Finland Is Weird
I picked out three promos based entirely on their weird Finnish names, and it reinforced something I already knew: Finland is weird. And also awesome.
2 out of 5 stars
This is the greatest rap music I've ever listened to. It's got weird backing music that sounds a little like a collaboration between Trent Reznor and Glenn Danzig, and all the lyrics are Finnish. I can tell it's great, but it's still rap, and I can't stand listening to people rap. It was a struggle just making it through this once, but the backing music is just that interesting.
I'm going to come back to this one in a year or so to see if I change my mind.
Svart Records
3.5 out of 5 stars
A harmonium is a (relatively) small organ. As an organ, it has the unlimited sustain necessary to create some the slow and seriously brooding music of Jumalhämärä. At first I thought I would be bored by the utter simplicity, but I found it surprisingly affecting. I've never used the word "brooding" so appropriately as here. Bram Stoker's Dracula might listen to this while sitting and contemplating his (un)life.
(I can't find an embeddable sample of this release, and their prior material sounds nothing like this. Use your imagination.)
Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions
Pyhä Kuolema: Kevättuulisormi (2013)
1 out of 5 stars
Pyhä Kuolema is more acoustic rock than it is folk, and sadly I can't say much to recommend it. It's not really dark, or emotionally powerful in any way I can detect. The songs all sound pretty much the same (a few have slight electric added in), leaving little impression, and the vocals are a little odd in this context. Maybe the Finnish can get something out of this, but I don't.
Pesanta Urfolk
But hey, just checking this stuff out is fun, even if it turns out it’s not always my bag.
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