8-piece Finnish band Eleanoora Rosenholm are a departure from the celebrated Fonal sound, opting instead of glacial electronica or forest-free-folk-psyche for a very slick, mature 80's synth-pop sound. Chance repeat listens, and you’ll come to realize that this record is highly addictive and brilliant.
The sound is a complex mix of influences - everything sounds strangely familiar yet also impossible to pinpoint. Elements of 60's pop, Japanese pop, IDM, 80's sophistcated pop, 80's synth and goth pop, Giorgio Moroder. Pretty synths, vocoders, driving bass and drums, female vocals and harmonies. Sweet melodies with undercurrents of melancholy, wistfulness and sometimes all out creepiness. I don’t speak Finnish but the bio indicates that the lyrics are quite creepy and sinister so an undersanding of the language might really recontextualize the pretty, poppy music.
Eleanoora Rosenhold is not at all what you may have come to expect from the Fonal label, but it is a very successful departure from their established sound. In my experience, it takes multiple listens to begin to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the record. I’m totally hooked now... Highly recommended.
