Apr 26, 2013

Phenomenal Creature – Songbird

Eduardo Alonso Folk, Pop acoustic, birds, debut 0 Comment

Five-piece folk band Phenomenal Creature has recently released its debut album, a humble collection of acoustic songs rooted somewhere in the Finnish forests. The songs sound rustic with a very dark bluesy feeling enhanced by lead singer Joona Mäkelä distinct vocals, which are nicely accompanied by female harmonies. Songbird showcases a great pop melody, but the rest of the album is very diverse in its arrangements and rich in detail, from the sing-along chorus of opener Perfect Impressions to the primal rock of Petrified Forest. A very compelling debut.

Apr 22, 2013

Robin Pahlman – Miss Lonelyhearts

Eduardo Alonso Folk, Indie acoustic, banjo 0 Comment

Robin Pahlman has travelled the world to reinvent himself as a songwriter. After being in bands like Agent Kooper and Carmen & The Devil, and playing anything from punk rock to bluegrass, it took a stint in Seattle to start writing little acoustic songs on his own. Now, based in Vienna, Austria, Robin prepares his first solo album, which hopefully will be later this year.

The artwork for the debut single is quirky as a Journey record cover, but Miss Lonelyhearts is a tender and intimate acoustic song, with a emotive crescendo built up using smooth trumpet sounds and banjo licks, much in the spirit of early Iron & Wine. Beautiful song.

Mar 19, 2013

Encore: Them Bird Things

Eduardo Alonso Blues, Encore, Folk, Rock interview, them bird things 1 Comment

The second issue of Encore is now available and it is dedicated to one of my favourite Finnish bands, Them Bird Things. After three albums, they continue being a superb blending of blues, country and folk and recording timeless songs. A truly unique band. Probably no other band in Finland does anything similar. In this interview, singer Salla Day tells you some of the secrets behind the band’s latest full length, Pachyderm Nightmares.

Encore #2 also features contributions by producer Will Shade, who highlights the value of a good lyric, and Peter Krogholm from All Scandinavian.

You can read this issue online or download it.

Listen

Feb 22, 2013

Bel Vel – Motion

Eduardo Alonso Folk, Pop acoustic, beauty, video 0 Comment

Bel Vel, aka Jussu Pöyhönen, introduces himself as a crooner with one foot in americana and the other in alternative pop. Such combination results in elegantly crafted songs. For Bel Vel’s newest song, Motion, artist Leevi Lehtinen has created a beautiful video that seems to place the band in a little music box in your bedroom.

Jan 11, 2013

Them Bird Things – Pachyderm Nightmares (album)

Eduardo Alonso Blues, Folk country, nightmares, pachyderm, them bird things, traditional 0 Comment

Do pachyderms have nightmares? Maybe they do. But not even in their worst dreams, any of them would think of being sentenced to death by hanging from a railroad crane. This is what happened to an elephant named Mary in the town of Erwin, Tennessee in 1916, and this bizarre story serves as inspiration for the title track of the new album by Them Bird Things, called Pachyderm Nightmares.

Pachyderm Nightmares is also the opening song and sets the mood for an album of death and sorrow, but also darkly humorous. This is an album that talks about mass murdering, lung transplants, sexual abuse and the death of bluesman Robert Johnson.

This album is the natural evolution for the band. With twelve new original compositions, the album leaves behind the songbook of 60s heroes Steve Blodgett and Mike Brassard With this album and it fully embraces the folk, country and blues sounds already explored on the band’s second album, Wildlike Wonder. There are many intimate moments, where the instrumentation is scarce and mainly acoustic, but there are also upbeat rocking tunes. It is the duality, tears and laughs, acoustic and electric, what marks the theme of the album.

Once again the songs are carefully crafted. Every lyric has a story and every note is placed in the right moment. Even though, the traditional American sounds are at the heart of Them Bird Things music, the arrangements are original and fresh, hinting hiphop beats or just going wild with Irish rhythms. And on top of that, singer Salla Day delivers another astonishing performance. She may whisper the lyrics or she may sing them with punk ferocity, but her voice remains unique, educated in honky tonks and blues joints.

For those who know the band, this third release by Them Bird Things might not be as surprising as the previous ones, but it is another keeper. The band has fully evolved, finding its sound, style and songs. We can only hope that a follow-up to Pachyderm Nightmares will come soon.