At one point, I thought Auri was just a one-off project, but here we are with a third album from the trio. The band is really starting to understand itself, and Candles & Beginnings displays all the prowess that you would expect from veteran songwriters. The album released on August 15th through Nuclear Blast.
The band consists of vocalist and violinist Johanna Kurkela, keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, and guitarist and pipe player Troy Donockley, the latter two being members of Nightwish. I am still in love with their self-titled debut from 2018, so full of fleeting melodies and addictive songs as it was. The second album Those We Don’t Speak Of (2021) had its moments, but I still struggle to connect with it. However, the band is back in full swing with this new addition.
The band gets all sorts of labels. I’ve seen them called progressive folk, atmospheric gothic, New Age, and more. I think what they do is quite progressive, as they revel in abstractions, ambience, and odd song structures. Their music plays like a film score at times, and you’ll hear plenty of monastic backing vocals, gorgeous pipes, and hovering violins. There is a ritualistic, nuanced reverence that pervades their music, and while some of the tracks are extremely catchy, others are from deeper fountains, otherworldly places.
And I’ll be honest: the album has ten tracks, but I think it really picks up at track five and is damn near flawless until the end. The first four songs are all good to great, as well, but there’s something about the way the second half of the album flows that is spellbinding.
In the first half, we get “The Invisible Gossamer Bridge” with its harmonious vocals and arresting pipes. I loved it immediately. “The Apparition Speaks” offers a delicious contrast between a burning background riff and colorful rhythms. There is a darkness at play here that is pretty satisfying. “I Will Have Language” is half abstraction and half wonderful pop-oriented piece; I especially like the filtering light and texture in the first few minutes. “Oh, Lovely Oddities” has a quirkiness and subtle darkness that really works, almost like setting the stage for something more.
But starting with “Libraries of Love”, the album hits new heights. The song is impossible to dislike as Johanna’s warm vocals draw us in right away. There is something desperately pure and hopeful in this song. Next is “Blakely Ridge”, an acoustic piece with glorious pipes and a catchy chorus that reminds me of something from their debut. Then we get “Helios”, a multilayered song with pipes, monastic vocals, and piano slowburning their way upwards with Johanna’s vocals in the lead; I love the whispers and little accents that bring it to life.
The last three songs are my favorites. “Museum of Childhood” is a colorful piece full of innoncence and birdsong; I love the sparkling beauty it offers and the idyllic atmosphere that makes you never want to leave. “Shieldmaiden”, though, is my absolutely top track here. I adore the twisting, ascending hook that Johanna performs perfectly, and as the song progresses, strings and cinema pour into the melody, making it grow and evolve and emote. It is rich and terrifically beautiful. The final track is eleven minutes long, and it perhaps the most interesting. “A Boy Travelling With His Mother” is mostly ambient with spoken words of comfort and confidence. I love the hovering strings with a hint of electronica, and I love how it leans heavily into musical space. The last few minutes get even better with layers of hypnotic rhythms set against utter harmony. I could listen to this song forever.
Auri have grabbed hold of me again. Candles & Beginnings is a nostalgic, quietly fomenting album that seems to hit a place deep within me. It isn’t just beautiful and warm; it’s powerful and enlightening, too. If you like Nightwish, progressive folk, or elegant music, this is for you.
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