News from Finland: Keramick and Lobo

News from Finland: Keramick and Lobo

Given my love for all things Scandinavian, I have been a little confused at the lack of coverage on the Finnish side of things. And, as a matter of fact, there are a lot of great bands from Finland! For example, Keramick and Lobo are a duo hailing from the nations capitol Helsinki and consists of Jussi Mikkonen and Visa Mäkinen. Their music is heavily electronic but has textures similar to the Notwist (and other Kid A influenced softspoken electro bands). The video's snowy landscapes match perfectly to the cozy soundscape of the song and somehow makes everything feel really warm. Also, if one were judge a band by their listed influences on myspace Keramick and Lobo would win. Who else cites Air, Grizzly Bear, MF DOOM, R. Kelly, Bon Iver, AND Tom Waits? No one.

Three More Things that I Love from Scandinavia

Three More Things that I Love from Scandinavia

Scandinavia is Better than Your Region.
My love for the Northern European region is certainly well documented, so when I discover some lovely new music from three different Scandinavian countries in one week, its a big deal for me.

Everyone's favorite proggy Danish band, Mew (no, not that mew), have released a couple tracks from their upcoming LP, entitled No More Stories Are Told Today I'm Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories the World Is Grey I'm Tired Let's Wash Away, out on August 25 via Columbia.

Mew - "Introducing Palace Players" - No More Stories... [2009; Columbia]

Mew - "Repeaterbeater" - No More Stories... [2009; Columbia]

Now, making the jump from mainland Western Europe, we go to Sweden for the nostalgia-pop duo, Air France (not to be confused with Air, who are a duo from France). The Swedish lads have contributed a song as the second part of a love letter in three parts to their home town of Gothenburg, called "Gothenburg Belongs to Us." The song, which has the same name, is a fairly typical Air France piece of summery synth-pop. Everything they right makes me feel like I have gotten used to living in a foreign place. Part III is a pretty cool video too.

Air France - "GBG Belongs to Us" - A Love Letter in Three Parts

Moving west, we run into Norway's Hanne Hukkelberg who has a video for the title track "Blood from a Stone" from her third full length album. Somehow, despite all of my adoration for Scandinavia, I had never heard of Hukkelberg before but I am sure glad I ran into this. Besides the fact that she looks like Lykke Li, her music, both in the video and throughout her albums, exhibits really catchy pop sensibilities which at the same time tempering all the confection with a sense of archaic longing that I have come to love about certain European acts. Love.

Hanne Hukkelberg - "Blood from a Stone" - Blood From a Stone