Konstellaatio

Mika Vainio hadn't made an album under his Ø alias in more than five years. But don't expect him to bust through the proverbial gate with his synthesizers on blast throughout Konstellaatio. Unlike the more confrontational music of Vainio's sorely missed Pan Sonic project, this solo outlet is more about subtle pleasures and slightly disorienting sound design. Whether you're squeezing the Finnish producer's gleaming synth grooves and live-wire loops through laptop speakers or bringing them to life with a proper set of speakers, this is an LP you can easily get lost in—not to mention one that reveals its many layers upon repeat listens, whether that means the malfunctioning heart monitor and rumble-strip rhythms of "Neutronit," the lumbering beats and dog-whistle dynamics of "Kesäyön Haltijat," or the metallic melodies (imagine several wobbly stacks of sheet metal slapped against a concrete wall) and tubular bells of "Talvipäiva, Vanha Motelli." It's definitely a high point in a discography that's full of them.