Robotix electro blended with twisted soul and world music – somewhere between Grace Jones and Lady Gaga form the spine of ‘Skeleton Walk’ and the sparse and shadowy ‘See No Sun’. The former finds wild autotuning all over Kerja Mokkonen’s vocals; on the latter she comes on like a wild woman on a bleak and warped 80s disco.
It’s not all jarring rhythms and sharp angles: the synths drift like mist on the instrumental ‘Temporary Haven’ – although it is only temporary. Multi-layered vocals warp disorientatingly, and there’s a manic, borderline psychotic edge to ‘Travel Light’. Wide-eyed and wired-sounding, Islaja sings with a controlled intensity, accentuated by the abstract musical backdrop and insistent beats. There are hints of the minimalist stylings of The XX and Young Marble Giants about ‘Shit Hit the Fan’, on which she opines ‘I did what I did… maybe slightly overdid.’ Maybe... and maybe that’s what makes ‘SUU’ such a captivating album.
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Islaja Online
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