Fresh from Finland

As the summer approaches and we begin looking forward to various outdoorsy music festivals, the first official place to be Jyrock hosted its 25th annual event. Despite the build up, the party was no freakier than usual. The program featured vastly different performances, from different genres, much like previous years. The line-up consisted of guests from abroad, the more accustomed cult-performers, smaller artists, as well as some of the more hyped-up artists of this year – this year on three stages, in stead of the previous two.

Despite the three stages, not one of them functioned without fault. Depending on the distance to the stage, the acoustics ranged from excellent to a slush like cacophony. Restaurant Ilokivi must have had an impact, among other dubious arrangements. The audience was generally at a distance, at all the shows, and it seemed impossible to gain access to the best spots – right next to the stage – as the crowd was packed in mid-way. A couple years back they had the stages in a different arrangement on the top floor, which worked better in my opinion.

Even as the arrangements had their faults, one could not complain about the performances. Although Jyrock has featured some more vivid line-ups, there was not one dull act among this years performers either. There were surprises. Almost all bands sounded better than what I had anticipated and heard from their MySpace pages. An example, G-ODD that has already been booked to Ilosaari and Provinssirock, some of the biggest outdoor festivals of the summer, turned out to be anything than I had expected. In stead of the expected psychedelic sounds, they performed with a much more electric set, which was nothing to be ashamed of!

G-ODD

As is the case in way too many festivals, two of the most interesting performers on Friday were scheduled at the same time. Upstairs featured Shine 2009 (Mikko Pykäri from Regina etc.). In front of the stage, the sounds were all over the place and it was hard to make anything of the performance and at the back, you could hear the house-influenced electro pop from the outdoor stage. Confused. Me.

Shine 2009

Downstairs got it right though. Mintzkov from Belgium sounded like a band that the Finnish radio would love, Finnish hockey narrators would love and finally, half of Finland would love. The band reminded me of many different artists, but nothing too clear and obvious. The coarse vocals accompanied by the rest of the crew, gave me the image of Placebo on stage, that were dining with Ash, yet had stolen their attitude from Nirvana. The grunge vibe was not even limited to the plaid shirts. The songs were packed with a punch, some even direct hit material, although I would probably have enjoyed the band more in my teens, due to the prominent somber tones.

Mintzkov

Hottest act on Saturday was as well a guest from abroad. It’s fair to say that domestic acts put on quite a show before that too. Kiki Paus stage charisma had clearly developed and the toned down performance was among the best I had seen by that band, even as the acoustics dampened the performance notably. TV OFF suffered from similar problems, but their performance seemed to suffer even more due to the problems, which leads me to conclude that they’ve had better shows. Alpo & Tomi were among the best of the weekend. The stage presence was something from a show by Jesse, but the “true to their roots” sounds and Justice influences worked their magic. Based on the two shows I’ve seen by this duo, they are among the best Finnish electro bands and one can only hope they squeeze that record out soon.

Kiki Pau

TV Off

Alpo ja Tomi

It was close that Alpo & Tomi didn’t come out the winners of the best performance of the whole weekend, but still to come was Swedes Bye Bye Bycicle, that actually was sort of a flop for me, even as they were best of the night. On the stage upstairs, the five Swedes jammed on stage and the singer was so tall, that I think he even raised the roof with his head, quite literally, a couple of times. Bye Bye Bycicle has a debut album full of sincerely great indiepop tracks, that went a long way to a great show, even as the stage presence was rather controlled. The live performance did not bring any real added value to the tracks, at least not the way the other performers managed to create it.

Bye Bye Bicycle

All in all, as a whole, the 25th annual Jyrock was just the way one could have imagined it. The stage by the terrace was a nice addition, but the problems encountered already last year, were still problems. Still this adorable little festival in the middle of Finland will lure me out next year, as long as they manage to attract fresh and interesting names as they have so far.

If you haven’t already, or just don’t know what this is about, surf your way to the Finnish Foreign Ministry’s Finland Promotion Board’s “This is Finland” -page, that is produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for Communications and Culture. Then make your way to the recommended reading and look who you’ll find. Here’s a link http://finland.fi.

We would like to recognize this honorary position, by vowing to step into high gear and continue on with what we’re doing. We have so many surprises coming out this year, that we’re buzzing not to take the kettle of the stove just yet.  We’ve ordered an especially hot summer, with a focus on the hottest artists possible, but we’re anxious weather-wise as well.

