This record found its way to me because the friend of a Belgian musician suggested she bring some copies of her new EP with her on a trip to Iceland, reasoning that perhaps some of the local shops would carry it. She was sure that she’d be lugging all those records back home with her. But what she found when she arrived was that Icelanders are very supportive of indie projects, and much to her joy her record ended up in a few stores in Reykjavik. And at one of those stores someone thought, “you know, we have a friend in Seattle who would be into this,” and they sent a copy off to me, tucked away with a bunch of records by Icelandic artists. And that is how Kuusi’s Entagled Flower found its way onto my turntable this afternoon.
Kuusi is the solo project of Belgian musician Fien Druyts, and Entagled Flower is her debut album. Joining her on these five songs are Renke Van Impe (cello), Esther Coorevits (viola), and Ester Van Nuffel (bugle), with Druyts providing the keys and vocals. Her compositions are lush – even the quietest passages provide a sonic richness that covers you like a warm, soft blanket on a cold evening. I’m not sure if ambient neoclassical folk is an actual genre, but if it isn’t then Kuusi has created it from whole cloth. There is a languidness to the music, like the soundtrack to that lovely but all-too-brief moment just as you slip from the waking world into sleep, reality fading into dream. If I’m picking a favorite it’s “Let Me Find You,” the cello providing a canvas upon which the piano and enchanting vocals can tiptoe, each hammerfall deliberate but delicate.
Entagled Flower was released on vinyl in a limited edition of 250 copies and is available on the Kuusi Bandcamp page HERE. You can also stream it on Spotify and a number of other services, so you have no excuse not to give it a listen – it may be just what you need to smooth some of the rough edges off this fast-paced world.