The quest to bring all Nest works to life in a new mix and for the first time on vinyl is something we take very seriously here at Avantgarde Music. A few months after re-releasing the Finnish band’s first two EPs combined, Fabled Lore / Hidden Stream, it’s time to announce the release of Nest’s classic debut, Woodsmoke, which will be released on CD and LP on January 31st, 2025. Here follow a few words from Aslak Tolonen, the band’s mastermind.
Woodsmoke is the first professionally released Nest full length album. It builds on all the elements that came before and uses them to weave a fully formed aural storybook. It combines fast driving songs with slower introspective atmospheres. It is highly melodious, and adds a wide variety of synthetic soundscapes. The core, as always, is the Finnish national instrument – the kantele (a kind of lap harp) – and it is joined by an even wider range of synthetic instruments, variedpercussion, and spoken word vocals meant to evoke the mystical and the profound. Upgraded audio equipment, with new recording and mixing capabilities, elevates the quality of the material even further. The result is an inquiring mix of acoustic and ambient, melody and atmosphere, in an entrancing package. It explores the themes of nature, the grandioseness and the brutality found in the untamed wilds. It conjures up images of the healing waters, the tumultuous summer storms, and the sparkling winter nights – to both excite and to soothe.
For this reissue, the soundscape was painstakingly revamped. The kantele sound has been augmented, and the other instruments have gone through a serious upgrade in their sound quality. The mix has been carefully refined, and it now conveys considerably more depth and dimension. This is not a mere remaster, nor a soulless re-recording. I hope you enjoy this new ultimate version as much as I do.
– A.T. / Nest
Layout by Francesco Gemelli.
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