So, to stop this rambling, I’ll sum up in two underrated words;

Thank You

Jesse – TUM TUM TUM

The highly anticipated second album entitled “TUM TUM TUM” from the finnish electro group JESSE was finally released last week. Some say that the release party last Saturday at Korjaamo grew so wild that we can’t even write about it, not even with freedom of speech. Others say these atrocities were actually caught on tape, which probably means some of you all will be receiving ransom notes in the near future..

Jesse

So, let’s get back on track. “TUM TUM TUM” introduces a talented bunch that has previously much relied on the visual and now are conquering your eardrums as well. We’re talking thousands of synthesizer sounds stretched farther than a cat, basslines stronger than your father and stereotypical drum beats (originating from an actual drum machine! Some tracks do feature real to life drums, as Ana has managed to dig up electric drums that time has long since rejected).

The single SLURPS! carried an out there, even danceable techno-disco revolution as the new Löyhähdys travels somewhere in between jazz and a juicy electroblues. Even as the group has already excelled with their touch on electric guitars on prior releases, it has to be stated that aside from throbbing choruses, the guitars offer pure entertainment and are worth drooling over. SLI-DEs contribution to SLURPS! is nearly arousing and the gifted Kölle proves his worth as a guitar heavyweight of Finland on the tracks “Odotin Ihmettä”, “Ps. Foto Ois Kiva” and “Koettelee Mut Ei Hylkää”. This multi-dimensional, overall strong record has a bit of everything and will surely play tricks on your mind.

If it’s stars you’re looking for, then let’s call it four stars out of five. **** / *****

What’s most refreshing about JESSE is their ability to combine elements from disturbed eighties synthesizer misfunctions to more contemporary run of the mill stadium rock elements. Combine this with some oddly fascinating visuals and you’ll have a 2009 fresh seduction.

PS. JESSE is one of the finnish artists performing at Hollands Eurosonic event. Eurosonic is a promotional showcase event, where for example Disco Ensemble once began their route to greener pastures. We wish JESSE all the best success on stage!

JESSE – Odotin Ihmettä -video
Directed by Mikko Mällinen

www.myspace.com/haistakaa

Last weekend saw the fourth several day music festival to be held in Tampere this fall. Even as the supply of music seems to be at an all time high, at least in my own experience, it doesn’t seem to have trifled the demand as the venues were packed with spectators. Venues such as YO-Talo and Artturi were jammed with music enthusiasts as some spectacular domestic and Swedish artists took the stages. The whole city of Tampere was taken over by music and you could find worthwhile places to spend your evening in most corner pubs, bars and nightclubs.

The festival was kick started at the venue Artturi, where the cover band Tuulia played Tool, in Finnish. Having heard one song in advance, I was actually expecting quite a bit from the group, and I was not let down. Tool transformed into acoustic guitar rock sounded as fresh as ever, despite that I’ve worn my Tool records, literally, to the ground. Judging from material to be found on MySpace, I knew to expect some lyrical genius, witty and perverse innuendo. Most songs worked this magic quite eloquently and for example the song roughly translated as “Whore with a Penis” made me burst out in honest laughter. The only slightly poorer cover was “Schism” and that largely due to the odd percussion beats.

Jaw Lesson

Next to take the stage was friendly neighboring Swede Jaw Lesson, priorly known as the artist Hajen. Tuulia’s set had been slightly more background, as the bar chatter crept around the performance, but once the soulful and horse Jaw Lesson took the stage, the bar found itself a new focal point. Lesson instantly became the most remarkable new acquaintance of this festival for me. At the end of the show, Lesson was accompanied on stage by Kristian Matsson, also known as The Tallest Man on Earth. Performed together, the cover of Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s “I’ll Be Glad” made for the greatest goose bump moment over the evening, and was probably the strongest personal interpretation of the entire festival. To my delight, I actually got to hear it again as Matsson performed at another venue, the YO-Talo, later that weekend.

Across the street from Artturi, YO-Talo featured a much more Swede dominated entourage. Apart from the last performer, The Tallest Man on Earth, all the performances were good – not excellent, but not disappointing either. And yes, The Tallest Man on Earth was excellent. The three girl trio that calls themselves Liechtenstein from Göteborg, is a valid example of how a average Swedish band amounts to so much more than its Finnish counterpart, naturally heavily generalized. What do they put in the Swedish water?

