Softwood Music Under Slow Pillars
Encyclopedia
Softwood Music Under Slow Pillars (or simply Softwood Music) is the seventh album of Sielun Veljet
, released in 1989. It is the band's only English language album released as Sielun Veljet. The band had already released two English language recordings, the Ritual EP
in 1986 and Shit-Hot
in 1987, consisting of re-recorded versions of their songs with the lyrics translated to English, but this was the first time that the music was originally written in English.
Sielun Veljet had already been exploring foreign markets and even toured in Europe and the Soviet Union
in 1987, but Softwood Music was only released in Finland, and even there it sold poorly. It differs from previous Sielun Veljet albums by being acoustic
and containing influences from Indian music
to flamenco
. The album has a generally psychedelic
atmosphere.
The album's cover art was painted by Peru
vian artist Pablo Amaringo
. It depicts a shamanistic
ayahuasca
healing ritual.
Sielun Veljet
Sielun Veljet was a Finnish rock band of the 1980s. They were formed soon after the disbanding of Hassisen Kone by its former frontman Ismo Alanko. Sielun Veljet never achieved the fame or the record sales figures of Hassisen Kone, but they became famous for their powerful stage presence and...
, released in 1989. It is the band's only English language album released as Sielun Veljet. The band had already released two English language recordings, the Ritual EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 1986 and Shit-Hot
Shit-Hot
Shit-Hot is an album by L'amourder, a pseudonym for Sielun Veljet. It contains re-recorded versions of their songs translated into English.Shit-Hot - Track listing :# Forever hungry # Luminous force ....
in 1987, consisting of re-recorded versions of their songs with the lyrics translated to English, but this was the first time that the music was originally written in English.
Sielun Veljet had already been exploring foreign markets and even toured in Europe and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1987, but Softwood Music was only released in Finland, and even there it sold poorly. It differs from previous Sielun Veljet albums by being acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
and containing influences from Indian music
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
to flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
. The album has a generally psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
atmosphere.
The album's cover art was painted by Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian artist Pablo Amaringo
Pablo Amaringo
Pablo Cesar Amaringo was an acclaimed Peruvian artist, renowned for his intricate, colourful depictions of his visions from drinking the entheogenic plant brew, ayahuasca. He was first brought to the West's attention by Dennis McKenna and Luis Eduardo Luna, who met Pablo in Pucallpa while...
. It depicts a shamanistic
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
ayahuasca
Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca is any of various psychoactive infusions or decoctions prepared from the Banisteriopsis spp. vine, usually mixed with the leaves of dimethyltryptamine-containing species of shrubs from the Psychotria genus...
healing ritual.
Track listing
Music and lyrics by Sielun Veljet.- "Mushroom Moon" -- 3:23
- "I Wanna Be a Frog" -- 2:16
- "Life Is a Cobra" -- 3:05
- "Woe! The Maiden of My Heart" -- 2:19
- "Immortal Bliss" -- 2:51
- "Evil Kübl" -- 3:38
- "Vicious Waltz" -- 2:45
- "Hey-Ho, Red Banana!" -- 1:58
- "The Beast Has Taken Over in My Mind Again" -- 4:27
- "Old Masterpiece" -- 2:02
- "KeralaKeralaor Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
" -- 4:25 - "Living in a Twisted World" -- 3:10
Personnel
- Ismo Alanko -- vocals, steel-string guitar, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, backing vocals - Jukka Orma -- nylon-string guitar, vocals, backing vocals
- Jouko Hohko -- bass balalaika, vocals, backing vocals
- Alf Forsman -- gongo-drums, big drumBig DrumBig Drum is a genre and a musical instrument from the Windward Islands. It is a kind of Caribbean music, associated mostly closely with the music of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Carriacou in Grenada and in the music of Saint Kitts and Nevis.-Carriacou:...
, gunguru-klocks & other percussion - Karri Koivukoski -- violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Jaakko Vuornos -- violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Salla Salmenkallio -- violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....