Cinematic atmospherics and dance floor burners

On Slavic Souls, Dalindèo continue to experiment with the musical influences – jazz, 50s r&b and 60s surf in particular – which defined their award-winning album, Kallio. Bandleader Valtteri Pöyhönen’s reverberating guitar riffs weave their way through jazzy horn arrangements that are backed by a formidable rhythm section that struts, grooves, slinks and swings throughout.

This time round, however, Dalindèo have pushed the cinematic atmospherics into the foreground, resulting in an album that conjures up a 1950’s slice of cloak and dagger cinema that never was. A notable addition to this album is soprano Anna-Kristiina Kaappola, whose voice adds a thrillingly eerie quality to album-opener Avalanche and Tell Me. Indeed, it isn’t hard to imagine such tunes catching the ear of the music-loving film director Quentin Tarantino, who has often shown a particular affection for the genres Dalindèo draw upon so masterfully. And while it is easy to imagine the music of Slavic Souls as a soundtrack, there are a number of tunes which are bound to please those looking for dance floor burners, including Johnny’s Nightmare, which features a bopping, growling saxophone solo from Pope Puolitaival and Tarantella Finlandese, a tune that will have feet tapping from the get-go with its handclapping, bongo-driven groove.

With all that Slavic Souls has to offer, it seems destined to receive at least as many accolades as its predecessor – and deservedly so.