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What’s up Sorry Staters?
It feels a bit surreal for me to be sitting down writing for the newsletter again. Not only because of my last couple weeks of traveling, but also because of the hazy fever dream state that is my current existence. The other Scarecrows and I returned from our excursion to LA, arriving at the Raleigh airport late on Sunday evening (for context, this would be the previous week on May 19th). And what did I decide was a good idea? To return straight to work at the record store that Monday, barely a few hours later. To say that I felt fried beyond belief at work on Monday would be an understatement. At first, I assumed that I must just be feeling fatigued after all the travel, but I only felt worse as the day went on. I come home to find out that I’m running a fever of 102 and that night when I went to sleep, I would not be able to stop coughing. Whoops! It’s almost as if when the adrenaline of partying on tour wore off, I immediately got sick. Who woulda thought?
I had a blast on this trip I just returned from. Public Acid began our journey in New York. We played 2 shows: the first at TV Eye, a proper club; the 2nd at more of a DIY venue. We billed the 2nd gig as “Public Acid & Friends,” where we commissioned people to play extra instrumentation along with us. Sasha from 80HD (among other bands) played dual drums in unison with our own Eric Chubb. Hearing both of those monster drummers in synchronicity was an amazing thing to witness. Dual drums? Why not dual bass? We also got Mateo from Warthog to throw down some additional booty to the mix. Also, Margaret from Pharmakon added some additional layers of harsh noise. Insane. Goofy even. But a super fun and special moment, nonetheless.
Then we ventured to the west coast, starting in Seattle. I got to reunite with some old friends in Portland, which was amazing. Of course, the gigs we played were great. Mainly though, I feel like the memories of just hanging out and goofing off will stick with me more: lifting weights with Electric Chair in the driveway at their house, jamming Freestyle singles with B in Oakland, eating chilaquiles with Kevin in Santa Ana, jamming Spanish new wave records with Baño at his apartment, gawking at sea lions literally a few feet away from me at La Jolla cove, walking through a forest of redwoods at Muir Woods, eating burritos the length of my forearm… I could go on and on. I grabbed a few records along the way as well. Lie Detector was definitely fun, and I was stoked to be in LA with my good friends and bandmates in both Scarecrow and Public Acid. Anyway, that’s enough of my tour diary. Funny to think I’ll probably have just as much to blab about later, seeing as I’ll be in Sweden in less than 2 weeks (holy shit).
Alright, time to talk about records. Like I said, I’ve been out on my ass with a fever for the last few days, just wasting hours dozing in and out. It sucks. I hate being sick, especially if I feel like I’m watching days just pass me by. I will say that nothing has been a better antidote for my feelings of despair than this new Kristiina LP. Seeing as this record is my current obsession, I obviously would’ve written about it regardless. But why not redirect its healing power to my current physical and mental state? Simply billed as “Kristiina” on the cover, this album Palavan Rakkauden Aika is a project led by Finnish singer-songwriter Kristiina Tuhkanen. According to the limited information I can pull off the internets, it looks like Kristiina has played in several bands and previous projects. But for all intents and purposes, this is her first solo effort—albeit with a kickass backing band.
Being the HardcorePunkMetalFreak that I am, I have spent a good chunk of years obsessing and trying to devour anything in the world of Finnish hardcore that I could get my hands on. Distracted by hardcore perhaps, I would say that hyper-melodic, (perhaps) punk-adjacent Finnish power-pop is a genre of which I am far less knowledgeable. I don’t even want to go there, but I do detect something about the sound from that region of the world, a darker take on melodic punk with indie or rock’n’roll sensibilities not unlike Masshysteri or the like. But I KNOW, Sweden and Finland are very different.
