Anssi 8000 & Maria Stereo – Duel

{mosimage}This duel turns into a duet with the collaboration of these 2 musicians in this new extravaganza for your ears. 

The notes of an organ that resembles those old Casio ones we used when were children fluidly fly away from the CD reproducer, introducing the new album of Anssi 8000 in collaboration with Maria Stereo. The guy native from a small village in Finland called Sahalahti can be catalogued of anything but mainstream. He takes care of vocals, guitar, bass and drums while Maria complements with backing vocals organ or playing cymbals.

Duel is a collection of 12 tracks with good doses of humor and irony in the lyrics, but certainly not aimed at all the publics. If you like experimental pop sounds with a twist, you will love this one, but if you are used to some more kind of mainstream pop-rock, this album will certainly sound weird. A record to be tasted slowly and carefully; probably you will need to listen to it several times to appreciate the good details here and there, but certainly after a while the sound becomes catchy.

Not an album to play at a party with friends, but a good one when you need some introspective moments alone in your room enjoying of tracks like I Feel like Surfing, Bad Moon Set or Sleeves of Jesus. 

Rating 3/5.

Electro-pop from the Swedish countryside

{mosimage}Just a few hours before the gig, Johan T. Karlsson chats with journalists and fanswhile having a coffee in Klubi in Tampere. Within a few months, his project Familjen has taken his electronic music from his bedroom to live performances on stages around the world from Iceland to Australia. He still seems truly surprised of his success, even a bit shy about it in a very Scandinavian manner, acting like the kid from the little town going to the big city. And of course, he will not say no to a shot of vodka. "I like Finlandia vodka", Johan says. "That’s what Kent used to drink, so when we toured with them there was always a bottle of Finlandia vodka around". 

 

How do you prepare yourself for the show?

We don’t do anything special, really. What bands use to do, I supposed. We arehaving a party. The main thing is to get in the right mood, just listening to music, drinking and hanging around.

What do you listen to before the show?

Nowadays we are listening to quite a lot of early nineties acid house music.

How do you feel about touring and travelling to different parts of the world?

I am really excited about going to those places. When I was young, my parents did not have much money and we could not afford travelling abroad. Now I finally get to see the world. I don’t really like travelling much, though. You get tired all the time and there is a lot waiting. On the other hand, those are luxury problems. Being in Australia… Iceland… wow, it’s cool!

A fan comes to our table and greets Johan. They have a short conversation in Swedish. “I think the Finnish accent sounds lovely”, he tells me after the fan is gone. 

We were talking about touring, what are your favourite places?

We went to Italy. That was nice. We did some shows in Rome, Bologne, Milano…Beautiful cities, but we didn’t have the time to see much. One and a half hours to see Venice… that’s not much. We jumped into a bus and went around. Soon after that, back to the venue. It is weird. We go all the way, but we don’t have time to see much.

When did you start making music?

I got interested in music thinking about how sounds are created. When I was a kid, I did lots of different kinds of music. I played with samples, drum machines, I helped friends… Later someone would invited me to a project or a band and I would join. Since then I played in different bands and tried different sounds, pop rock, scratch-djing… many different things. But with Familjen Ithink I have found the right form and way to communicate my music. The Familjen project is me. With other bands, you have to struggle and fight for your ideas. No, no… you end up being mad. In Familjen I am the king, I get to decide.

How was the release of the album?

It was a bit unexpected. I had all the songs and a friend of mine that runs a record label in Sweden told me: “I really like the songs. Can I publish them on my label?” I agreed, so we first released an EP and then a full-length album. It went that well. I had no plans at all. People usually come to me and ask me to play. That is really cool, I don’t have to struggle and sell my ideas.

Did you have all the songs of the album ready at that time?

Not all of them. I was writing some of them when the record company decided to release a full length album. They told me: “Ok, we are doing it and we need more songs!” By that time I had done some live gigs, so I had started to understand what works well on the live set. Before that I had just played in my bedroom so most of the songs were instrumental songs and down-tempo. Playing live I realized that I needed some up-tempo songs that had an impact. A good beat, a good bass line. If you get that right, you get a good song.

Did you feel pressure when they ask you for songs?

It was a bit of pressure, but I think I made it. I had some time pressure. I finished the last song the night before we were supposed to master the recording and send it. Probably I need deadlines to make things happen.

