I’m eagerly waiting to hear a full-length album from Lokit. I just love pretty much every song I’ve heard so far. Great songs with gorgeous vocals, beautiful melodies and 90s indie rock vibes. I’ve been living under the impression that the album was actually coming out sometime in 2017, but we are close to December now, so it doesn’t seem too likely. I guess I don’t have to save a place for it on my top 3 Finnish albums of the year list anymore. Oh well, one more reason to carry on doing this blog in 2018, so I can praise the Lokit album when it eventually arrives. However, the first outtake Blades of Steel from the forthcoming album is out and available and it’s an excellent contender for the Finnish song of the year category.
Antti Alanko – Minne mieleni pakenet?
Finnish fingerstyle / slide guitarist Antti Alanko has a new album out and available. It’s called Minne mieleni pakenet? and the title fits the music perfectly. The mind sure has a tendency to start wondering when I put the headphones on and rest a while in the arms of these melodies and soundscapes. These songs are definitely best when heard live (well what music isn’t), but the whole thing does work beautifully on a record as well. My personal favorites during the live shows has been the ones he has played with Weissenborn, so I have to go with Weissenborn Improv in G Minor on this little blog entry even though it might not be the finest choice for introduction purposes. You can hear/buy the whole thing on his Bandcamp.
Astrid Swan – From The Bed and Beyond
The year is soon closing in and I still haven’t featured the most powerful Finnish album of 2017 even though it came out fairly early in the year on Soliti Music. I’ve struggled to find the proper words that would even remotely do justice to the fragile beauty of this album. I still haven’t found the words, but I can’t hold this back any longer. From The Bed and Beyond by Astrid Swan is a work of art and demands to be heard. The album was written in the aftermath of her breast cancer diagnose and she binds together fear, grief and hope in such a convincing manner that holding back the tears turns out to be impossible. The fragility of being a human expressed with powerful clarity and deep-rooted honesty. I love this album, but I hate that there was a reason for it to be born.
Vasas Flora och Fauna – Veneziansk Afton
Vasas Flora och Fauna released a new album Veneziansk Afton back in September and it’s a crime that it has not been mentioned here. I’ve loved the work of Mattias Björkas since the fairly early days of Cats on Fire and I don’t expect that to ever change. Listening to Vasas Flora och Fauna always make me want to work on my Swedish language skills, because I feel like I’m missing out on part of the magic, because I can only understand about half of it. Maybe a little more by reading the lyrics. This stumbling block that my rusty Swedish created thankfully isn’t strong enough to stop these beautiful melodies reaching my heart. My favourite one on the new Vasas Flora och Fauna album is the wistfully beautiful Min Förtvivlan. Bonus point that there’s a moment in the song that makes me think of Leevi & The Leavings. Minus point because it drives me crazy that I’m not able to pinpoint the exact Leevi song. Veneziansk Afton is now out on Startracks.