I think this is the most appropriate place to post these links.

Yeah, so essentially this is just a post with me rambling about various Finnish artists. I'm trying to showcase snippets of different musicians and styles. Finding albums for many of these albums has proved to be very troublesome so far (god bless Youtube), I will attempt to seek them out though.

Sadly, the problem with the Finnish music is the language. Some of the artists showcase unique and emotional lyrical gifts, and the songs revolve around those sayings. Luckily, there are artists who record in English too, so that is not always the problem.

Also, some of the artists are a matter of an acquired taste. I'm hoping that some of the links prove to be interesting though, if nothing else. The main themes in Finnish music are nature and the naturally melancholic mood of the country, caused by alcohol and a traditional Finnish personality. Anyway, I'll get back on the topic...

Though nowadays a very rare genre, the scarce recordings of nordic folk can still be found.



This is a very touching performance of a song "Vaiennut Vielu" (which could be translated into Finland as "The Ceased Violin"), performed by Konsta Jylhä. His most famous sting was with a Finnish dance music group Purppuripelimannit:



The culture is kept alive by some of the modern groups of today:



The Sami music has created some interesting modern artists too:



This is probably my favourite recording of this particular subgenre. It really creates an image of an isolate Finnish nature: mountains reaching the sky, frozen lakes, the sun getting mirrored by the white snow. When I close my eyes, I can really picture the whole landscape and transition into an alternate universe. It is not just a recording, it is an experience. Nils-Askal Valkeapää has some wonderful recordings in general.



Jiella is an interesting upbeat pop group with traditional Sami singing and synth melodies.

The Finnish traditional dance music has yielded some wonderful songs too, here is a good example of it:



Moving to a more eclectic Finnish form of modern folk (if you want to call it that), I found this wonderful song a while ago after Lacuna suggested me to check out the great Finnish group Kemialliset Ystävät. She is a member of the group, and I stumbled across this gem soon after. The music is a combination of various, soft noises, Björk-esque singing and a relaxing atmosphere. Check it out!



This is probably one of the most hypnotic recordings to come out from the same scene, 9 minutes of pure bliss:



Bearing the classic modern Finnish folk music sound, Vesa-Matti Loiri has been loved by Finns for many decades already. His music consists of simple and emotional acoustic melodies, filled with melancholy and desperation, not to mention his beautiful voice. He has also made some outstanding acoustic covers of classic Finnish popular music songs.



Mirel Wagner is a recently emerged female folk artist, who has earned lots of critical acclaim for her debut album. The music is very simple and stripped down, the topics are bleak and very melancholic.



Finland has many great female pop artists too, they have always proved to be popular around these parts.




Finland has lots of wonderful electronica too:



An electronica pioneer Erkki Kurenniemi was ahead of his time with this interesting recording from '68:



Some of his 'noisier' music, here is a very creepy ambient gem by him:



Introducing Finnish rock/metal music properly would take way too much space, but here are few very interesting groups:



Dreamy textures and ambient guitar noises, those are the trademark features of Risto.

http://www.myspace.com/paabandi/music/s ... t-55736698

Sadly, this song ("Tapoimme Kaksi Nisäkästä") can't be found on Youtube, but it is worth a listen if you dig some very tasty, depressing and melodic alternative rock. This, and the next band, are courtesy of my friend who introduced them to me.

My friend's WONDERFUL find, an experimental metal band called Candy Cane: they combine some very maniacal noise metal meltdowns with other genres, blending them seamlessly. A very unpredictable group, as far as composing goes! Waltari is another interesting experimental rock group.




I'm sure many of you already know the band but I'll state the obvious nonethless: Reverend Bizarre are a classic band. Traditional doom metal with pummeling riffs and ambitious compositions, that's how people know RB the best.




As far as Finnish hardcore punk goes, Terveet Kädet reigns supreme:




The 'classic' Finnish rock music has some very interesting groups too:




Known for their extremely primitive and raw live gigs, Sielun Veljet have dominated the Finnish rock live scene for a long time. They also re-recorded some of their songs in English, but those didn't prove to be that popular.

And finally, a mix of gothic rock and new romantic:



I think that's enough links for now, I hope somebody gets interested. Keeping up with the various Finnish music scenes is very hard, mainly because of how many great groups exist.

One of my absolute favorite artist's from Finland, a neofolk band called Tenhi, do you know of them Timi ?

No, I don't. I appreciate the recommendation though, I will check them out when I can.

Do that, while I slowly go through your list and see what suits my fancy as well.

There was this really good prog band you had mentioned I remember, cant recall the name Timi. You said it was Floyd like, only heavier, with many added textures and of course a touch of Finland as well. Help ?

Damn, that first post looks promising. I'll have to sift through some of those one of these days.

Sounds fair.

Are you talking about Kingston Wall? Or maybe Wigwam? I've been praising the former a lot.

Yes, Kingston wall, indeed, thanks Timi

I took a one credit hour Finnish class last semester and we listened to a little Finnish folk music. None of it particularly struck me, but I'm sure there's better stuff out there. I'll definitely check out the OP.

Ah, cool. Hope there's something enjoyable.

Hidria Spacefolk is an instrumental Finnish space rock band with their sound resembling classic groups like Hawkwind and Kingston Wall. Ozric Tentacles are also a big part of their sound, and OT have played gigs with the band. Definitely recommended for the fans of big, textured instrumental space rock with various instruments.

I've met the second guitarist of the band, he is a very nice guy.

Where can I find Saharan Uni I on album?

I think the song was released as a sole composition (with "Saharan Uni II" soon behind). I haven't found a link to it yet, but luckily downloading it from Youtube isn't hard.