Something slightly different about your music is that you sing in your own Swedish dialect

I thought about singing in English, but I chose Swedish in my own accent. I liked the challenge of making it sound good in my own accent. When I moved to Stockholm, sometimes when I was a bar, people would answer me in English. They didn’t understand me. My accent sounds a lot like Danish. I will continue in Swedish. Familjen will always be in Swedish.

The video of Det snurrar is min skalle got very popular and won an award in Sweden. How did it happen?

That’s funny. A guy I did not know at all did the video. He sent me a link to a video for the song. He said he had done this video just because he loved the song. Use it if you like it, he said. I saw it and it was awesome. It was mad. I loved it. That was the day before we were supposed to shoot the actual video for the song. Inmediately I rang the record label and everyone involved and I said we were not shooting the video. We already had it. I think the guy got around 2000 SEK as a reward. People love the video because it is so weird.

Do you have plans for a new album already?

I am working on it. We have been playing a lot in the last eight months and it is hard to get in the mood for writing when you are tired and don’t have much time. But now touring is starting to calm down, so I am getting excited to work on the new album. Hopefully, we will release it in spring. I need new songs because we have played the old songs so many times.

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Maarit – Kun yö saapuu

{mosimage}A bit of blues, jazz and soul in this new cocktail served by the Finnish female singer. 

Maarit offers here a collection of good tracks for the lovers of Iskelmä music. Unfortunately I am not especially fond of the style, but surely this album will find some followers, especially for the Finnish native speakers, because the album is entirely song in Finnish.  

A relaxing atmosphere and the omnipresent feeling of loneliness and melancholy “made in Finland” are features present all over the 12 tracks of the album: songs easy to listen to like in Yö Saapui Pariisiin or Tikkurilan Asemalla. Maybe we could say that this is a record better aimed at a mature audience in their thirties or forties. For younger ones, this can turn to be a bit boring if you are looking for new musical experiences.  

Personally, if you enjoy a nice female Finnish voice, and you prefer to understand the lyrics in English, I still go for other singers like the lovely and skilled Janita. Kun Yö Saapuu is a good album if you want to fall in the arms of Morpheus and enjoy a well deserved siesta after lunch. Otherwise, you do not miss much here. 

Rating 2/5.

Sonata Arctica – Ecliptica (Remastered 2008 Edition)

{mosimage}Finnish record company Spinefarm reedits the two first albums of the Finnish metal heroes. An excellent opportunity to revisit their beginnings! 

More than a decade ago a young band started to sound powerfully in the Spanish metal radio stations. People were instantly hooked by their quality, nothing to envy to other classic power-metal bands like Gamma Ray or Helloween. And of course I was another one who got blown by those young followers of Stratovarius. Now, after some years, you have the opportunity to enjoy again the first album of Sonata Arctica, the metal headers from Kemi, Finland, with a new artwork and a special bonus track added: Letter to Dana. The rest is Finnish metal history: tracks of super-high quality and speed like the blowing Blank File or the already classics FullMoon or Replica.

If you already had the album when was originally released, maybe you can skip buying this remastered version, if not, this is an unique occasion to pursue it and add to your metal collection a truly modern classic! 

Rating 4/5.

The Wildhearts – Live in the Studio

{mosimage}Directed by Tim Smith, here you have an unusual live DVD with the English band performing alone in their recording studio. 

Usually when a new live DVD is released, you expect a crowd of fans cheering at the end of every song. In this unusual DVD, that atmosphere is replaced by a more intimate one, with the members of The Wildhearts making black jokes in the best English humor tradition at the end of every track. 

The Wildhearts is a hidden pearl in the worldwide rock scene. Internal problems, the continuous change in their formation and the excessive lack of attention by mainstream media have turned them into a kind of “cult” band with a good bunch of followers in every country, but never breaking the barrier of becoming hugely recognized. What you will find here is just 10 tracks with Ginger leading the steps of the band as usual, and with more acid comments than ever. A musical style difficult to define, drinking from thrash to pop influences. As extra, 2 more videos and the making of Destroy all monsters. No more, no less. The band does not fall in the mistake of trying a therapy in front of the camera and goes to what they know how to do best: to play angrily while sweating and smoking copiously.  

The Wildhearts visited recently Finland playing in Tampere during the Music and Media festival. If you had the chance to feel their power there in Klubi, now you will feel again at home sharing the studio with them! 

Rating 4/5.

