Kago - Mopskassi Maja

The use of lo-fi methods is motivated by various reasons: often it is the lack of funds for professional recording, but also a deliberate striving for rawer aesthetics. Even though many lo-fi recordings refer to obscured, or non-existent talent (depending on how musical the results are themselves), it is hard to imagine the work of some of the notable lo-fi artists being captured by the professional recording equipment. For Lauri Sommer's bedroom project Kago, homespun charm is also important. Third album Mopskassi Maja is so far his best work. As on the previous two albums, Sommer combines poetic folk-indie, seto folk music and Pastacas-styled bedroom electro-acoustica. Mopskassi Maja is more charming and endearing though, especially thanks to the vocal presence of Sommer's girlfriend Liska Keerberg. The voices of her and Sommer himself may sound out of tune with each other on the a cappella folk song "Laevapuu", but nonetheless the voices match each other quite well and this lends the rendition a hypnotic effect on its own. This record works well with autumnal moods.