TUOMO & MARKUS

Finnish soul wizard Tuomo Prättälä and americana/folk singer-songwriter Markus Nordenstreng joined forces, headed to Tuczon, Arizona and made an album with people like John Stirratt, John Convertino, Joey Burns, Jakob Valenzuela, Pat Sansone, and Gary Louris. That’s quite an all-star cast and I’m sorry for entering into this dreadful namedropping state. This namedropping of people I admire is making even me exhausted, but thankfully I can soothe my soul in the arms of a rather amazing record. It’s the music that counts and the fact that this features members of Wilco, Calexico, Autumn Defense and The Jayhawks will open a door or two, but the doorman still wouldn’t let them in, if the music itself was uninspiring and didn’t hold any value. Nothing to worry about the quality of the songs though. Everything works beautifully and the album Dead Circles contains some of the finest material these fine gentlemen have written over the years. Vanity Blinds is by far my favourite moment on this gorgeous album. Starts as a very classic Nordenstreng song that I’ve been enjoying since late nineties and rises to new heights with the gorgeous arrangements and beautiful instrumentation. A real work of art. The whole album is for the most part. Maybe a song or two feel a bit indifferent after a few spins, but that might be just me being an ignorant twat.

The album Dead Circles is out now on Grandpop Records. I highly recommend the beautiful gatefold vinyl (includes CD). There’s a couple of extra tracks too. So it’s not only the usual it looks and sounds better thing. You’ll get a little bit of extra by purchasing the vinyl. - One Chord To Another

(5 stars)
Tuomo Prättälä and Nordenstreng's debut turns out harmonious and soulful, classic singer/songwriter music with echoes of power pop and classic rock, but magnificently laid back. If you closed your eyes you'd imagine you were listening to 70's Californian soft rock with hints of southern soul on the side. (translation) - Helsingin Sanomat (largest daily newspaper in Nordic countries)