Interview: Burning Hearts
Burning Hearts creates perfectly balanced pop -- sweet without being cloying, sincere without being cheesy, and introspective without being, well... boring. Their new EP, "Into the wilderness", is a fleetingly brief slice of pop perfection, four tunes inspired by the Finnish wilderness and executed with their trademark grace.
It's a Trap! spoke with two members of the Turku-based quartet -- vocalist Jessika Rapo and instrumentalist Henry Ojala -- about first musical loves, the wild countryside, and Father Christmas' musical preferences.
In the U.S. we celebrate pop from Sweden and Norway. However, the average music fan seems to associate Finland almost exclusively with death metal. Is Burning Hearts an oddity in the Finnish music scene? (If not, what other fantastic pop bands you've been hiding?)
Yes, it's true Finland is associated with metal and rock (death metal is from Norway), which have been sort of the mainstream music genres here. But we have to mention that Finland has a very long tradition in experimental music. The bands on are maybe a more recent example of that. Apart from this, Finns too have been reading Pitchfork. So these days we have a big hipster fest, the Flow Festival in Helsinki, with lots of cool international artists.
We don't think that Burning Hearts is an oddity here. The EP has been warmly received, and we feel that we have a growing audience. Apart from the bands we have been involved in (Cats on Fire, Le Futur Pompiste and Magenta Skycode) I guess we could recommend Delay Trees and our friends the New Tigers.
With band members all involved in other musical projects and balancing lives of their own, how did this new EP come together? Is it a matter of superior time management, or just a dedicated writing/recording period?
It is possible to be involved in various projects without it being a matter of superior time management, but of course time management is important. Right now we put most of our energy into Burning Hearts since we are working on the full-length album that we plan to release in fall.
What was the first song you remember falling in love with as a child? Does it sound as good to you today as it did back then?
Henry Ojala: "Imagine" by John Lennon, still sounds great.
Jessika Rapo: Dingo was a big thing in Finland around 1985. "Nahkatakkinen tyttö", (girl in a leather jacket), made me jump on my bed. Wouldn't happen in 2011!
Does any other art form (music or otherwise) speak to you the way pop does?
Ojala: I enjoy movies, visual art, architecture and art exhibitions. Decorating with light is one of my favorite hobbies! Music has always been my main art form, and I've always tried to be open to different sorts of music, not just pop.
Rapo: I can't say any specific art form speaks to me more than another; it depends on the situation and the reaction it causes in me. Right now, though, I'm fascinated by traditional handicrafts, such as lace doilies, made with great patience.
Won't lie: the first word that came to mind while listening to your music is nostalgia. In the age of the Internet where everything is at our fingertips, do you believe nostalgia can truly exist?
Ojala: I'd rather say it's easier to be nostalgic thanks to all the available information. I wouldn't like to call our music nostalgic. It is modern music with elements from the past, like most contemporary music.
After you achieve world domination, who will play the first Burning Hearts curated festival?
The Tartans and Jonathan Richman would bring the party mood, Leonard Cohen and Suzanne Vega would bring the poetical mood, Stereolab and Ariel Pink would bring the innovative mood. And the festival will, by the way, be held next year at the FBK area in Jakobstad, Finland.
If (by waving my magic journalist wand) I could grant you the ability to collaborate with one musician or band from any point in time, who would it be?
In that case we would choose the Finnish composer, the late Jean Sibelius. We would love to watch him work, and then take credit from the collaboration.
What member of Burning Hearts would survive the longest in the wilderness?
Rapo: That's easy. That would be me of course. I have great botanical skills and a marvelous sense of geographical space, and I get along well with wild animals.
What is the best time of year for a visitor to experience the wilderness of Finland? (Provided, of course, they had the surviving band member from the last question to show them around.)
Hmm, all the four seasons have their charm: Lapland in ruska time (in fall when the leaves change colors from green to fire red) is quite an experience, the summer with the midnight sun and the numerous mosquitoes, the winter with the ice covered sea, the spring when the ice withdraws...but...please do come in summer!
Since much of the album was inspired by glacial Finland, we have to know -- has Santa Claus heard the EP yet? (We heard rumor he hangs out in that area or the world. However, reports don't indicate if he's an indie pop fan.)
Santa said that the EP is ok, but he's more into adult orientated rock.
Interview by Laura Studarus