The final 12 nominees for the first annual Nordic Music Prize have been announced:
Dungen - Skit i allt Paleface - Helsinki – Shangri-La Frisk Frugt - Dansktoppen møder Burkina Faso i det himmelblå rum hvor solen bor, suite Susanne Sundfør - The Brothel Robyn - Body talk Jónsi - Go Do Efterklang - Magic Chairs Serena Maneesh - S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a scheme Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir skinni Kvelertak - Kvelertak First Aid Kit - The big black & the blue
"Kovasikajuttu" ("The Punk Syndrome") is an upcoming documentary on Finnish punk act Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät which will premiere in 2012. This is merely a preview of the awesomeness to come. Direct link: http://vimeo.com/18119323
The Embassies of Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway are collaborating together on a Scandinavian music showcase in Zürich, Switzerland entitled "Sounds Nordic, Sounds Good!". The inaugural event will happen on January 16 and will feature representatives from each of the four countries: Saybia, Sivert Høyem, The Amplifetes and Sweatmaster. For more details, go here or here.
The Silent Ballet has started to post their top 100 album picks for 2010 which, as always, includes quite a few Scandinavian releases: http://www.thesilentballet.com/tsbt/2010/100_91.html
At a cursory glance I see the names Sistol, Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson and Jaga Jazzist.
Wait, stop the presses! I've just received a last-minute arrival for my best-of 2010 list! Okay, so maybe that's a bit hyperbolic of me, not to mention premature since I really did just get their CD over the weekend, but I really do love love love the sound of Finnish crooner Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha. A bit of tango, a bit of Balkan folk and a crooning frontman who reminds me a bit of a young Rodney Dangerfield with the way he lets his hair and tie lay slightly askew; that adds up to something really great in my book. This is music for parties, dancing and drinking, as much as it is also fit for grand, weepy ballads, though we shall stick with the former for the time being. I am only left to wonder: is this the tip of the iceberg? Is there more contemporary Finnish tango I should be listening to? What are the other crucial records of the genre I should have?
