The debut issue of Canada's Kick Magazine has a feature on finnish electronic music: https://www.kickmagazine.ca/PICTURES/KickMag_Issue1.pdf

Check out a live video clip of finnish rock n' rollers Soulstab from the Helsinki Rumble: https://koti.welho.com/pmuurin2/soulstab/media.htm

As a special treat, finnish electronic artist O Samuli A has posted a new track for download: https://www.kapsi.fi/~osamulia/interverkko/mp3/hannu_hanahen_hautajaiset.mp3

Following in the footsteps of fellow finnish goth-rockers HIM, 69 Eyes recently completed work on a video for the new single "Lost boys" with director Bam Margera of "Jackass" fame.

New mp3 today from Finland's Cleaning Women. I can't possibly begin to do this band justice, so let's have their bio do the talking:

Three guys in drag, clinking away like monkeys in heat at their home-made instruments made out of clotheshorses and pickle jars, hollering vaguely nonsensical slogans about the importance of cleaning.

Sounds like a gimmick, right? Well, if you're a cynic like me, then you're probably feeling quite skeptical right now. Hopefully, you're also still a bit curious though because if you pass on these guys, you're missing out. In some ways, Cleaning Women are like the finnish version of Doo Rag: they get your attention through contrivance, but you stick around because the music really is quite good. "Ricewestern", the song posted today, is the first track from the band's 2001 debut album "Pulsator" and the sound is a bastard mix of funky metal percussion and distorted bass, glazed with a vocal melody that almost sounds lifted from the finnish folk tradition. Intriguing, no? Investigate!

finnish cello-rockers Apocalyptica will support Rammstein on tour across Europe:

02/01 - Messehalle, Erfurt (GER)
02/03 - Brixton, London (UK)
02/04 - Brixton, London (UK)
02/05 - Brixton, London (UK)
02/06 - Men, Manchester (UK)
02/07 - Arena, Nottingham (UK)
02/09 - Zenith Arena, Lille (FRA)
02/10 - Zenith Arena, Lille (FRA)
02/11 - Bercy, Paris (FRA)
02/12 - Galaxie, Amneville (FRA)
02/13 - Messehalle, Freiburg (GER)
02/15 - Schwabenhalle, Augsburg (GER)
02/16 - Stadthalle, Vienna (AUS)
02/18 - Arena, Leipzig (GER)
02/19 - Erdgasarena, Riesa (GER)
02/21 - Spodek, Katowice (POL)
02/22 - Incheba, Bratislava (SK)
02/24 - Forum, Milan (ITA)
02/25 - Tivoli 1, Ljubljana (SI)
02/27 - Arena, Budapest (HUN)
02/28 - Cez Arena, Ostrava (CZ)

finnish heavy-metal cello quartet Apocalyptica are planning their first-ever North American tour for March:

03/15 - Knitting Factory, New York, NY
03/16 - El Mocambo, Toronto, ONT
03/20 - Schubas, Chicago, IL
03/21 - The Independent, San Francisco, CA
03/22 - Roxy, Los Angeles, CA

finnish noise-rockers Fun have posted two new mp3s for download: https://www.noisecorewalze.com/
Just to remind you, they are one of the many great bands that appear on the "Reader's companion" compilation I put out.

Online label Thinner offers up the free downloadable "Demo(n) Cuts EP" from renown finnish electronic artist Vladislav Delay: https://www.thinnerism.com/releases.php?r=thn066

finnish electronic artist Lackluster now has his own online store: https://www.lackluster.org/shop/

Long-running finnish rock n' rollers Hanoi Rocks have revealed that their new album will be called "Another Hostile Takeover". Look for it sometime early next year via Century Media offshoot Liquor and Poker Music.

New mp3 now posted from finnish trio 22 Pistepirkko. These guys have been around since the mid-80s cranking out album after album of unique, genre-expanding pop. I just recently got a hold of their 2xCD retrospective collection and am thoroughly intrigued. They started out way back when with a bit of a fuzzy garage-rock sound, but this song comes from their later synth-driven era. The melody reminds me a bit of Kent, but like with all their material, they add just a little something special to make it their own. There's so much good stuff in that set, I just know I'm gonna have to start slogging through their entire discography soon. Oh, and the band is currently working with producer Kalle Gustafsson from Soundtrack of Our Lives on a new album for release sometime next year. Should be cool.

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

01. Magnus Uggla - Den tatuerade generationen
02. Uno Svenningsson - Ett andetag från dig
03. Carola - Jul i Betlehem
04. Marie Fredriksson - The Change
05. Lars Winnerbäck - Vatten under broarna
06. Lasse Berghagen - Jul i vårt hus
07. Peter Jöback - Storybook
08. Markoolio - Bäst off
09. Lena Philipsson - Det gör ont en stund på natten men inget på dan
10. Björn Afzelius & Mikael Wiehe - 1993 - Malmöinspelningarna
11. Ulf Lundell - OK Baby OK
12. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao!
13. Stefan Nilsson - Så som i himmelen
14. Totta Näslund - Totta 7: Soul!/På drift
15. Anna Ternheim - Somebody Outside
16. Titiyo - Best of
17. Christian Walz - Paint by Numbers
18. The Refreshments - Easy to Pick Up, Hard to Put Down
19. Silverbullit - Arclight
20. Gyllene Tider - GT25 live

DigitalMetal reviews the new album from finnish doom act Shape of Despair: https://www.digitalmetal.com/reviews.asp?cid=6153

New mp3 today from finnish garage-pop duo Tigerbombs. As I said in my review, these guys aren't exactly reinventing the wheel or anything, but that doesn't stop them from churning out a solid number of golden pop hits. Like the single "1000 sparks", this track is fueled by an energetic classic organ line and a huge chorus. I love that vocal break at the end with the crazy ascending melody that leads into the final chorus. The album may lose a bit of steam when taken as a whole, but that's because this is really the kind of stuff that's dying to be heard as a radio single. So yeah- check it out and inject a bit of sunshine into your cold December day.

Havoc Records has started booking a spring tour for finnish punks Riistetyt. The label will be doing reissues of various 80s releases from the band in limited 500-copy editions for tour and will also have a new 7" and CD comp featuring recent recordings for sale. Tentative schedule so far:

03/11 - Detroit/Michigan
03/12 - Cleveland
03/13 - Buffalo
03/14 - Albany
03/15 - Boston
03/16 - Providence
03/17 - CT or NJ or NYC
03/18 - Philly or NYC
03/19 - NYC
03/20 - Baltimore
03/21 - DC or Virginia
03/22 - Pittsburgh
03/23 - Columbus or Cincinnati
03/24 - Indianapolis
03/25 - Chicago fest
03/26 - Chicago fest
03/27 - Minneapolis
03/28 - ND or off
03/29 - Montana or off
03/30 - Seattle w/Nightmare
03/31 - Portland w/Nightmare
04/01 - Bay Area, w/Nightmare
04/02 - Bay Area or Santa Cruz
04/03 - Bay Area or So Cal
04/04 - So Cal
04/05 - So Cal/San Diego
04/06 - Phoenix
04/07 - off
04/08 - Austin
04/09 - Dallas
04/10 - St. Louis