Intrested of music from Finland?

Yep Finntroll is reasonable old and experienced metal group here in Finland, I think they usually call their own music trollmetal

If you like Finntroll I really_suggest that you check out Estonian folk metal group called Metsatöll! They combine really nicely folk oriented to metal with even some hint of prog and remain as one of my favorites in this genre.



And if you happen to be fond of the vinyl, their all three LP's I have are also put together with very good quality, both interior and exterior

There is not much material in the www, but few clips anyway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35brWQbBp_M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...WIn0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...Qp00&feature=related

Thanks Mika. I'll try that.

You're welcome.

I do not actually listen these heavier genres so much but if you find something interesting coming I can ask some tips from a few friends..

I once bought a CD out of curiosity by a Finnish experimental pop band called Circle.
see on Wiki
It is ghastly.
Really useful for getting rid of friends at the end of the evening.
Don sunny downtown York

Hmm, Circle really is something different and I am not a big fan of the band even their live gigs are said to be quite remarkable.

However one member of the band, Mika Rättö, has been doing some really extensive and noticeable co-operation with several really good pop/rock artista like Kauko Röyhkä and Eleanoora Rosenholm..

Here is vid from Röyhkä, Rättö and Lehtisalo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kdb2c0R9R_g'

And one from Eleanoora Rosenholm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrgxAbiXrlc

KTU

KTU (pronounced "K2") is a trio (Trey Gunn, Kimmo Pohjonen, Pat Mastelotto) following the departure of Samuli Kosminen in 2007. Their newest album Quiver was recorded at The Zone studios, Dripping Springs, Texas in 2007 and 2008, production by KTU, engineered by Pat Manske. Additional recordings were made in Seattle and Helsinki. The album was mixed by KTU and Petri Majuri at Seawolf Studios, Helsinki in autumn 2008 with additional mixes of three pieces by Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree) at No Man's Land Studios, UK. All music was composed by the various band members and arranged by KTU. Samuli Kosminen provided additional percussives and sounds.



The music in this album is ..hmm.. interesting. Eleven pieces are more compact but not so hyperactive and "moody" than in albums precessor. Still full of intuition thou. The Warr-guitar played by Trey Gunn has a strong role almost in all pieces and it leads to a little edgy and rock-like atmosphere.

Heard also that they are planning for LP version of the album to be released after short while..

Check KTU out in myspace http://www.myspace.com/ktuband

Timo Lassy

Btw, finnish saxophonist Timo Lassy has released his 2nd album "Round two". Based on what I have heard from Spotify and friends it really continues on the groovy path set by the first album. Album is a trip deeper into Lassy’s world, complete with the contemporary vocal jazz great José James featured on two of album’s eight tracks.



The LP version of the "Round two" is released this month and goes directly to the top of my shopping list..

Strange bird..



Few months ago I stumbled into this interesting album that was named Joode Keskitalo ja kolmas maailmanpalo (something like the artist himself and the third burn of the world).My friend suggested that check this artist from the one tiny indie record label Helmi Records. After listened the album in LP format few times I realized few things:
- This young man is really really talented writer. The lyrics mostly handle some melancolic themes around religion and personal issues related to the faith and how to behave.
- The music is little like traditional folklores mixed in somekind of minimalist Lo-Fi presentation.



So I bought his newer album. Whoa! More .. well everything? The lyrics hit the spot with strong affection to the death, love and religion. And all the time there is unusually strong emotional connection present in the album. The music has some resemblance to the work of Neil Young, Tom Waits and artists that have really found their own path in a way. Can not really complain even if the actual sound on the LP is a little unusual these days. Somehow even suits the music actually.

Please check this clip from the Festival of the New music 2008 out. Somehow I really admire the way Joose Keskitalo opens himself up and throws his to the growd http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn0OKM5JiIE

And the name of the artist is naturally Joose Keskitalo, so there is a typo involved..

Round two

Have now listened this second album of the messenger of finnish dancehall jazz and have to say Timo Lassy knows what he is doing. The album continues with the similar groovy tunes that his debut "The soul & jazz of.." with a little more echoes from the tradition of swing and that black soul for the people with restless feet



José James acts as vocal guest in two tracks with his buttery voice that suits the album very well. Other musicians include some other yopung finnish talents from the Five Corners Quintet as Jukka Eskola (trumpet), Antti Lötjönen (bass) ja Teppo Mäkynen (drums).

The whole album is recorded live in studio and for that the sounds are very clean and clear. One could even wish a little more that phat feeling Timo Lassy gets to his saxophone live. The vinyl pressing by Ricky-Tick Records is done with care and no problems with this whatsoever.

