Nuori Veri, what a great project! Finest Rural Industrial from Finland. This new tape, NVV (Nauravien Varjojen Veljeskunta / The Brotherhood Of The Laughing Shadows), was released on the German label Aussaat, which has also been home to previous Nuori Veri releases, after the first tapes that came out on NV's own Brownhill Mafia label. Aussaat boss Will-I Stasch has a long history in underground music, operating the legendary Cthulhu Records since the early 80s up to the verge of the millennium. Aussaat has been around since 2016, releasing many excellent albums with a big emphasis on Finnish noise, and Nuori Veri is one of them.
This new cassette is a single-sided release, with the program repeated on both sides, which is the only good solution for such releases. You can play the tape again without lengthy rewinding. These factory-manufactured tapes have a nice sound, with extra touch of printed info/logos on the cassette case. The material is of such high quality that it could have easily been released as an LP with a larger pressing, but it suits the cassette format just as well. I'm not sure about the limitation, but I believe it's around 100-150 copies.
I think all the previous Nuori Veri releases have been excellent, but this is my favorite so far. The minimal, reel-to-reel loops, minor feedback sounds, and hands-on tape mangles are especially delicious here. They are very delicate and crafted with skill, paying attention to nuance. All sounds blend seamlessly together, including the Finnish spoken word lyrics. At first, the atmosphere is partly dark and even sinister, but it soon becomes very hopeful and encouraging. It then transitions from hidden erotica in the "natisuta hetekata" bed sounds to field recordings of live-fire shooting practice and back to the Finnish countryside, surrounded by nature. It seems there is a clear narrative where all sounds and lyrics have a meaning and are contributing to the story and it all feels very personal in a way.
I have only a few copies of this restock available anymore, so I strongly recommend getting this tape now before it becomes unavailable again. It's one of the highlights of this year already.
(For additional note to Finnish fans I recommend checking out the excellent book "Roikkuu koillisella taivaalla" by Pyry Ojala (Nuori Veri) and Jaakko Rantala (Jazzhand).
-Vilho