In fact, I think Finnish melodic punk, or really just straight up pop music, is finally finding its way onto my radar. A while back, I remember a friend turning me onto this Finnish guitar player and songwriter called Joni Ekman. I remember him from playing in a more raw garage punk band called The Achtungs. But on Joni’s solo records, he evolved into much more melody-based pop songwriting, and these records were also a showcase for his brilliant lead guitar work, often with notably harmonized guitar leads. Now being much much later, I’m listening to this new Kristiina album and it suspiciously also has killer harmonized guitar parts all over it… Now in my mind, I’m thinking, is this like a hallmark of the Finnish power-pop genre? And what have I been missing??? So now hearing this Kristiina record… it’s got well-executed songwriting, sweet lead vocals, and is toppled with Thin Lizzy-esque guitar solos? I’m like “What is not to like?” But OF COURSE, now I have the physical copy of the Kristiina album in my hands. I’m reading the liner notes, and guess who plays guitar on it? Joni Ekman. DUH. I should have known, I suppose. And before I get more into this Kristiina record, I really think Joni Ekman is a mad genius. And while I honestly don’t love his vocals on everything I’ve heard of his own material, I think his playing mixed with Kristiina’s voice is like a chemical explosion.
I don’t know why I find myself loving this record so much. I like that I don’t know too much about it and I’ve been blindly digesting it without outside influence. Maybe I find the mystery alluring. Whatever. Looking at the visual aesthetic of this album, the cover photo of our lady in question, along with that font… “it’s giving vintage,” as the kids might say. The production sounds sonically pristine with layered, lush instrumentation. Tons of ear candy to experience. Twelve string guitars, synthesizers, you name it. But nothing about the production feels bombastic or ridiculous. But I also don’t think the record sounding “lo-fi” is the intention either. To me, this record sounds beautifully recorded if not for having vintagey, almost boxy sounds at certain moments. Maybe if it were a Fleetwood Mac record from 1977, the layers of instrumentation on this album would seem ambitious and heavily produced. But in Kristiina’s case, the record feels restrained and understated in a way that is very intentional. This might be a weird way to describe it, but there’s almost like a toy playhouse quality, almost like this record is an adult conjuring of a child’s music box or something.
Kristiina’s voice is of course the focal point of the whole record. Her singing can be sharp with attention-gripping, rock’n’roll charisma at one moment, but she will then sound sweet, ethereal and wistful at another—like on the song “Liisa,” one of the more stripped-down numbers on the record. I think that’s what I find frustrating about many singers from punk-adjacent backgrounds making pop records. Granted, the crafting of good pop songwriting is tough. Kristiina’s songs also read as genuine, intimate, and put on display with vulnerability. It’s not that the feeling derived from the sound of this record elicits nostalgia—it’s more like it conjures a mystifying, dream-like sense of longing. Even though the melodic structure of most of these are in a major key, there’s still an intangible moodiness and melancholy.
Probably my favorite track on the album is “Aloe Vera” (which, I don’t speak Finnish, but is this song about soothing gel?). The track opens immediately with an infectious synth riff bouncing over a propulsive, up-tempo drumbeat. Kristiina’s vocal weaves this pointed, concise and syncopated pattern that gets stuck in my head… even though I unfortunately don’t know anything about what she’s saying besides the aforementioned anti-inflammatory plant. The synth part reaches crescendo after the second chorus, blooming into this dense explosion of sound that gives me goosebumps. Makes me feel a pit in my stomach, like I could be having a breakthrough tripping on mushrooms while looking at the stars… or a disco ball… Either seems fitting, really.
I love pretty much every song on this record. The last song “Hai” has gotta be another favorite. Beginning with mainly acoustic guitars, this song is a bit slower, mellower, but has a perfect, earworm chorus. Later, the song is dressed with some Wire-esque choral “oooooh” background vocals and a hypnotic, whirlwind-like repeating refrain that slowly fades to close out the record. Only 8 songs is a bit cruel. Leaves me wanting more. I guess that’s the point, right?
So yeah, I really dig this record. Maybe my strong feelings for it are currently being heightened by the gross and sad disposition I’m currently living in. Hopefully I’ll be feeling well by the time this newsletter comes out, and I’ll feel embarrassed reading this back. I think the copies we got of this Kristiina record are already sold out from Sorry State. The tracks are on bandcamp. I think the record is still available from the label. Give it a listen and tell me if my description makes sense, or if it just reads like I’m high on cough medicine.
Anyway, as always, thanks for reading.
‘Til who knows when?
-Jeff