Mischievous kantele music
author: Ingmar af Hällström
"Even if you have heard Stäni Steinbock's musik via the band KRA [CD available at CDBaby.com] or some other constellation you will once more be surprised by the variety of sound and the songs recorded with a humorous seriousness on the new CD "The Runaway Kantele". Stäni, who nowadays lives on Åland has for some time played the kantele, and on the CD he presents songs where the melodic material is limited to just five notes. For variation he uses six differently tuned kanteles.
The results could have been monotonous (sorry pentatonous!) in the long run, but fortunately it's a playful and professional team of musicians on every song. Cello, violin and guitar abound, likewise the early music instrument krummhorn. The latter is played by Jonte Knif (known from the early music group Oliphant) and contributes to many a splendid sound, for instance in "Insect Adventures" or "Karjaa Seuraava" (where the sound effects are as many as they are mischievous)"
(Ingmar af Hällström, Åbo Underrättelser [Daily Newspaper], Turku, Finland)
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Earthy tones with Stäni
author: Eivor Lindström
"The melodies aren't very complicated. Earthy, affable and everyday moods run like a red thread through this album. In spite of the simplicity of the music there are both dense and elaborate arrangements. And there's a wealth of instruments too: Strings, plucked instruments, woodwinds and percussion. A full-bodied cello creates both character and sensuality on many a track. The material is varied, as in the blues "Pluus" which also contains long-drawn snores. The music takes off in different genres, but not conflictfully, but in a modest interaction. You can hear Western Country (!) Pop, The Beatles, mediaeval, Eastern sounds and of course Scandinavian folk tones. "The Tapeworm's lament" feels like a medieval pastiche of John Dowland (with tabla? - Comp. Note) Anyway it is one of my favorites. The tranquil waltz "A Battery-powered Sea-villain" also swings pleasantly propelled by Stänis villain-organ and Jonte Knif's clarinet. ... the music is very beautiful ...
- Eivor Lindström (Translation/editing by the composer), Åland (Aland) (Nov 08, 2011)
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On the run with many friends
author: Lena Svartstrom
The multi-musician Stani Steinbock has made an old dream come true: To get his kantele music out on a CD. The 5-stringed kantele, tuned in a variety of ways, is center stage on this CD. The kantele has limited dynamics: It's in the nature of the instrument to be soft-spoken. Stani compensates very well for this limitation by using varied and imaginative arrangements using wind- and string instruments, synthesizers, guitars and - his Dad's snores.
Steinbock has a peculiar sense of humor which is quite audible in the music. Unusual metres, special sound effects. Song titles like "A Battery-Powered Sea-villain", "Macaroni Flea Circus", "The Tapeworm's lament" and "The Lost Un-waltz" speak for themselves.
Some songs that stand out are the orientally inspired "The Sun Will Set in August" with fine contributions on an Indian flute played by Kjell Frisk, and definitely "Pluus" (= blues, in Finnish).
"A Cat on Slippery Ice" with its swing and odd meter changes, and the archaic "A Mid-winter Song to Planet Earth"
are my daughter's favourites.
To catch all funny brain-waves you need to listen to the 23 tracks [on the CD] more than once.
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