Ludalloy are a Nordic shoegaze three piece from Seinäjoki, Finland who produce a blend of dream pop and hazy rock with tinges of progressive rock thrown in for good measure. This trio of Jiri Mustajärvi (vocals, guitar, music, and lyrics), Aino Vuorenmaa (vocals and bass) and Lassi Männikkö (drums) release their sophomore album `Luminari` this month and it`s a themed album about the “self-made hallucination world” the character gets glazed in.
The album opens with the expansive `Mystic Room` with its gently delicate guitar chord riffs which starts fairly ethereal with quietly shared vocals but becomes more forceful as the number evolves into a pretty enticing hypnotic listen before closing in a kind of band jam. We enjoy some delightful harmonies on the breezy `I Was The Wind` with some delicately intricate guitar riffs guiding us along.
`Every Form` sounds as it is the musical equivalent of waves continually hitting a beach. It has a rhythmic drumbeat followed by intermittent currents of layered sound and distant quietly shared vocals. We have a more forceful composition in `Lumerian` which may or may not refer to Lemuria , or Limuria, which was a continent proposed in 1864 by zoologist Philip Sclater, theorised to have sunk beneath the Indian Ocean, later appropriated by occultists in supposed accounts of human origins. The theory was discredited with the discovery of plate tectonics and continental drift in the 20th century. A much more dynamic and assertive listen.
`Autumns Bloom` is a fairly iridescent soundscape and does seem to create a feeling of that season and the colours that appear during that transitional time from Summer to Winter with shorter days and cooling temperatures. The album concludes with `Dark Plight` and it has a slight feeling of foreboding or a deep quandary. A gracefully edgy submission to end on.
In modern convention, `Luminari` can refer to a leading light or luminary, someone who has achieved success in their field. It`s also a name that means “truly, inventive, beautiful” and Ludalloy`s latest opus does have its innovative and exquisite moments. An appealing and alluring forty five minute listen.
Rating 8.5/10
