“There’s not a word yet, for old friends who’ve just met.” – Henson, Jim
Hello, my friends. It’s that time again! What time do you ask? Well, another of my favorite albums has a birthday and I would be remiss not to take you on a final listening journey! This will complete the trifecta of my favorite artists and seems like a good place to hang up my short-lived hat of literary journeys and anecdotes. So, let’s embark on this rollercoaster together and have the time of our lives, shall we?
AURI, comprised of Tuomas Holopainen, Troy Donockley, and Johanna Kurkela is a rebellious band of merry friends who make the most beautiful music I have ever heard. Whimsical and fantastical, AURI has a chokehold on my heart and has truly inspired me in many ways. Their casual nature but deep reverence for music is enchanting. Watching them talk about AURI is cathartic in a sense, because you know they put pure unadulterated spirit and soul into it. No one has tainted the creative process and everyone in the band is treated with kindness, respect, and understanding. That’s one of the reasons I’m so smitten with them, it feels so good to support them!
My heart always yearned to take you on a musical adventure through AURI, but I admit that I was quite nervous. I had been a regular ordinary fan of theirs until late last year when I undertook a personal mission to research their inspirations and references in a meticulous way and was met with so many layers of literature and art that I was overwhelmed at first. I’m sure there are references and things buried so deep into the songs that no one except the songwriter will know they exist. The first AURI album helped me write a novel and the second album inspired such artistic creativity in me that I’m still reeling from it all. So, to say that I love this trio with my whole heart is not an understatement.
“Auri II – Those We Don’t Speak Of“ is probably my second favorite album ever made. (No one asked, but my absolute favorite is the ALTAMULLAN ROAD debut, which I wrote about here). Sometimes, the world is a very tough place to be and as a listener, it’s incredibly valuable to have safe places to offload your conscious self for a little bit. All songs have a place in the universe of music, but AURI music is just top-tier worldbuilding that comes from people who are avid readers themselves. “Auri II” is a vacation of the mind, and I thank my lucky stars that I get to exist at the same time as this album.
“Auri II” is packed to the tippy-top with adventure and escapism. From otherworldly to a sweet campfire atmosphere, this album takes you through quite a journey but keeps you safe the entire time. A luxury vacation where you don’t have to do anything but listen. How cool is that?
The inside of the vinyl is my favorite piece of art to look at for inspiration. Greens and yellows are woven throughout the whole thing, a stark difference from the black-and-white ambiance of the first album. Also, all of the inside is digitally rendered, versus the photography in the first one. As someone who very briefly dabbled with 3D rendering, I have massive respect for those who can create using that method. Obviously, the trio are there, looking coy and ready to embark alongside you inside their fancy frames. Across from them is a little pile of belongings that hints that a certain Moomin valley storyteller might be resting there. My favorite little bit is a shelf in one panel that holds a box in front of one of the older AURI promo images. I like to pretend that it’s the little box they stored the idea of AURI in until the timing was right. I mean, there are three keys there. There are horses and an hourglass coated in fog. All-in-all, AURI definitely know how to channel a certain aesthetic with the juxtaposition of their minimalist covers and opulent insides.
The beginning of our journey starts with “Those We Don’t Speak Of,” an obvious reference to the “villains” in The Village by M. Night Shyamalan. While it carries the same omnipresent vibe of being observed by the unseen, I do believe the parallels end there. However, I could probably go off on tangents about the layers of reference and nods to certain projects in AURI records for years on end. I know that they are big fans of The Village (and yes, I know “The Gravel Road” inspired one of my favorite songs on the ALTAMULLAN ROAD album). However, the fun part about this music is that it’s so open for interpretation and imagination that you can come up with new things to compare it to all of the time.
According to Johanna, who wrote the track, it’s primarily a fun little tune that came about after misreading a keyboard sound. I would classify this as a perfect example of what Neil Gaiman meant when he said “Make glorious, amazing mistakes.” So, you’d expect images of yellow robes and a looming forest to come to mind, however, I have a very niche association with this song. If you were a baby nerd in the ’90s like me, you’re probably familiar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There is a particular episode aptly called Hush that has a band of pristinely dressed men named “The Gentlemen,” with the most unnerving grins that go around in the dark and steal hearts without making a single sound. To this day, it’s the only episode of television to scare me. I love comparing the two because I highly doubt any of AURI has any particular affinity for Buffy, but the lyrics to the song are so perfectly aligned with The Gentlemen that I can never separate the two in my mind. The power of music and amazing mistakes, I suppose.
