Country, Americana, Folk, Power Pop, Indie Pop
Slap That Bass! is a 4cd box set that is full of the finest finnish rockabilly and 50’s style rock’n’roll. It was compiled by Mikko Aaltonen and released by Johanna Kustannus on 17th of february. I know this might not totally fall into that “finnish pop” category, but it’s an important release nevertheless. Actually it’s worthy of those onechord’s imaginary culture awards and even though I’m not a huge rockabilly fan, Slap That Bass! definitely goes to my shopping list.
Jon Auer (The Posies) singing Epilä’s song Ajatuspoliisi. Pretty cool don’t you think. Even cooler is the fact that The Posies will make a new album later this year.
Laura Veirs: July Flame (Raven Marching Band Records, 2010)
Some years ago I fell in love with Laura Veirs’ album called Carbon Glacier, but somehow I managed to forget her brilliance for a while. Especially her previous album Saltbreakers flew by without me noticing it at all (however I bought it now after hearing July Flame). Then in last december I got a promo email that gave me a possibility to download her new album. I did that and I instantly fell in love with July Flame and also bought a physical copy of the record when it came out.
July Flame is Laura Veirs’ seventh album and it’s also her finest work so far. For me it’s even better than Carbon Glacier (I haven’t heard the first three albums though). Laura Veirs is a skillful songwriter and her songs are always delightfully interesting treat. Somehow so easy to enjoy, but still challenging and unique. A great thing about her is that even if you have a square full of folk singer-songwriters, she still stands out from the crowd because she is a unique talent and it’s hard to compare her to anyone. Magical phrasing, perfect melodic sense and the ability to write insightful lyrics. Useful things if your trying to make a wonderful album and July Flame is not just wonderful. It’s almost perfect. The song material is amazing throughout the record and this time they’ve totally mastered the arrangements and the production of the record. How can it sound so rich & coloured and pure & stripped-down at the same time. July Flame sets the standards pretty high for the new year.
Laura Veirs Website
Laura Veirs at myspace
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3azDdaFlu0]
Midlake: The Courage of Others (Bella Union, 2010)
Everyone knows this one. So there’s no need to write a long review. This is more like a quick opinion.
Will I get hammered if I say that this actually a little boring? I probably should get hammered, but I can’t deny that I’m struggling with this album. If I listen to just one song (anyone of them will do), I can admit that it sounds truly wonderful, but after listening to three or four songs in a row I’m thinking of changing the record. The album is like a cat without a personality. I mean cats are pretty much the most beautiful creatures on the planet, but in the long run I would still get rather bored watching a group of cats if the cats didn’t have their own unique characteristics. This is just a steady flow of beautiful moods and sounds and there’s nothing that draws my attention. Maybe I should give it more time, but so far I’m not as impressed as I would like to be. Maybe I’ll just keep on listening to it in small doses. That way it stays enjoyable.
