KARLSSON, NIKO - Valosta Valoon

Viewed from the American sub-underground (aka our headquarters), the Finnish scene always looks like a haven of freaks. Surely there are lots of dull rock, pop, and rap outfits from this chilly and heavily forested country, but they dont get exported, so we dont have to hear them. The Finnish bands weve known and loved are psych, prog, hardcore, free jazz, and post-form monsters of all shapes and sizes. A new name to add to the list of Deadly Finns (thanks, Eno) is Niko Karlsson. Well, not entirely new. He had a few very good and different bands called Navigations, Orange Hora, and Altaat (all of whom have recordings out there) and also cut a solo CDR for Spirit of Orr back in 2012. He also plays now and then in Lau Naus band, and plays a little banjo and guitar on the latest Kiila LP (Näköpiirin Rajolla on Alt.vinyl). But Valosta Valoon (Light to Light") is his first solo vinyl, so we think of it (in a way) as his debut to the wider world, and it is fully cooked. The sound is a mingli