Also! They had a guest on this song that I would be upset if I forgot to mention: Vangelis the Cat, credited with “feline atmospheres” left a lasting impression on the song and implored that his owners change their setup to fit his musical preferences. I also agree “more moog” is always a good solution. Honestly, any song with a cat is guaranteed to win me over.
The second track on the album is “The Valley” – a lovely timeless tune with a gorgeous lyric video to accompany it. The obvious reference is the Moomin valley universe and more specifically, Snufkin. And I know that it’s not specifically about him or that world, yet it’s hard to think of anything else. I watched Moomin as a child because my father was adamant that we take in media from all cultures and countries. I don’t have the same emotional association as AURI does, but that’s fine! What it did do, is make me research the creator of Moomin, Tove Jansson who was quite possibly the most fascinating woman of all time. The more I learn about her, the more I am so inspired and moved! I wish I had gotten to meet her, she surely had some amazing adventures.
The second half of the song is so robust! I can close my eyes and clearly see all three of them on stage performing and swaying to the rhythm of this. I cannot wait until AURI are able to tour. Furthermore, “claptrap” is a nice word that I learned from this song. In fact, it gave me a case of the giggles so persistent that I spent 3 hours trying to catch my breath afterward. Songs that spark joy like that are truly ones to be treasured. This is one of the songs that I immediately play when I need to set my brain down somewhere and just enjoy music without thinking. No matter what is happening, by the end of this song, I am smiling and singing along.
Next up is “The Duty of Dust” and boy do I have feelings about this one. My favorite part about AURI is that all the credits (except for guests) are just listed as the band. Now, sometimes they admit who wrote which song, but for the ones where no one had disclosed the author, I love to try and guess who wrote which one. It’s quite difficult, which speaks to how in tune and on the same page they are. I remember things easily, but I haven’t seen or heard it all, so if someone has been credited with any of the songs that I talk about and I didn’t mention them, do tell. Or don’t, I like a mystery!
“The Duty of Dust” starts out very calm and stripped of a lot of instrumentation, which is euphoric to me. I LOVE when Johanna is singing with not much else behind her. Akin to “Underthing Solstice” from their first album, “The Duty of Dust” really hammers home the feeling of mortality and time passing. Lines like “Knees are grazed digging soil for the soul” and “Nails are cracked by the widening hole” really make the listener feel what is happening. In my mind, it’s the soundtrack of a hand reaching up through the soil as someone not-quite-dead digs themselves out of a grave.
Then, we get Troy singing the same lines as before in a soulful but macabre echo that ends up building up to quite an energetic fanfare. I truly feel as if the end is a gift to all who listen to it all the way through, just to put a balm on your aching heart. All I can picture is cute little ghosts coming out of their hiding spots at night and dancing together until the sun begins to rise and return to rest the day away. I have a visceral need to see this performed live so I can dance poorly like the aforementioned ghosts and clutch at my heart with absolute joy. Like I said, I’m very casual about how much I love this record!
“Pearl Diving” is next and oh, this one is a joy! As I’ve mentioned in previous pieces, I’m a sucker for aquatic imagery, and this doesn’t disappoint. Johanna singing a nautical story while Troy repeatedly chants “anchor, away” is so deeply soothing. Something I genuinely adore about AURI is how it has a sort of DIY feel. There really isn’t anything required that the three members cannot manage on their own. Strings, flutes, keys, and cats! I am in perpetual awe of people who make music. How does it happen? What I wouldn’t give to ask them approximately three thousand questions about music and songwriting!
“Pearl Diving” has a noticeable shift in tone about halfway through the song, where a shipwreck happens in the lyric video. I already had childhood dreams of being a selkie that lives underwater and emerges to be pretty and ethereal, and this song really makes me wish it was possible. The whole piece feels like the smooth rocking of a boat and I always find myself swaying when I sing it aloud or in my head. Does anyone else want to go sailing and sing this at the top of their lungs? You bring the ship, I’ve got the river! Pirate hats and jars of dirt are unfortunately not included.
