piano kind (the latter). Nice examples of Anna's skills to sound mature without presenting AOR. "Stockholm" stands out by being closer to folk-inspired singer songwriter stuff, dominated by acoustic guitar and piano. It also includes a short lyrical instrumental break with viola (I think) followed by flutes. As beautiful as can be!

We'll await Buren part 2 before final judgement day. So far so good!

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