Liechtenstein

It seems as if the most anticipated act was still Liekki, not seen on stage for a while. Even as the performance at times wrapped itself around all the passion of the universe, the performance as a whole didn’t quite blow me away. Nevertheless, I’m glad to see that their still alive and kicking.

Liekki

Come Saturday, I found myself anticipating seeing Joensuu 1685 on stage, since it would be my first time. From what I had heard – from others as well as the band themselves – they weren’t quite in tip-top shape, but for a first timer the shoegaze-krautrock live experience lived up to my expectations. The men in their sleek appearance worked their instruments and produced a surprising amount of new material, not to overshadow older material though. The highlight must have been the amazing interpretation of Bruce Springsteens “I’m on Fire”, renowned even in NME.

Joensuu 1685

The rest of the days music amounted to a bunch of grey matter. Wildbirds & Peacedrums intrigued with their numerous interesting instruments, but the songs never reached the level of new experiences. I Was a Teenage Satan Worshipper featured an all new drummer to whip the group in to shape, that now and again had slightly sagged on stage. Excluding the backing visuals, the Tampere based bands performance was still only on the ok – level, but the drummer managed to bring some umph into the show, making it probably the best teenage satanist show I’ve seen.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums

Kuusumun profeetta

All in all, the Valoa festival was a triumph. Not one band belly flopped, nor disappointed. There were some distinct diamonds in the grey matter and the shows had gathered enough of an audience that the atmosphere was as it should be. I hope this new comer festival continues its’ trail in the Tampere fall, alongside the festivals Monsters of Pop, Lost in Music and manSEDANse.

It seems that things always go wrong right around my annual autumn trip to go gaze upon the brightest musical stars outside the borders of Finland. A couple years back I was en route to attend shows in Dublin, when what I ended up witnessing was in fact a killing (not joking). On top of this, my travel buddy got robbed of their passport and money, and as if that wasn’t enough one vital band dropped out, the tickets for the shows weren’t on time and one of the bands broke up the day we were supposed to see them. Then last year, when we were headed for Estonia, the boat we had confirmed canceled and we had an hour to schedule other means of transportation. This year (drum roll) I was headed to Milan to see five internationally praized bands, but in addition to my accompanying friend, four(!) of the five bands cancelled. What’s that law called again?

Nevertheless, I got to see one band in Milan after all, that is Wilco. When I had arrived at the event, I still thought I was about to witness Grizzly Bear, but as the crowd grew restless, six men climbed up on the stage and Ashes of American Flags started to play, it was apparent that the cuddly bears had not made it all the way to Milan after all. During the show Jeff Tweedy made clear to the audience that the familiar bears had been in a car accident and had not been able to make it to the show on time. But along came Wilco and made up for the tragic event by playing for a remarkable two and a half hours – sounding better than ever before.

The great acoustics and audio experience can be attributed to the design of the Conservatorium, the venue. It has clearly been designed to feature live music, and not even the lack of floor seats despaired the mood. The seating arrangement may even have been a great contributor to the atmosphere, as a relatively high average age in the audience probably preferred the casual seating, rather than a more upright positioning. In contrast to Finland, where the audience respects the music by listening silently until the end of each song, in Italy the applause and cheering was at times deafening. The appraisals were loud and clear, and as the crowd stood to their feet to meet the artist with applause, there was no doubt the whole show was a success.

It can be said that the circumstances were optimal, but that Wilco also worked for their money. The setlist was surprisingly heavy on the older material, especially the albums Yankee Hotel Foxtro and A Ghost is Born. The 26 songs played did include songs off almost all their releases. If anything, I could have used more of the newer material, namely tracks Wilco (the Song) and I’ll Fight off the new album Wilco (the Album). My dearest wish had been to hear Side with the Seeds and as this wish was granted everything else disappeared into a mere smear.

Highlights from the concert were the songs that made the audience most vocal, such as Misunderstood, A Shot in the Arm, Jesus Etc. and I am Trying to Break Your Heart. Even though the charming Tweedy is such a focal point on record, he didn’t outshine any of his brothers on stage. As a matter of fact, Glenn Kotche claimed the spotlight with his drum solos during the song Via Chicago. The long show ended with I’m a Wheel, the second encore, and in stead of more accustomed finnish behavior, the italians dismissed the thought of going to bars or nightclubs afterward and headed home to get a good nights sleep (or whatever it is italians do..).

A journey struck by disappointments such as cancellations and bad weather, was definitely brightened by such a spectacular performance by Wilco.