“Kiss the Mountain” makes me feel like I’m sitting on the porch of a small cabin with walls bathed in an alpenglow, my breath making small clouds as I exhale. There’s a coffee in one hand and a kitty cat under my other one. It’s beautiful, it’s cozy, and it’s so very moving. A motivational tune about how we are all capable of great things but we fight a constant internal battle. I hate to say it so plainly, but Johanna’s singing in this whole track is so pristine and effortless that I really can’t help but give my heart over to her and hope for the best. This would make a gorgeous tune to have a hero’s journey set to. AURI as a whole should be the soundtrack for everything, honestly. I’m still holding out for them to sing the songs in the Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss. Oh, that would be so very heavenly.
It’s poetic and reads like a quick succession of miniature self-affirmations instead of a story, which contrasts nicely with the tracks before it. Sometimes you just need time to breathe and give yourself a pep talk. “Kiss the Mountain” is perfect for that. Try it!
“Light and Flood” was penned by Troy Donockley after pulling off the road to witness a place that had been flooded. It has no lyrics and minimal vocalizations. The atmosphere really translates in the music and the misty isolation atmosphere is palpable. I love getting lost in music and this tune is incredibly great for doing that. Troy also spoke about how he saw only mist and was incredibly inspired by the lack of time and space. I think that’s wonderful. I sometimes have a difficult time concentrating on songs with no words, but that doesn’t happen here at all. I think my very favorite part is the piano, truly. It feels like a waterfall of emotion that takes you up and down a gentle current as you slowly float away.
“It Take Me Places” is the only AURI song to be written by all three of the members. They have a unique dynamic when it comes to introducing each other to their music and I find it incredibly fascinating. What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall for those interactions! It would be like Christmas threefold! The song lists things that take each person places and they’re so very specific that I love it to pieces. Evoking all five senses is a genius thing to do and to wrap it all up so astutely ticks all the boxes for an amazing experience.
Things like “Whiff of winter, autumn’s last dance” and “Greenhouse glass nettle stings, tea shop” immediately transport me somewhere. I can see and feel what they’re talking about without doing anything else but pushing the “play” button. My favorite bit is, “Raindrops pounding the bedroom roof / New sheets, first wave of Christmas mood,” because all of that is just so perfect. These are a few of my favorite things! I get happy feet when I listen to this because songs that play off of the senses make me quite happy.
“The Long Walk” was a song that I appreciated immensely but never quite had an association with for a long time. Now, I’m someone very motivated by my imagination, so I was frustrated and felt as if I wasn’t quite understanding it. What was I doing wrong? Did I need to learn more about it? No one had really talked about it, so I had nothing to glean from interviews or the like.
Then, I picked up The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, as one does when you love this band, and two things happened. One, I began to notice all the small little references that were hidden in the first AURI album and, two, I realized that this song made me think of a specific scene where young Kvothe finds himself on the wrong side of Tarbean and is beaten within an inch of his life and takes refuge on a rooftop. So, I was just trying to force something that I should not have! There’s a lesson to be learned there!
The penultimate song is “Scattered To The Four Winds,” which tells a tale of the aftermath of life. The song itself is repetitive in the lyrical department, but that’s not a bad thing! After the arduous and complex journey we’ve gone on, this is a reprieve. It’s perfectly placed and the soft drums and whinny of the strings pair perfectly. It’s so incredibly soothing for a song that seems to be written in retrospect. Each repetition of the lyrics is accompanied by increasing energy that ends with a very spectacular yet controlled ending.
“Fireside Bard” is quite the around-the-campfire tune. I personally think it works wonders paired with “Those We Don’t Speak Of” as auditory bookends for the album. I want nothing more than for everyone to sit down and watch them perform this as quietly and intimately as possible. It makes me want to grab a beverage and sway back and forth, bumping shoulders with my friends as we watch a trio of pals just sing their hearts out. Bonus points if Tuomas joins in with the singing. Just a trio of friends enjoying themselves as the sun sets and the energy, like the fire, dies down.
All-in-all, this album is gorgeous and something we, as a human race, needed desperately when it came out in 2021. I often think of people all around the world playing it at the same time when it was released. It united a bunch of people isolated and sitting at home, just wanting to escape somewhere. And lo’ and behold, what we needed, AURI provided. Even now, it takes us all to different places and helps us unwind and unpack. And for me specifically, it has ushered in a sense of safety and creativity that I will always be immensely thankful for. I am forever indebted.
Thank you all for joining me on this adventure and regardless of where we end up next time, I hope to find you there!
Written by Kathy Criswell