 

Related articles:

Interview with Ginger:

http://www.freemagazine.fi/content/view/1002/152/

The Incredible Hulk

{mosimage}Our big and angry green friend is back causing destruction wherever he walks through

Edward Norton is the one chosen to incarnate The Incredible Hulk in this new adventure of our green massive friend, and alas he makes a good job. It seems that this actor was born to carry on with roles twisted and with bi-polar personality.  He is basically the best of a film with some nice touches. The beginning in the favelas of Brasil is certainly entertaining, and the cameo by Rickson Gracie slapping the face of Norton really surprised me gladly! The first half of the film is well done and directed with rhythm and keeping a great pace, although in the end it turns to be a bit predictable, and the final battle against the two monsters could have been more spectacular. Tim Roth is maybe not in his best role here, and looks a bit like a parody of himself, while Liv Tyler and William Hurt are just correct but not brilliant.

Fans of The Hulk will enjoy this, and for the other spectators who want action and not much of a twisted plot, this will work. But it left me a bitter sweet taste, because it had the ingredients to be better but the final product was just “average”.  Lovers of cameos will love this film too counting with another special one unaccredited by Robert Downey Jr. near the end.

Rating 3/5

Iron Man

{mosimage} Robert Downey Jr. faces one of the most important roles in his life as Tony Stark.

There was a big polemic around the choice of Robert Downey Jr. for this role, but finally, after watching this Iron Man, I think most have to agree that he is the right person for the job. His personality as a fallen and reborn Hollywood star matches perfectly with Tony Stark, a rich businessman dedicated to build weapons that will turn into a super hero wrapped in a power suit.  Most of us have grown up following the adventures of the Marvel super hero created by Stan Lee (who of course does his “official” cameo in the film) so there is no much need to explain who Iron man is. Director Jon Favreu takes some licenses from the original comics to identify the story with modern times, but the result is pretty plausible.

You can find together with him, a cast with luxurious names such as Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow and overall the excellent and almost unrecognizable Jeff Bridges. The interaction among the actors is certainly the best of a movie that otherwise, turns to be too much predictable. It was missed a bit of more risk in the script, which does not shine as bright as the suit of our beloved Iron Man. Just another comic adaptation with some good moments, but do not expect big surprises here, apart from the obvious big one of seeing Downey Jr. in this role.

Rating 3/5.

Hanoi R.I.P.

{mosimage}Hanoi rocks, maybe the most legendary rock band ever born in Finland, announced this week that they will not continue together in 2009, after facing their compromises that will lead them to tour still around Europe and Japan, putting the cherry on top of the cake to their long career at the mythical Tavastia club in Helsinki. The piece of news did not seem much surprising to my eyes. Some months ago they already had some problems with their drummer, and now seems that Michael Monroe and Andy McCoy will continue again walking separated paths. 

I had the pleasure to meet the members of Hanoi Rocks during an interview at Suomelinna fortress in 2007, while they were at the studio preparing their latest album. First we chatted with the Swedish Conny and A.C., having a beer in a terrace. The guys seemed surprised that we were there shooting questions at them, but after a while the conversation was pretty friendly, especially from the side of A.C. Later we entered the studio to chat with Monroe and McCoy. We met them outside, and McCoy was breathing deeply and noisily like if he would be Darth Vader himself. I must recognize I felt a bit nervous about his reactions to our questions, but they turned to be also very nice and friendly. Michael Monroe still seemed to be that naïve child who dreams about being a rock star and McCoy…he is certainly a special guy, when you think he is half slept, he can shock you with a really sharp and intelligent comment. 

We had a couple of surrealistic situations while enjoying some hours with Hanoi Rocks. At some point Andy McCoy played virtuously and unexpectedly a fabulous solo at the piano that got amazed even to the rest of the band members. There were also ironic jokes about the absence of their previous drummer, a clear symptom that something was not working out well there (for remembering him, they had stitched a drawing of his face on one wall of the studio) and it was also very funny to run with the rest of the band not to miss the last ferry that was linking Suomenlinna with Helsinki harbor. We had then another excellent opportunity to take some more pics with them on the deck of the ferry, while small children were surrounding the band looking for an autograph from their idols. I certainly wanted to be journalist to experience those kind of special evenings like the one we had with these legendary rockers. 

Many times we have had interviews with Finnish bands, we were a bit surprised about their lack of glamour; bands that go on stage at international events but seem too shy to share interesting stories with us and the audience. Hanoi Rocks certainly was, is and will be a case apart; certainly one of the few Finnish bands that exhale really glamour and 100% of rock spirit wherever they go. They will be missed! At least I will miss those Spinal Tap moments with them…

Drillbit Taylor

{mosimage}Being a nerd turns to be a pain in the ass when you start high school and somebody systematically bullies you. Owen Wilson will put a remedy to that!

