Jukka "Zuge" Laajakallio, guitarist for Finnish hardcore act Abduktio, passed away last week at the age of 29. Read the band's statement (in Finnish): http://www.abduktio.com/
The band has decided that they will not continue on without him.
There's a new track from Finnish epic hardcore act Abduktio streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abduktiofinland
The band's upcoming self-titled 12" will be released on December 2 via Combat Rock Industry.
Finnish hardcore act Abduktio is working on a new 8-track EP for release via Combat Rock Industry in November. This will be a vinyl-only release and is said to be very harDCore-influenced with covers of both Bad Brains and Descendents.
New on Combat Rock Industry: Atom Notes, featuring members from Finnish luminaries Manifesto Jukebox, Endstand, Abduktio, Deathbed, etc. Hear two songs at myspace and wait for the debut 7" in May. Also on the way in the label's classic punk 7" reissue series, Ratsia's "Taalta tulee yo" and Lama's "Totuus Loytyy Kaurapuurosta". Again, out in May.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Pascal - Längtar efter dig
02. TALK 1
03. Division of Laura Lee - Central Park
04. New Decade - While tonight still is
05. Abduktio - Uutisia rintamalta
06. TALK 2
07. Echo Is Your Love - Lion tamer vs tigers
08. Fireside - Silver muscle car
09. Him Kerosene - Ladybugs
10. TALK 3
11. NEI - New morning
12. The Bear Quartet - All your life
13. Park Hotell - Dead ringers
14. KVLR - Spit
15. Electric Retard - Skate girl
16. TALK 4
17. Samuraj Cities - Ugly kids are alright
18. Barra Head - Iron to skin
19. Death By Kite - Himmelfahrtskommando
20. TALK 5
21. Blithe - Haven
22. Starmarket - You can't come
23. Lukestar - White shade
24. Monkeystrikes - Tahonga take away
25. TALK 6
26. Voices Break the Silence - This awful friend
Reminder: My show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Lögnhalsmottagningen - Bodybuilder
02. TALK 1
03. Svart - Carl du lever i en dröm
04. Majessic Dreams - Beautiful days
05. Antennas - Lies (Oscar Tillman remix)
06. TALK 2
07. The Sound O.E - Universal tourist
08. Kaipa - Nattdjurstid
09. Murmansk - Pale
10. TALK 3
11. On Volcano - Ride the wolf
12. Markus Krunegård - Samma nätter vänter alla
13. Ondo - Mahavishnu
14. TALK 4
15. Popsicle - Hey princess
16. CMX - Tulikiveä
17. Ström i P2/Håkan Lidbo - Strömavbrott (Boeoes Kaelstigen Etsi remix)
18. TALK 5
19. The Goner - Kill them all save Simon Joyner
20. Cult of Luna - Eternal kingdom
21. Montys Loco - Ages ago
22. TALK 6
23. Mattias Alkberg BD - Allting är drömt
24. Masshysteri - Monoton tid
25. Ljudbilden & Piloten - You know you're doing OK
26. Abduktio - Thermador
27. TALK 7
28. Hebosagil - Big sun
29. Anna Ternheim - To be gone
30. Kusowsky - Tjuvar
31. Fredrik - 1986
32. TALK 8
33. Johan Heltne - 16 Avenue de l'Opera
34. Cortex - Arkham
35. Kleerup - Until we bleed (ft. Lykke Li)
36. TALK 9
37. Coldworker - Citizens of the cyclopean maze
Heads-up: my show is moving to a new time next week! Starting on Sunday, June 8 my show will be on at 11pm Eastern / 8pm Pacific with a repeat on Monday at the exact same time. I'm also paring down to an hour of programming a week, so expect all-killer/no-filler from here on out! Also, seeing as how I'm leaving for Sweden on June 9, this week's coming show will be a Hultsfred Festival special so mark your calenders, update your alarm clocks or do whatever it is you need to do to remind yourself to listen in!
