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Not Finnished

22-pistepirkko

Earlier this year I paid a visit to Finland and returned with some great new finnoscandian music like Boomhauer, Lodger Hi-Fi, Aksu, and Tapes. But I neglected one of the truly great indie Finnish bands, 22-Pistepirkko.

It’s not exceptionally anomalous that I overlooked 22-Pistepirkko (the name refers to a 22-spotted ladybug) as I spent most of my time in Helsinki, but the band – hailing from just outside the Arctic Circle – has been so consistently good since their inception in 1980 that I feel quite embarrassed for the omission. And by consistent, I don’t mean to imply the trio hasn’t evolved, they have. When they began, their sound was focused on the roots of rock-n-roll – beat-oriented locomotive rock – and they sang in Finnish. Today, almost three decades later, their music has grown – progressing through country, pop, and even electronica along the way.

Grab an eyeful of “Birdy” off of the 1992 album, Big Lupo, to see what I mean.

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13 years old and the video and the song seem remarkably prescient, don’t they? Hindsight’s 20-20, I guess, and last year’s Drops & Kicks, an album I only recently picked up, has advanced into my retrospective top 20 from 2005.

Fans of Super Furry Animals will eat this up.

If you likey, you can listen to shitload more on their website.

Buy Drops & Kicks from Parasol.

4.-089

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