Okra Playground
ÄÄneni Yli Vesien
Second album by Helsinki based electro-folk band Okra Playground. They were originally formed in 2010 from a shared wish to bring together excellent people and musicians to play around traditional Finnish music with a fresh approach. The band became almost literally a musical playground for its musicians. On this playground the kantele and bowed lyre, both ancient folk instruments, coexist in a new, exciting symbiosis with modern instruments and soundscapes. The music resulting from the quite unusual interesting combination has roots deep in the Finnish soil, but its tallest branches spread out towards the furthest shores of world music. The strong voices of the three female singers, as well as the age-old lyrics, simultaneously take the listener to far-off places and close to home.