We’ve been here before. Not to exactly the same territory, but to a neighbouring space in the same time frame. Last year, theartsdesk looked at a reissue of 2007’s Room to Expand, the first widely available album by the minimalist pianist Hauschka. The album’s reappearance was a moment to reflect on Nils Frahm, Jóhann Jóhannsson and Christian Wallumrød, some of Hauschka’s fellow travellers in the inelegantly tagged post-classical groundswell, all of whom first attracted widespread attention a decade ago.

Nine hours after meeting up in a Shoreditch courtyard to discuss her new album Music for People in Trouble, Norway’s Susanne Sundfør is on stage elsewhere in the district at a theatre called The Courtyard. It’s a sell-out and the room she’s playing is over-full and over-hot. A few days before the album’s release, most of the new songs are unfamiliar to the audience. Yet connections are made instantly.

Over 1972 to 1975, Finland staged a small-scale invasion of Britain. A friendly one, it was confined to music. First, the progressive rock band Tasavallan Presidentti came to London in May 1972 and played Ronnie Scott’s. The Sunday Times’ Derek Jewell said they were “frighteningly accomplished” and that readers should “watch them soar”. The next year, they toured and appeared on BBC2’s Old Grey Whistle Test.

Five new albums released over the year have dominated 2016: Marissa Nadler’s Strangers (May), Mikko Joensuu’s Amen 1 (June), Jessica Sligter’s A Sense of Growth (July), Arc Iris’s Moon Saloon (August) and Wolf People’s Ruins (November). Next year, it’s likely Foxygen’s Hang (out in January) will be amongst those doing the same.

But Amen 1 is the one casting the darkest, longest and most inescapable shadow. One defined by an overarching sense that this is an unfiltered expression of emotion. What’s heard is what was felt. Marrying this to a classic melodic sensibility in the Jimmy Webb neighbourhood ensures the songs are accessible. Underpinning them with sparse string arrangements and a nod to Fred Neil’s approach to country brings further impact. Amen 1 showcases a voice questioning whether it is possible to be re-accepted by God after faith had been surrendered. This is no text-book testifying but commentary on a very real crisis of belief. An intense missive from the soul, Amen 1 is not about individual tracks but the album overall: it is a suite. It is also integral to Amen 2 and Amen 3, the albums which will follow.

In a previous guise, Finland’s Mikko Joensuu had form. His band Joensuu 1685 issued one, eponymous album in 2008. It was undercooked and underproduced, but they were astonishingly powerful live and took Neu! and Spiritualised to places they had never been. A 2010 single (a version of Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire”) caught the power. Then, in 2011, there was the astounding 16-minute single “Lost Highway”, recorded before the band split. His bandmates and (apparent) brothers Markus and Risto formed Sinaii but, beyond playing with singer-songwriter Manna, Mikko disappeared. Amen 1 is his return.

Two More Essential Albums from 2016

Arc Iris – Moon Saloon

Wolf People – Ruins

Gig of the Year

Träd, Gräs och Stenar, Café Oto, London, 10 September 2016

Track of the Year

Marissa Nadler – “Janie in Love”

• More highlights of 2016 on theartsdesk

Overleaf: watch the video for “Janie in Love” by Marissa Nadler