FYI: the storming of Area 51 next month is absolutely expected lift the veil on aliens and alien technology, so there’s certainly a limited amount of time before the allure of the Universe is ruined and people remember Carl Sagan as a well-intentioned, but ultimately know-nothing dude who did much to popularize the turtleneck.
The allure is still there for the time being, though, and Jenna Sutela’s not gonna let the potential of a few interstellar revelations get in the way of a simultaneously artistic and extraterrestrial interest that dates back some years. The Finnish artist isn’t strictly a musician, but her new album on PAN is assuredly both an album and a signal that she may be a non-face-hugging alien herself. Maybe Area 51 is a distraction, and nimiia vibié is one Martian’s way of easing societal awareness?!
The alien influence is clear enough. Sutela had a few different sources for the roughly 25-minute release, including a “computer’s interpretation of a Martian tongue from the late 1800s,” plus the behavior/movement of Bacillus subtilis, which is a type of bacterium that can apparently survive on Mars. Sutela adds another layer by acknowledging the inhumanity that’s seemingly inherent in computers and technology, despite their capacity to “learn.”
Is the Holly Herndon connection any wonder? Stream nimiia vibié in full below, or buy it on digital and/or vinyl here. Check out a making-of vid below as well.
[Visit full site to view media]nimiia vibié by Jenna Sutela
nimiia vibié tracklisting:
01. nimiia vibié I
02. nimiia vibié II