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.
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.
- Listen to Rat King
- Listen to Sister May
- Listen to We Ought
If you likey, you can listen to shitload more on their website.
Buy Drops & Kicks from Parasol.
4.-089
I likey. Especially Sister May. That’s quite the nice tune.