New mp3 today from Echo Is Your Love. This finnish act evokes the spirit of classic DC/Dischord-style punk/hardcore with slashing guitars, tense, driving beats and impassioned vocals. The left-panned guitar on this track pounds open chords, not just for dissonance, but for percussive effect. And just when you feel like the band is on the verge of falling apart, they pull it back together with a sinister dual-guitar line. There is definitely a strong undercurrent of chaos in their playing, but it never feels contrived. They keep the reigns on just tight enough that everything remains under control, but there's always an element of danger. As good as this song is, it doesn't quite do the band justice. The album "Paper cut eye" doesn't easily lend itself to being picked apart, song by song. There's just too much going on, too many little things that elevate the work as a whole. Even still, I bet you'd need to see them live to truly get the full impact. Very recommended.

Aortaorta
Demo
self-released

finnish hardcore punk with just enough interesting melodies and dissonance in their riffs to make 'em above average, but not enough to totally win me over. They have some great ideas, but need to mix things up a little more to take it to the next level. The first couple of songs are fairly mediocre, especially when they stick to the usual mix of fast-punk drumming in the verses and add in generic half-time breakdowns, but the more mid-tempo tracks in the middle really show some potential. Hide the drummer's double-kick pedal and go study some old Rorschach records, okay guys? We'll talk later.
- Avi Roig

Swedish stoner-rockers Dozer are currently in the studio recording a cover of "Mongoloid" by Devo for a comp entited "Sucking The '70s Vol. II", due out later this year via Small Stone Records. Dozer is also tracking their version of the Sunride song "Vinegar fly" for their upcoming split 7" with their finnish friends. Sunride is returning the favor with their take on Dozer's "Way to redemption". I believe I've mentioned that release before, but anyhow - it's due out this spring on Germany's People Like You Records and will feature artwork from Aaron Turner of Isis.

finnish noise-rockers Echo Is Your Love on tour in Russia:

02/19 - Vyborg
02/20 - Moscow
02/21 - R-club anti-war fest, Moscow
02/22 - Moloko, St. Petersburg

I just got a copy of their new album "Paper cut eye" in the mail yesterday and it's pretty awesome. Look for an official review, um... eventually.

Here's this week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. The Ark - State of the Ark
02. Daniel Lindström - Daniel Lindström
03. Lars Winnerbäck - Vatten under broarna
04. Lena Philipsson - Det gör ont en stund på natten men inget på dan
05. Lasse Stefanz - Röd Chevrolet
06. Anna Ternheim - Somebody Outside
07. Magnus Uggla - Den tatuerade generationen
08. Christian Walz - Paint by Numbers
09. Björn Afzelius & Mikael Wiehe - 1993 - Malmöinspelningarna
10. Uno Svenningsson - Ett andetag från dig
11. Totta Näslund - Totta 7: Soul!/På drift
12. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao!
13. Marie Fredriksson - The Change
14. Arne Domnérus - Best of Dompan
15. Lambretta - The Fight
16. Blacknuss - Gold
17. Gyllene Tider - GT 25 live!
18. Soundtrack of Our Lives - Origin vol. 1
19. Melody Club - Face the Music
20. Ulf Lundell - OK Baby OK

Bassist Timpa has left finnish rockers Hanoi Rocks in order to spend more time with his family. The band's new album "Another Hostile Takeover" is due out April 30 and the group will be touring internationally throughout 2005.

Rockadillo Records will be releasing the new album "Transit" from finnish jazz duo Lang & Luolajan-Mikkola this coming February. "What makes the album interesting," they say, "is that the female singer Reija Lang has written new original lyrics to selected Wayne Shorter, Eric Dolphy and Mal Waldron jazz instrumentals in addition to some original compositions by violin player Mikko-Ville Luolajan-Mikkola, who has been elected as the best jazz violinist in Finland in 2004, 2003, 2002 and beyond." Read more: https://www.rockadillo.fi/news.html

The truth is out: finnish industrial hardcore DJ Peaky Pounder, is actually just techno DJ Jeffrey Da Goose from The Hague. He's actually never even been to Finland, he just came up with the idea from reading a bottle of shampoo and stuck with it, releasing numerous albums along the way. Read more: https://3voor12.vpro.nl/3voor12/magazines/news/index.jsp?portals=2534202&magazines=10719222&news=20722819 (in Dutch)

finnish electronic artist Niko Skorpio (Some Place Else Recordings) made a guest appearance with metal act ...And Oceans at their show in Helsinki last Friday providing "extra noise and additional sonic shock treatments." Whether they will extend this collaboration to the studio waits to be seen.

Go here to download a couple sample tracks from finnish heavy post-rock act Plain Fade: https://www.kolumbus.fi/e.salmi/records.html
The band sounds like a mix of Isis, Cult of Luna and Magyar Posse and will release their debut album "Lies, sanctions and cruise missiles" very soon. Even though the sound clips are short, I definitely like what I hear and am eager to check out more. Be sure to listen to the dramatic vocals on "Cerebellum" - it's good stuff. (via)

Download the track "Berliinin kansainväliset ajoneuvomessut" from finnish noise-rock act Au Pair off their new album "Voiko tämä rakkaus olla synti": https://www.freemedialab.com/aupair/biisit/berliini.mp3
Head on over to their website to download three other demos worth of material, too: https://www.freemedialab.com/aupair/aanta.htm

finnish experimental electronic label Abflug (Karri. O, Hinterlandt, Lake Lustre) now has their discography available for purchase internationally via eMusic: https://www.emusic.com/label/100/100828.html

Vendlus Records will release the new MCD from finnish doom act The Mist and the Morning Dew on January 31. Tracklist:

01. Dusk
02. Come to think of it
03. Child of April's sun
04. Repentance
05. Tuoni Vie

New mp3 today from finnish noise-rockers The Insult That Made A Man Out Of Mac. I confess that I don't really know too much about these guys beyond what they have in their online bio, but when I saw they were touring with Circle and Cleaning Women as part of the Riemufestivaali, I knew had to hear them. And I'm awfully glad I did because these guys are awesome. That is, if you're into pounding, bass-heavy industrial rock like Cop Shoot Cop, Foetus or one my old local favorites, Grotus. Who says you need guitars to make a racket? The track I've posted is recorded live which goes to show how great I'd bet they'd be in-person. So check it out, head over to their website to download more, and see them live if you can:

01/19 - Yo-Talo, Tampere
01/20 - Henry's Pub, Kuopio
01/21 - Tavastia, Helsinki
01/22 - S-Osis, Turku

Online label Monotonik has posted a new EP from finnish IDM artist Planet Boelex who used to work under the name Tweeter: https://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp141.html

Finally, the results of the MTVe UpNorth awards, as decided by their 2004 chart performances:

Best UpNorth artist: The Rasmus - In the shadows
Best Nordic hip hop act: Promoe - These walls don't lie
Best Nordic rock act: The Hives - Walk idiot walk
Best Nordic pop act: Junior Senior - Move your feet
Best Nordic electronic act: Röyksopp - Apple
Best Swedish act: Eskobar - Love strikes
Best Norwegian act: Maria Mena - You're the only one
Best Danish act: Outlandish - Guantanamo
Best finnish act: HIM - And love said no
Best Nordic video: The Crash - Still alive