Mikko Joensuu: Amen 2 review: Shoegazer casts his eyes to heaven

He is an atheist who was raised in an ultra-religious household, so Mikko Joensuu, the former frontman of Finnish shoegazers Joensuu 1685, had an abundance of material for his solo endeavour. His debut dealt with the fallout of losing his faith, but Amen 2 – the second in a trilogy – comes from a place of zen acceptance. These are lengthy incursions into shoegaze, drone-rock and psychedelia, with the murmuring, guttural I Gave You All clocking in at over 20 minutes. Sunshine takes a more melodic slant, Dying Rain is an enjoyable sprawl of fuzz and layers, while the superb There Used to Be a Darkness hints at Primal Scream at their heaviest. It's an album suited to a particular state of mind, but there are glimmers of greatness here. Mikkojoensuu.net