I don't cover nearly as much Finnish music as I probably should. I mostly blame that on the language barrier, but I also know I could do better and that's why I've decided to (mostly) focus on Finnish artists the rest of the week. I already covered the hardcore band Abduktio yesterday, so today we turn our attention to Murmansk, a shoegaze/dreampop band from Helsinki with a female vocalist and, as they say themselves, an aggressive edge. "Chinese locks" is the band's debut album and it's out on Around Your Neck, a young new label that, judging from earlier releases, specializes in 90s nostalgia, though I'd say it's the wrong kind (ugh, Pavement - no thanks). Murmansk on the other hand, hearken back to the late-80s heyday of 4AD, evoking the darker, more ethereal qualities of artists like Cocteau Twins or Dead Can Dance, but tempered with the noisy outbursts of The Pixies. Once you find out the band started life as a postrock instrumental trio before adding vocalist/guitarist Laura Soininen, the end result makes even more sense. It's heavy, atmospheric and, all in all, immensely satisfying. And, for a debut album, quite impressive. Very recommended!
NOTE: Please see Thursday's post for a small correction/update.
Murmansk - Nothing but the moon
With the release of their new album "Thermidor", the Finnish band Abduktio has evolved into an impressive progressive-minded hardcore act. The band still thrashes hard, but they aim much higher and as such, temper their sound with an epic melodic sensibility that's unusual for the genre. Think of Japanese band Envy and their post-rockish tendencies or perhaps consider Canadians Fucked Up and the way they stretch beyond the confines of the typical 2-minute punk track. Abduktio embraces similar tendencies and make it their own. "Kevään merkkejä" ("Signs of spring") is the centerpiece of the album, a song about the environmental consciousness that rises out of watching the world thaw, but also a song about similarly waking up to all the injustice of the world around you. Clearing the frost from your eyes, as it were. I love the way the song twists and turns, the subtle unexpected melodic shifts, the crisp recording that allows every instrument to be equal in focus. Despite the non-standard structure, the piece never loses direction and always returns seamlessly to the various refrains. Thank goodness there's bands like this out there to push boundaries.
Abduktio - Kevään merkkejä
Here's this week's radio show playlist:
01. Desert Planet - Riot sector 68
02. TALK 1
03. Grande - We did it all
04. Sara Berg - Crawl back from under
05. Dialog Cet - Buckfighter
06. TALK 2
07. Doktor Kosmos - Doktor Kosmos släpper en skiva
08. Halph - Weight
09. Bright Oak - The undertow
10. TALK 3
11. Juvelen - They don't love you
12. Frivolvol - Take it from the beginning
13. Little Jimmy Reeves - Sidetracked
14. TALK 4
15. Keith Canisius - Omorose
16. The Kid - Mayhem troopers
17. Lognhalsmottagningen - Bodybuilder
18. Markus Krunegård - Rocken spelar ingen roll längre
19. TALK 5
20. Firefox AK - Techno tears
21. Biker Boy - April song (Mr Bananas remix)
22. Thomas Denver Jonsson - Saved by the bell
23. TALK 6
24. Nina Kinert - Pets & friends
25. Familjen - Hög luft
26. Brainbombs - Down in the gutter
27. TALK 7
28. Anders Persson och Carl Smith - Morgonsol i April
29. Abduktio - Uutisia rintamalta
30. Nordvargr - Rektal B
31. Karin Holmberg + hab - Who we are
32. TALK 8
33. Lapko - Killer whales
34. Madrugada - Lift me
35. Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck - What I came here for
36. TALK 9
37. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
38. Dreamboy - What have I done
39. The Tough Alliance - Lucky
40. TALK 10
41. Logh - Saturday nightmares
Finnish hardcore act Abduktio has two new tracks posted on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abduktiofinland
Abduktio will do a few dates around the Baltics in May: http://www.kapina.org/abduktio/live.htm
Abduktio is now in the studio recording their new album "Thermidor". Expect a February release via Combat Rock Industry.
Check out live footage of new Abduktio songs on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JmCB87WoIE
Finnish hardcore/punk act Abduktio has started to post new European tourdates on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abduktiofinland
Abduktio has started to post dates for their upcoming European tour: http://www.kapina.org/abduktio/live.htm