Aava tuulen maa

Kauan is the brainchild of the Russian multi-instrumentalist Anton Belov, and violinist Lyubov Mushnikova. Musically they find themselves playing a folk-influenced piano-driven brand of melancholic post-rock, with lyrics in Finnish.

In short, Aava Tuulen Maa is a profoundly beautiful experience, a musical journey that carries you away on tender wings of desolation. The somber piano-pieces are accompanied by Mushnikova’s heart-rendering violin, mournful neofolk guitars, and Belov’s soothing voice, which feels almost therapeutic in its tranquility. There are some sparse use of sampled nature ambiance, but these are completely trivial as the music takes you through breathtaking fields and forests perfectly fine on its own. While there is little even resembling metal in these compositions, parallels can be drawn to bands like Tenhi, Agalloch, and even Alcest.

While words can hardly do it justice, Aava Tuulen Maa is the kind of album that leaves you comfortably numb for it’s entire 50 minutes running time. It’s a stirring piece of art, which will keep you coming back whenever you just need to disconnect from the world and drift away. Highly recommended!


Written for The Metal Observer