Perttu Leinonen – Eyes Closed (2021)
Meditation can open your mind to a lot of things about the world and yourself. This is where Perttu Leinonen started when creating their EP Eyes Closed. Through the tracks of the EP, they take us on an open-minded exploration of sound and music where we appreciate and observe it while feeling the emotions it invokes.
With a complete lack of judgement and the inundation of emotions, the EP has you floating on a beautiful river of sound. Drawing on the isolation most of us have felt during the pandemic, Leinonen finds a new meaning to music and sound. If you are looking for something that hits in a unique way and opens you up to something much larger than yourself, this is definitely the EP you should be listening to.
The EP starts with ‘Works’ which drones into life with a bass that vibrates through your chest. As the vocals enter, they pull you into a meditative trance that the pulses of orchestral tones are unable to draw you out of. As you give in to the movement of the vocals, the melody spins around you and pulls you further under the spell. There are a lot of layers to the melody that bring texture to the soundscape with tapping tones giving way to soft piano pulses and everything in between. This mixture would be intense if not for the raft created by the vocals that lets you navigate the white-water rapids of the melody.
‘My Pleasure’ has a more sombre feeling to the opening as it brings a twilight sense to the soundscape. The dark bass that comes through is almost ominous in its movement and fills you with a strange sense of tension. As this tension builds in you, it draws you into an endless forward movement. This track is a much darker form of meditation than the opening song. While dark, there is something about the shivering instrumentation that has you sinking into the soundscape and releasing the hold reality has on you.
The lighter tones of ‘Kahvit Keittiössä’ shimmer with gossamer lights like a transparent cloth fluttering in the wind as the sunlight streams through it. There is a rather decadent feeling to this track as you feel the richness of the sound wash over you. If you close your eyes while listening to this song, you will feel the stresses of the world slide off your shoulders. The electronic tones that shoot through the soundscape like a retro video game only work to enhance the overall relaxation that comes through the music.
‘End Is Just a New Beginning’ has a more familiar sound to the opening while slightly warped into something new. The vocals hum and call out over the music like the call of the desert. The opening of the track makes you think of everything in the world that vies for a place in your brain. As you follow the call of the vocals further into the soundscape, the deep beats start to push them out of your mind to leave you floating in the gentle arms of meditation. The movement of the drums lulls you into the track while the higher tones make you want to sway to their rhythm. As you listen, you will feel the worries of reality fade as you find a sense of inner peace.
The cascade of piano that opens ‘Midnight Hetz’ is at odds with the darker electronic yawn of the low levels. These contrasting melodic lines ride off each other’s energy through the opening of the track. The vocals have a heavy electronic edge as they rise from the depths of the soundscape. This is the most industrial-influenced track of the EP and brings a new feeling to the whole. As the dark drones of industrial tones vibrate in your chest, lighter twinkling notes start to make an appearance. These notes begin to overtake the darkness in a wonderful journey from the oppressive pounding of the world to a space of peace and light.
The EP comes to a close with ‘Breathing Is A Vital Process’ which picks up some of the contrasts of the last track. The organic taps of the soundscape are countered by a static vibration. These elements bring two sides of life into the soundscape in a masterful way. as the track progresses, there are layers and melodic elements that make an appearance adding more texture and richness to the soundscape. The organic taps from the start continue through the track keeping your heart beating in time with them even as the other elements threaten to overtake you.
Perttu Leinonen has you sinking into a meditative state through an exploration of music and sound in Eyes Closed. Each track is wonderfully unique and brings a new experimental and Avant-garde sound to your ears. It is best to do as the title says and close your eyes as you listen so you can really sink into the sound and give yourself to the movements.
Find out more about Perttu Leinonen on their Spotify.
