Luai (Saara Markkanen) is a finnish singer/songwriter. This is her second solo album BOULDER THICKET The album is based on Markkanen's voice and guitar accompanied with woodwinds, organs, bass and percussion. As listening to her album, also the live performance is an intimate, yet a powerful experience. ABOUT THE ALBUM: “ Boulder thicket is story of the modern type of ancient woodland – the metropolis. It's an urban jungle where people go to question, to rest, to loose and find themselves. The instrumentation varies from a lightful concrete fields to thick harmonic cobwebs created with woodwinds and organs. Saara's truthful voice changes from fragile storytelling to powerful argumentation. On this album there are conversations between individualism and lonelyness, travelling and returning, and sticking to things and plans within the art of leting go. It is a journey where I learnt to feel home in several places at the sametime. The questions are dressed in beautiful melodies and languorous harmonies with an over all warm sound. Best to listen loud with headphones with your eyes closed” All instruments played by Saara Markkanen and recorded, mixed and mastered by Florian Frenzel. (Except Cello, Sebastian Singwald and backing vocals Elise Melinand on Track 10 Piano and backing voc Helle Hansen) Saara Markkanen started to play music when she was 10. She studied flute and saxophone for several years before writing songs with guitar. She was born in Finland, but now resides in Berlin. Saara has been touring in Europe and the US the past two years playing her music in Finnish language.