Se ainoo lääke on

Finland chose its Eurovision entry this weekend and, to be honest, I don't think much of it. I think that's why I've gone through a mini-Finnish music spree, though admittedly my Finnish music collection is vastly smaller than, say, my Swedish music collection. Though there we some real revelations for me last year from the Finnish music scene (Jenni Vartianen's "Ihmesten Edessä," which if I was giving out awards for achievement in music in 2007 would have easily snagged one for its still intoxicating beauty and aura of mystery melded with an unforgettable piano part and some of the best mature pop songwriting of the year; Ninja, though that was a year after her album came out), no one was able to take away the title of my Finnish singer of choice--in terms of the music created--from Antti Tuisku. His 2006 dance album New York is incredible, an album that works on the dual level of capturing the sound of nights of clubbing and being a showcase for sophisticated international-quality songs (the commercial side of dance, yes, but I wouldn't even call it pop-dance). "Levoton" is still my go-to song for testing new headphones (that intro gets me every time) and "Sekaisin" is still an incredibly catchy dance song, but those songs and the other singles are only the tip of the often fun, often dramatic, always exciting iceberg. He's come a long way from his days as a third place Idol finisher, and this album proved it--or should have at least proved to Finland that, at least in terms of making music, he's an artist worth paying real attention to (suffice to say, it didn't; if you're looking to seem cool, his name isn't one to start mentioning, to say the least).

I've sung New York's praises so often, though, that I thought I'd post an earlier song from Antti today, one from his first album. It's got a very different sound from what he's doing now (this song is more the giggly, young-sounding, arguably chintzy side of pop), though, so if you've missed my earlier posts on him, definitely give some of his more recent (though still years old) singles like "Sekaisin" a listen.

Yritä Ymmärtää--Antti's second single and, given that it comes from all the way back in 2004, it's probably no surprise that it finds him sounding sort of...boyish. That fits with the music of the song, though (even if not the lyrics; apparently the title means "Try To Understand," but that's all I know), which has an almost bouncy playful feel to it. The key to "Yritä Ymmärtää"'s appeal, though, and the reason it moves beyond a singsongy youth-oriented appeal (or deserves to), is the strings. Really, I can't overstate what a smart idea it was to include them; not only do too few "boy pop" songs (or, heck, pop songs in general) make use of them, these ones are particularly great, pretty, catchy, and lifting, and truly make what could have been an otherwise forgettable song one that'll be stuck in your head for the rest of the day, even if only because you're trying to figure out what that string part reminds you of or how they can be sampled and incorporated to a new song immediately.

The lead single for his greatest hits, "Ei Aikaa," pointed to an interesting combination of his older pop sound with the dance sound he used on New York; I'll be very interested to see what he does next.

To buy Antti Tuisku's debut album, Ensimmäinen, go here (digital). I'd say New York is the album of his to get, though.

Next up: maybe a British singer.

Kanssasi en pelkaa kaupungin pimeaa

There are some times that I am so very thankful (running theme) for music from outside the United States, or that I'm aware of music from outside the U.S. This latest song from Finland is one of such case. I've been captivated with it since the first time I heard it and had to find out more about the singer. Jenni Vartianen is a former member of girl group Gimmel (formed as a result of Popstars); the group apparently broke up back in 2004, but Jenni just released her debut solo album a few months ago. The lead single "Tunnoton" passed me by (or at least passed me by without making a lasting impression), but I'm very much in love with her new single. Listening to clips of the album, which takes its title from this second single, it sounds like a very good mature pop album--I'm not sure it's totally the music for me so I've held off on buying it so far, though I can possibly see myself eventually getting it and loving it in a very different sort of way--it doesn't sound very much like the sort of music I usually like. Don't let that throw you, though--at the very least, she's released an instantly accessible single in the following song.

Ihmisten edessaä--singer from a reality TV-created group goes solo, gets some artier photos, and seeks publicity and credibility with her new more mature music and "controversial" subject matter? It might seem like it at first glance, since one of the most frequently discussed aspects of this song is its lyrics--what tends to be emphasized is the fact that it's probably about a relationship with a woman--but I think Jenni or at least this song (Jenni herself is remaining mum, saying her private life is private) is too smart to brush off like that.

That's probably overstating the...hmm, subtlety isn't the right word, but really, the song--well, I like that it takes a special strength from the nature of the relationship it's describing, but still uses lyrics that are very much relatable to anyone. The song is given extra meaning and poignancy when you add the dimension of a lesbian relationship if you already know that the song means "In Front Of People" and that Jenni is singing about having the strength to walk in front of people now that she's with her partner, even if people are staring and talking (you can read a translation of the lyrics here if you want to, as well as some of Jenni's thoughts on the song), but really, the music speaks by itself for all of us who don't speak Finnish. There's one perfect word to describe it: haunting. You might want to add in "beautiful" for a more complete description, though, and "catchy," though not in the way you usually think of catchy, or at least that I usually think of it--here, the catchiness comes from a mix of instrumentation--though the piano jumps out--that feels designed to be both mysterious and powerful in a quiet confidence sort of way. It's a very musicianship-y sounding sort of song.

"Ihmisten edessaä" is written by Teemu Brunila, who has now officially intrigued me--apparently a member of a band called the Crash, he also wrote Anna Abreu's "End Of Love" from earlier this year, making "Ihmisten edessaä" the second non-traditional, interesting, and yet still accessible pop single he's created this year. I know he's done a little writing for at least one or two other pop singers and I may investigate those, but I'll be very interested to see what he does next (in terms of writing for other people)--could just be a fluke, but I'm hoping not.

To buy Jenni Vartianen's album Ihmisten edessaä, go here (physical).

Next up: maybe that American singer, who I've featured before.