It’s been a little less than one year since I first heard about Black Lizard but it seems the band has already built up quite a reputation, first with an EP last September and then with some important shows such as opening for The Raveonettes earlier this year. Finally, the awaited debut album hit the stores last week. Is it as good as we expected, as good as the first reviews are saying? Short answer, yes, it is a great album and a remarkable debut.
Going to Tallinn Music Week? Here are some bands from Finland you may want to see there.
Tallinn Music Week is slowly, but steadily becoming a major showcase festival in Northern Europe with 233 artists from 20 countries playing over a long weekend (4-6 April) almost all around the clock -there are some tasty offerings to keep the party going. Obviously there is a strong focus on Estonian bands, but also many Finnish artists will take the ferry and play in the Estonian capital. Here are my recommendations.
The lovely net-label EardrumsPop has just released the debut EP by the no less lovely indie pop band Eva On The Western Castle Island. Eva is a young Malaysian girl who lived in the city of Johor Bahru and used to sing in karaoke booths and night markets before moving to the forests of Finland and joining an indie group. Thanks to this cross-culture combination the band has created an original sound with an irresistible bubblegum pop sensibility, enhanced by Eva’s sweet vocals.
Like any other EardrumsPop release, The Wong Way EP is available as a free download and it features beautiful artwork.
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
Hooray! The world’s greatest mixtape includes this month 40 tracks from all around as we welcome the addition of Cuba, represented by the blog Suena Cubano.
Electronic indie pop band Streak And The Raven represents Finland with a song from their excellent debut album.