I am a big fan of Owen Wilson and I had big expectations when I saw the cover of his new DVD: Drillbit Taylor. The role of a naïve homeless on charge of being the personal bodyguard of three funny losers who just started high school seemed to be tailored-size for his comedy sills. In a way Drillbit Wilson offers what you expected, no more no less. Owen Wilson is credible in his role of big child, and the teenagers perform correctly, but the script is not shiny enough. The jokes in general are not so funny and the action is pretty predictable from the beginning to the end. The best parts of the movie are maybe when Owen Wilson is acting as a fake substitute professor at the High School. But the relation among the main characters could have been more strongly built.

Not one of the best comedies recently released. Unless you are a real die-hard fan of Wilson, you will perfectly survive skipping this one.

Rating 2/5.

21

{mosimage}Poker is just like real life. You can bet hard and win… or lose everything. Ben Campbell will see both sides in Las Vegas casinos.

I must admit I have no idea of playing poker, but I love movies about poker. Not long time ago we had the chance to see Eric Bana´s great performance in Lucky You, and now we assist to another little masterpiece with this 21. A group of young and hyper-talented students will try to put the biggest Vegas casinos at stake led by the methodical Kevin Spacey, and Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) will have to carry a double life: a grey and shy student during the scholar week and a successful gambler at weekends.

Sturgess is credible in his performance, mastering a difficult multisided role, while the beauty of Kate Bosworth is a balsam all over the film. They are perfectly supported by two huge Hollywood names such as Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Spacey in brilliant secondary roles.

A good cocktail and an intelligent script make the movie pretty enjoyable from the beginning to the end. There is also space for a couple of small twists that enrich the plot but do not destroy it. Nice title to watch!

Rating 4/5.

Underwater Sleeping Society – The Dead Vegas

{mosimage}The band from Helsinki is aspiring to be the “indie pop band” of Finland. Will they achieve it? 

Indie pop seems to be living a golden age in Finland parallel to the heavy metal craziness. Underwater Sleeping Society, the band led by Okko Nieminen comes into scene with a fresh new CD full of good ideas. Starting from the artwork of the cover and the CD disc itself, that reminds in the design of an old vinyl disc, and continuing with their catchy bittersweet tunes, mixing happiness and sadness like in Saw You at my Funeral, the danceable Hurry or Worry or the introspective and semi-psychedelic Body Blues. A good effort by the Finnish boys that count with the support of one of the strongest record companies in Finland: Backstage Alliance.

USS will be touring quite extensively during the next couple of months in Finland, so you can have an easy chance to see their performance live. For the moment, they leave a good taste with this The Dead Vegas that surely will find a good bunch of fans easily.  

Rating 4/5.

Los Bastardos Finlandeses – Return of El Diablo

{mosimage}Those bastards are back! Yes amigos, the Finnish rockers with Spanish soul are back with a fucking good new CD!

I must confess I have always felt a special weakness for Los Bastardos Finlandeses, starting from the fact that they write their band´s name in Spanish and continuing with the fact that they perform a direct and blowing rock that sounds even better on live. Here you have their new piece of music, a very complete album with the familiar southern rock taste and lyrics that flirt with Spanish language in almost every song. Los Bastardos do not transmit the typical cold and melancholic feeling of most Finnish bands at all. Their music has a great palette of colors, it sounds warm and friendly, like a good tequila shot. Listen to the raged guitar riffs of Red Eyed Rock ´n´Roller, Houseful of Hooligans or Return of El Diablo and enjoy the broken voice of El Taff Bastardo.

Another strong point of the album is its great at work, that feels a bit dangerous but viciously close and friendly, just as the band itself.The Finnish Bastards have been able to create a rock album that certainly rocks, something not so easy to achieve nowadays. Larga vida a los Bastardos!

Rating 5/5.

 

Related articles:

Interview with Olli "Don Osmo"

http://www.freemagazine.fi/content/view/829/

Mariza – the bewitching diva of destiny

{mosimage} Many countries and cultures have their dark side expressed musically that mirrors people’s sorrow and suffering. USA has its blues and old country, Argentina and Finland their tango, minorities such as some Sámi joiking or women keening at funerals. 

