Vladislav Delay “Tummaa” Review
Published by Bearded Magazine. Written by Norman Miller.

Leaf continue their fine tradition of showcasing genius musical mavericks with Finnish composer’s Sasu Ripatti’s first album under the moniker Vadislav Delay – a follow-on from his 2007 own-name effort Whistleblower. Moving away from electronic-dominated composing, Tummaa could be described as ‘avant acoustic’ – with a fair emphasis on the avant. But even if this isn’t easy-listening it more than repays effort. Tummaa essentially features a live trio – Ripatti on percussion, Argentine musician Lucio Capece on clarinet and sax, plus Scottish soundtrack composer and arranger Craig Armstrong on piano and Rhodes.

The mood often seems to veer between ethereal film soundtrack and strange live jazz. Patience is key – each track slowly unfurls over an average length of around 10 minutes and each reveals new facets with repeated listening. Gradually, you’re drawn into an aural labyrinth that often teeters on the edge of dissonance while maintaining an intriguing looseness and melodic thrust. Jazz flourishes light up the whole of the aptly-named ‘Melankolia’, while pushing back the moments of chaos that threaten to seize the ultimately beautiful ‘Kuula (Kiitos)’. Amstrong’s Rhodes adds beautiful splashes to the delicious ‘Musta Planeetta’, as well as a melodic thread amid the bass and percussive glitches of ‘Tunnel Visio’ – an eerie, echoey mountain of sound that closes the album. The eclecticism is breathtaking at times. There’s a dub-influenced bass majesty to the title track, while the gloopy quirkiness on ‘Mustelmia’ sounds like a remote bog coming to life. The woodwind flourishes deep inside the sonic forest of ‘Toive’, meanwhile, give it the air of a dissonant classical masterpiece from an undiscovered Eastern European composer. Over nearly 70 minutes of music, there’s a welter of wonder here for everyone from avant jazzers to modern classicists via dub-heads and chill outs.