If you dig groovy modern jazz that bows to traditions might be worth of checking out. The album is also available on Spotify

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
Another interesting slab of vinyl is the Mike Oldfield & Sally Oldfield & Pekka Pohjola elpee, which contains music composed by Jussi Pekka Pohjola who died last year.

Esoteric Records (division of Cherry Red, managed by the excellent Mark Powell) have signed an agreement with Finland's Love Records (whose logo is rather rude).

They've released two Pekka Pohjola albums, B The Magpie, a horn-dominated pastoral jazzy rock affair and the one ROTF mentions above, The Mathematician's Air Display, which is very much influenced by Oldfield's style. Both are very good indeed (though both only a tad over 30 minutes each).

Esoteric are remastering some of the Wigwam albums too - Fairyport, Being and the live Music From The Twilight Zone all of which feature the classic line-up before they lost key members and went (in my opinion) a bit ordinary.

Fingers crossed for a few Tasavallan Presidentti re-issues.

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Shaw:
Love Records (whose logo is rather rude).

What do you mean



Anyways, if you appreciate the pioneering work by this record label and also love jazz and LP's, then this reissue from 2008 might be worth of checking out.



1.Olli Ahvenlahti: Grandma's rocking chair
2.The Otto Donner Treatment: Lähtisin taas matkalle
3.Otto Donner Element All Stars: Haka blues
4.Eero Koivistoinen Quartet: Meat & potatoes
5.Pekka Streng: Puutarhassa
6.Mike Koskinen: Burnside
7.Paquito D'Rivera: Stella by starlight
8.Olli Ahvenlahti: Havana two
9.Juhani Aaltonen & Otto Donner: Niin vähän on aikaa
10.Otto Donner: Avaruuslaulu

The LP is compiled by Antti Eerikäinen and mastered by Otto Donner with Esa Santonen.

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
Another interesting slab of vinyl is the Mike Oldfield & Sally Oldfield & Pekka Pohjola elpee, which contains music composed by Jussi Pekka Pohjola who died last year. He was a Finnish multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer who played bass in Wigwam and was also a classically trained pianist and violinist.

Side One
1 The Sighted Light
Bass, Piano - Pekka Pohjola, Drums - Vesa Aaltonen, Guitar - George Wadenius, Synthesiser - Wlodek Gulgowski

2. Hands Calming The Water
Bass, Piano, Harpsichord, Synthesiser - Pekka Pohjola, Guitar - Mike Oldfield, Vocals - Sally Oldfield

3. Mathematical Air Display
Bass, Keyboards - Pekka Pohjola, Drums - Pierre Moerlen, Guitar - Mike Oldfield

Side Two
1 & 2. The Consequences Of Indecisions
Bass, Keyboards, Synthesiser - Pekka Pohjola, Guitar, Synthesiser - Mike Oldfield, Percussion - Pierre Moerlen, Drums - Vesa Aaltonen, Guitar - George Wadenius, Piano - Wlodek Gulgowski

3. False Start (1:53)
Bass, Piano, Harpsichord - Pekka Pohjola, Mandolin, Whistle - Mike Oldfield, Vocals - Sally Oldfield

ATB Rotf

That's interesting. I have an LP called "The Mathematician's Air Display" credited to just "Pekka" from 1977 on Virgin/Love Records. The Oldfields also appear on this one.
Track listing:

Side One

The Perceived Journey-Lantern
Hands Straighten The Water
The Mathematician's Air Display

Side Two

The Consequences Of Head Bending -
Part One: The Pain Left Melting
Part Two: The Plot Thickens
False Start Of The Shadows

One other name I recognise on Side Two is Pierre Moerlen, from the teapot nutters, Gong.

steve

Juhani Aaltonen

74-year old Juhani Aaltonen is a veteran on finnish jazz scene. After some long break he did very nice comeback in the beginning of this millenium.



The new album Juhani Aaltonen Quartet: Conclusions was released last year 2009 and introduces Juhani Aaltonen trio with Iro Haarla, so now they're playing also gigs as quartet.

In the three pieces Juhani Aaltonen plays flute and in the others the pure emotional richness of this veterans tenorsax sound is really well revealed. Iro Haarla plays piano gently and the compositions really echo the strong incluence of finnish nature. Little like in some of the finnish classical pieces by Sibelius can..

Overall strong performance from this experienced finnish jazz quartet.

Then again something completely different

Few years ago in some punkrock-festival I encountered a weird finnish bass-drums duo playing the most aggressive beats live. I was quite surprised of their intensive performance and did not know was I loving it or hating it..



