Woodsmoke by Nest

The quest to bring all Nest works to life in a new mix and for the first time on vinyl is something we take very seriously here at Avantgarde Music. A few months after re-releasing the Finnish band’s first two EPs combined, Fabled Lore / Hidden Stream, it’s time to announce the release of Nest’s classic debut, Woodsmoke, which will be released on CD and LP on January 17th, 2025. Here follow a few words from Aslak Tolonen, the band’s mastermind.

Woodsmoke is the first professionally released Nest full length album.
It builds on all the elements that came before and uses them to weave a
fully formed aural storybook. It combines fast driving songs with slower
introspective atmospheres. It is highly melodious, and adds a wide
variety of synthetic soundscapes. The core, as always, is the Finnish
national instrument - the kantele (a kind of lap harp) - and it is
joined by an even wider range of synthetic instruments, varied
percussion, and spoken word vocals meant to evoke the mystical and the
profound. Upgraded audio equipment, with new recording and mixing
capabilities, elevates the quality of the material even further. The
result is an inquiring mix of acoustic and ambient, melody and
atmosphere, in an entrancing package. It explores the themes of nature,
the grandioseness and the brutality found in the untamed wilds. It
conjures up images of the healing waters, the tumultuous summer storms,
and the sparkling winter nights - to both excite and to soothe.

For this reissue, the soundscape was painstakingly revamped. The kantele
sound has been augmented, and the other instruments have gone through a serious upgrade in their sound quality. The mix has been carefully
refined, and it now conveys considerably more depth and dimension. This
is not a mere remaster, nor a soulless re-recording. I hope you enjoy
this new ultimate version as much as I do.
- A.T. / Nest

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