Before diving into the international albums of the year list, here’s a small list of my favorite Finnish EPs of the year. Top 6 with a couple of bonus picks that maybe could have been on the actual list as well.
Bonus pick #1:
Teini-pää – Täynnä kysymyksiä
A 2019 release that would have been the top pick on my Finnish EPs of 2019 list, but I found it in January 2020. So just wanted to feature it here, because I love it so much and the release and the band was a big deal for me this year.
Bonus picks #2 and #3
Marian valinta – Maagiset kirjaimet & Epäile
Remastered treasures from Marian Valinta discography. I remember some of these beauties from the early 2000s and it’s lovely to reintroduce my heart to these songs.
Top 6 Finnish EPs of 2020
Kind of an odd number. I tried to squeeze this category into a top 5, but Haamusoittajat destroyed my plan a week ago by releasing something that I really love.
6. Tams – Aikahyppy 2
Tams have never understood the fact that generally I don’t really like synth pop all that much. Somehow I still love Tams.
5. Rami Vierula – Kasetilla EP
A beautiful surprise release from Rami Vierula that you might remember from Delay Trees and 23:23.
4. Sami Heikkilä – Kaunein muisto (Luova Records)
Sami Heikkilä was one of the new finds for me and this is such a beautiful and moving folk EP. This last song is pure gold.
3. Kielo Kärkkäinen & Matti Salo – Valon mentyä (Texicalli)
The previous Kielo Kärkkäinen album was one of my favorites of 2019 and I’m sure the next one will be one of my 2021 favorites. We have something to love and cherish here in between as well, because this year she made a fabulous EP with Matti Salo. Especially the title track Valon mentyä is utterly wonderful.
2. Haamusoittajat – Aikojen pyörteissä
This Haamusoittajat release is a last minute entry to this list, but I love it so much that I considered making it the EP of the year. Maybe a bit too early for that, so let’s keep Veli there because those songs have been a part of my dna for a longer while. Anyway, I instantly loved this EP and replied to the promo email before I even had finished listening to it. So damn good unique DIY pop with traces of folk and psychedelia. If you miss Wojciech for example, give this one a spin because some of these songs take me into the same neighborhood.
1. Veli – Kotiäänityksiä I & 2 (Evil Veli Recordings)
These two magnificent EPs of home recordings by Veli can share the Finnish EP of the year title. I maybe prefer the first one a little bit, but the second one has some absolute (should be) hits too like Breedersin Pod so I have to include that one too. He also released an excellent full-length that you can find from the earlier albums of the year list. That one is English, if you can’t master the Finnish language.