During the years I have heard their albums in few occasions (they have 4) and know that they are actually quite popular in european festivals. One of my friend is actually nowadays a fan. Usually their songs last under minute and have very technical playing with some growl style lyrics there without any normal chorus-structures. They categorize their music as "fusiongrind" with strong progressive elements. Weird.



Still haven't made up my mind. Perhaps you could check this band out and try to help me with this dilenma?

http://www.myspace.com/causeforeffect

quote:

Originally posted by Mika K:
If you like Finntroll I really_suggest that you check out Estonian folk metal group called Metsatöll! They combine really nicely folk oriented to metal with even some hint of prog and remain as one of my favorites in this genre.



And if you happen to be fond of the vinyl, their all three LP's I have are also put together with very good quality, both interior and exterior

BTW, have to mention even if Metsatöll is not finnish - The band is going to release their new album also in limited 2LP set. Perhaps something worth of checking out if folk-metal suites your taste.

The new album Äio can be already listened from Spotify and some songs are also available on the bands myspace site..

http://www.myspace.com/metsatoll

I must check out the Juhani Aaltonen album. It looks very interesting.

It is really interesting, so please do that.

Btw, during the last few weeks one finnish TV-channel "Yle Teema" have shown this documentary series "Jazzia Pohjoisesta" (Jazz from the north). Just the other day I watched the thiord episode and Juhani Aaltonen was showing some improvisations with Raoul Björkenheim, really dope stuff.

The documentary home page can be found from http://teema.yle.fi/ohjelmat/j...o/jazzia-pohjoisesta

The series is naturally mostly in finnish even it handles history of the northern jazz and artists all over Scandivania, mostly from Finland, Sweden and Norway.

You can actually see all episodes from the series in the Yle archives in internet. NOw episodes 1-3 are available and other ones will follow after they are shown on TV first. The episodes can be found behind the following link:

http://ohjelma.yle.fi/ohjelmat/549998

I think I actually post this to its own thread in the forum

Thanks Mika - I will watch them even if I will not fully understand.

You're most welcome.

Actually you can act as a guinea pig and let me know if the IP connection works properly outside Finland and can you follow the documentary without the language skills..

It connects well and in the first two minutes there is a bit of my fave band E.S.T playing - nice.

Really nice to hear it works also for you as was not 100% sure before posting..

If only possible please add your comments of the show to the dedicateed thread http://forums.naim-audio.com/e...8019385/m/7782931037

Soile Isokoski - finnish soprano

Soile Isokoski is one of the most famous sopranos in Finland. She has done several highly appraised performances and also albums.



Just learned from a friend that her latest album from 2009, recording of Paul Hindemith’s Das Marienleben (New Version 1948), Here Soile Isokoski performs with her longtime piano duo partner Marita Viitasalo. The album is garnering outstanding reviews and accolades throughout the international press (ODE 1148-2). The Washington Post has listed this Ondine CD at the top of its selection of best classical music recordings in 2009.

Please read more and also familiarize yourselves to very famous finnish record company concentrating to the genre of classical music.

http://www.ondine.net/index.php?lid=en&cid=1&oid=4324

Pekka Streng

Artist Pekka Streng managed to publish only two albums. Both albums "Magneettimiehen kuolema" (in english Death of the magnetic man) and "Kesämaa" (Summerland) belong to the real classics of the finnish music scene and were done to the Love Records label. Interesting detail is that one of the most famous finnish progressive rock groups Tasavallan Presidentti is playing at the "Magneettimiehen kuolema" perhaps one of their best performances

Pekka Streng was kind of spiritual person and searched information and experiences of something greater and he also knew all along his career that he had severe cancer. Thus the knowledge of his slowly forthcoming dead can be heard from his lyrics and compositions. Nevertheless his music still has that special glow of peace, happiness, beauty and optimism. At the end he died only 26 years in the year 1975.

Just a few years ago his son finally decided to construct postrelease of the previously unreleased material he had in his possession, as that was the will of his father. This album is called "Unen maa" (The land of the sleep). Also this album has cover art made by Pekka Strengs sister as the first two albums also.



However, in my personal opinion the power in his music really is in the lyrics and the special emotion he is able to pass to the listener by his music. Even if the lyrics are in finnish please listen these few clips from the Youtube and then form your own opinion..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENA_aSX2xHs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0-jKxXCyBE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCEIBS3pUOk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1FnC9vyxHE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3koT52CgYjc

Have a nice labour day weekend! (as this is celebrated in Finland 1st of May)

What, nobody mentioned Pan Sonic (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Sonic)?