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Music

Teemu From Death Hawks's List of Finnish Music That You Need To Hear

Hopefully this will fill the holes in our hearts.

Last week, Finland put a spell on us when we travelled to Helsinki for YNTHT Live. There's something mysterious about the Finnish mentality that makes you want to know more about it, don't you think? It's a bit like when you fall in love with someone and you don't know if that person feels the same about you. But luckily for all of us, Teemu Markkula from Death Hawks has kindly put together a list of Finnish music that he thinks all of us need to hear. Hopefully this will fill the holes in our hearts. Or at least what's missing on our headphones. Enjoy!

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Pekko Käppi

with his band K:H:H:L make dark boogie songs that have a powerful impact on me. Pekko plays an instrument called Jouhikko, which is an ancient Finnish-Karelian bowed lyre. He also sings his lungs out. This is not to be missed!

Jarse

is an electronic wizard who makes wonderful multidimensional – mostly instrumental – psychedelic tunes that usually evolve into a gargantuan blast of mysterious melodies with old-school spacey sounds. A plus is the light bulb show that he puts on (an easy job for a wizard). What else? Jarse has a band called

Shogun Kunitoki

, which is equally wonderful.

I have three words for you about

Mikko Joensuu

: Beautiful, comforting, devotional.

Talmud Beach

's laid-back blues bite the cowboy bullet off an Indian feather and bring you to the vast and great beyond. They respect the passed blues gurus with their music and are a unique group with a quiet style.

Faarao Pirttikangas

makes raw folklore blues from the deepest and darkest of Finland. His style is direct and the sound is growling, which maybe is why this is so frightening that all you can do is to stand still and listen. Imagine being a small child sitting in Santa's lap. Although this Santa is telling you tales like a drunken old sailor with a black-eyed dog accompanying him. Mum won't hear you cry this time, child.

Räjäyttäjät

means "the exploders" or "the blasters" in Finnish. You know how The Stooges are a fierce and dangerous band? I've seen that fierce danger on every Räjäyttäjät show I've witnessed: Full of raw energy, loud and sweaty as hell. This is the way this music should be played. Räjäyttäjät combine proto-punk rock 'n' roll with the Finnish mentality of rocking with snot on your cheek. This video shows Finland at its best and at its worst.

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Stereo 8000

are a married couple playing garage, blues and punk with wild and uncontrollable energy. The two have a special and personal style to their thing. They make absolutely great songs. This particular one is from their second album that will be released later this month!

None of the few Finnish bands around that play old-school psychedelic hard rock produce lyrics in their native language. But

Seremonia

do. Upon the wild fuzz jams, vocalist Noora Federley delivers the lyrics in a cold-blooded way. Their love for nasty guitar riffs and demented rocking are never out of fashion.