 

Portugal has fado – which as Mariza explained at her Helsinki concert (11 October) at Finlandia Hall means destiny. However, one of her songs Meu Fado Meu does not make it clear if it will be happy or sad, good or bad, or perhaps all and more. It was the ideal setting for anyone who has had sad news such as the untimely death of a recent romance (saudade – see below). This was reflected in the sixth number: Beijo de saudade  recalling a lost lover. Off her latest album, it was sung with Tito Paris, a Cape Verdian, and clearly harks from the West African islands' own form of desperation: the morna.  

Small and slim – she looks much taller due to her slender form and full-length black dress and arm stockings – the only colour is supplied by her hair and narrow hoops of ribbon on the garment. 

Straightaway the first few songs are sad, soul-searing and full of excruciating loss – it isn’t necessary to understand Portuguese to get the meaning as they are all delivered with total intensity, passion and utter involvement. She almost pleads with the audience to share her angst, pain and even tears. The song Tasco de Mouraria, recalls her parents’ bar when she was only five years old and the catalyst to become a singer in the eponymous Lisboa district, had teardrops filling her eyes reminiscing a childhood lost that can be only remembered, but never re-lived. Honestly portrayed and conveyed. 

As the dark clouds gather for a series of inevitably bad conclusions, the lyrics are wrung out in loud notes, long piercing soft monotones or a soulful, lilting voice. This is all combined with facial expressions, serpentine hand gestures and, of course, the eyes that glittered, glistened and glowed according to the situation being sung demanded. 

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A good example was Barco Negro which had a haunting percussion-only backed opening lament, which floats the listener down into the depths of the inner self, before suddenly lightening up in the middle, only to finish with another series of frighteningly worrisome notes and ending with a violent stormy crescendo.  

The backing musicians were all in tandem and equally talented, playing wooden guitars, piano and brass trumpet plus a drummer that used his hands as much as a range of sticks. They all plucked, blew and struck without sheet music – except the horizontal hand-held bassman (viola baixo). However, all was revealed by Mariza later that in fact it was where he kept his watch for some reason! She spoke a lot, mainly in English, introduced the musicians several times illustrating their harmonious rapport and gave short explanations of fado, some songs and about her life and philosophy – sometimes witty, often serious. 

But it was not all pure doom and gloom in a melancholic melodic setting. After the instrumental guitarrida (which the audience was taught to say en masse), the remaining songs became lighter in mood, even joyful at times. The last song, a Mariza favourite Primavera returns to the theme of loss and hopelessness, a Gibraltarian afficionada informs.  

Two encores followed: the first featured the Portuguese and six-string guitarists with herself – but unplugged with all three singing, assumedly, a traditional folk song. It proved that despite their stature, the sound system could have been dispensed with. The third, obviously unplanned, encore after a visible weakening on stage to the audience’s entreaties, was back to routine, but with everyone invited to stand up and dance along. 

{mosimage}By the end, most had realized they had been taken down a path where introspective Finns rarely go willingly – unless led by someone who knows what they are doing. Mariza is an artiste who does not hold back one iota, and as such the on-looker is dragged through a gamut of emotions that ends up with a flickering message of hope – perhaps to recapture that amora perdida or its mere memory. It’s a soul-searching emotion-jangling experience for all concerned. Fado is a darkish genre with a now-bright future with the youthful Mariza as its message-bearer for a long time to come. 

Mariza dos Reis Nunes – vocals

Diogo Clemente – classical guitar

Ângelo Freire – Portuguese guitar

Marino de Freitas – Portuguese bass guitar

Hugo Marques – percussion

Simon Wadsworth – piano, trumpet & synthesiser 

CDs: Fado em Mim (2002); Fado Curvo (2003); Transparente (2005) & Terra (2008). DVDs: Live in London (2005) & Concerto em Lisboa 

Fado can mean destiny or fate and derives from 1820s Portugal. It is mournful, but follows a set pattern and full of saudade – pining for something or someone such as a lost love. It plucks at the heart strings and is not for the weak-hearted or strong-willed. There are two forms: the Lisboã and Coimbra – the latter based round the university that had many Brazilian students and their modinhas songs. Fado always has a Portuguese guitar, but the Coimbra style has male singers only dressed traditionally in academic garb (traje académico). The Lisboã districts of Mouraria and Alfama, Bairro Aalto and Madragoa (bairros típicos) still have their casas de fados where the dimly-lit streets and alleys echo to dark strains of emotional suffering.