Welcome to Finnish Tune Tuesdays & Thursdays!
So, if you didn't already know, I'm from Finland. Though I have abandoned my home country a long time ago to pursue dreams and adventures elsewhere, there is still a place in my heart for Finland that indeed no other can replace. As Finnish music and culture is not something of widely known, and as it's drawing closer to Christmas which always seems to bring with it a slight sense of homesickness, I've decided to spread the joyous (and sometimes not so joyous, as Finnish temperament is known to be rather grim sometimes) message of Finnish music here on Steemit.
On this series, I will introduce a Finnish artist or band each Tuesday and Thursday, and pick up some of my favorite songs from them for you to have a listen to. The artists won't be in any specific order, that will depend on the whims of my subconscious and whatever life happens to inspire me to share.
I hope you will enjoy the series!
So, without further ado, let's start with the first one!
Finnish Tune Tuesdays #1: Apulanta
There is no Finn that has never heard about Apulanta. The punk rock band started in the early 1990s, and has colored the life of many people ever since.
I, like many 90s babies, happened to grow up with the band, especially as my mother was a rather big fan of them. Apulanta has been something that has appeared and disappeared periodically in and from my life as far as I can remember, and even though I rarely listen to the band I still, from time to time, do suddenly get the odd nostalgic craving for their music. And that is what I was feeling lately too, waking up humming a song of theirs in my head. There's just something about that Finnish melancholy and grimness that can be rather inviting.
Possibly my favorite song from the band's expansive discography, though the trophy is hard to give to any one song, as there are way too many gems to choose from. What I really like about Apulanta is that there songs might not be the most technically complicated engineering or fine art masterpieces, but instead their songs are filled with attitude (well, what else could you expect from a punk rock band..), and they always have a mesmerizing feeling to them. In an era where everything is super polished and well finished with high quality studio techniques, I sometimes really like going back to the older songs that might not sound as technically clean, yet have an authentic feeling to them that no studio editing can replace. This is true for this song, "Ruhtinaat" (Lords), as well, which I still have no idea what it's actually about, yet it has a mystical vibe to it that 7-year-old me really got hooked on and that 25-year-old me can still appreciate.
One of the more well known songs from the band. The songs name is Jumala ("God").
Missä taivas on?
Missä jumala on, kun lauma polkee paikallaan?
Missä kuningas, joka meidät vapauttaa?
Where is heaven?
Where is God, when the herds are not getting anywhere?
Where is the king that will set us free?
Another favorite song of mine.
Pienimpiinkin kohtiin teet puolikkaan ihmisen
Laulat mun haavoille sielunmessusi valkoisen
Tiedät niin tarkalleen mihin nuottiin kätken sen
Even to the smallest spots you make half a human
To my wounds you sing your white requiem
You know so exactly in which note I will hide it
And finally, to finish it up, this masterpiece:
I don't think I need to give you translations of this one. Hint: it's about a worm (Mato). No, I don't know more than that - even as a Finnish speaker this piece of modern art is rather hard to comprehend. Well, here are some of the lyrics just so you can get the gist of it:
The activity will get easier at least by autumn
Yay yay yay I think I could go for a swim
I'm walking in a circle and it helps me calm down
Because I am the type that even repels money
So yes. I hope you have enjoyed our journey together. If you have any comments (or even recommendations for artists! (as if that would actually be a plausible thing to ask)) please leave them below. I will see you on Thursday!