Audiopile Review: The second release from Ultraääni this week is from Ville Valavuo, a veteran of the Finnish punk and noise scene with a stacked resume ranging from guitarist, recording technician and visual artist across hundreds of releases. With little indication of his involvement in the world of jazz prior to this, Valavuo’s one-man band effort (he plays everything on the LP) is a bit of a shocker. Akin to the now well-known one-man act and Ultraääni vet Organic Pulse Ensemble, Valavuo impresses with his innate ability to map out cosmic zones through patiently deployed sax, clarinet, synths, piano, bass and percussion, flitting about stylistically with such ease that it’s all the more incredible that this is his jazz debut. That said, this isn’t strictly jazz, Valavuo skirting the edges of ambient, fusion and kosmiche on low-key tracks like “The Cost Of Comfort”, “What Do You Remember” and “Failures of the West”, bringing to mind Greg Foat, Jon Hassell and the ambient side of International Anthem. Truly impressive across the board. Edition of 500 and, of course, housed in those lovely silkscreen jackets!

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Commemoration Songs is a soundtrack diary from the past few years, inspired by a world where everything is being commodified at the expense of human rights and making money has become the be-all and end-all of human existence. Amidst all of this, we still commemorate the people who were instrumental in building a system that can only survive by projecting violence on us.

The album consists of 8 pieces, where free jazz saxophones meet warm analog synth sequences, compelling basslines and echoed percussion tracks, creating a space for the listener to rest and recover.