Finnish folk music special: it’s not what it once was…

I am writing this on December 6, 2023, the 106th independence day of my country. This year, and the last, our independence has felt more important to than ever in my soon 58 years on this earth, due to the horrifying actions of our gigantic neighbor to the east of us.

Having said that, I also feel that overblown, toxic nationalism is destructive and only leads to more trouble – just listen to the Rush song Territories to find out what I mean. One can be proud of one’s homeland and, at the same time, appreciate and value other cultures and peoples.

So, here and now, on our independence day, I will be proud of Finland and our current, amazing folk music culture!

When I was a kid and a teenager, there was nothing more dull and moldy than traditional Finnish music. The tunes were often in minor keys, sounding like funeral marches, with even the dance tunes somehow melancholy – at least in my ears. Folk music was played by old people, it seemed, and I could not for the life of me understand why I should take any interest in those boring tunes with dusty fiddles and accordions, when there was Queen and Iron Maiden to dig.

I was much, much younger then.

But, truth be told, the old Finnish trad music really is, on the whole, more downbeat and less playful and vibrant than that of our Scandi neighbors. It took me decades to grow up and find value and interesting stuff in our “roots music”. Still, it’s not my very #1 favorite type of folk music, although I do get a kick out of it when it’s played with energy and style; check out the brilliant Finnish fiddle band Frigg‘s recent album Perintö (Heritage) where these masters of the younger folk generation recharge the tradition without actually modifying it.

Perintö is streaming on Spotify – Apple Music – Tidal – Deezer

***

But since the 1990’s and the precious work done in the folk music department of the Sibelius Academy, a fresh new generation has burst on to the scene and Finnish folk music has been, to an extent, re-invented and rebooted to both embrace its roots and to reach out into the world and other cultures. And this is what I’m particularly proud of and wish to share some recent examples with you.

***

Super-accordionist, dazzling composer and an all-around cool person Johanna Juhola‘s brand new album A Brighter Future is a stunner. Her music has always hopped across genres and her use of electronics in the recent years has molded her music into something like post-postmodern-neofolk, whatever the suitable label might be. It’s a buffet table of an album, almost overflowing with details and ideas and her madcap sense of humor. Training Montage Quadrille really is inspired by the Rocky movies (!), Pachinko Sensei perhaps, or not, by some trip to Japan, and Electronics Club, with all the loops and 90’s vibe, is soooo cool 🙂 The only dark moment comes with Alarm, with the angst-ridden melody and sounds of sirens and chaos in the background, reminding the listener of the world beyond this music. The album is a jewel, and a bright one at that.

Bandcamp – Spotify – Apple Music – Tidal – Deezer

***

Continuing with the accordion, but from a very different angle. Composer-accordionist Matti Kallio, for many years now residing in Iceland, did two lovely, cinematic solo albums (Waltz for Better Times and Murder Street) before he released Waterfjord in early 2023. Recorded at Benny McCarthy’s (of Danú) countryside studio in County Waterford and featuring Irish masters Tony Byrne on guitar, Liam Flanagan on fiddle, and Colm Murphy on bodhrán, Waterfjord is a joyous, and virtuoso, expression of the Irishness residing in this Finnish musician’s soul. It’s one of the most positive and uplifting albums I have heard this year, and even the serene air, Valo (Finnish for “light”) is full of hope and love. Valo and the Finnish-Scandi sounding Upperchurch set are the only non-Irish style tunes on the album, everything else is either Irish trad or Matti’s tunes in very convincing Irish style.

Bandcamp – Spotify – Apple Music – Tidal – Deezer

***

Apart from Irish music that many Finns seem to love, the influences of the Argentine tango (Finns are a tango-crazed nation, with our own modification of the style) and some French styles are in the air as well. The four-piece band Tjango! gives this away already in their name, a mashup of “tango” and Django Reinhardt. Their tunes are totally charming in the spirit of Piazzola, Grappelli and Django himself, with just a little sprinkle of the Finnish mentality woven in, although with our typical melancholy ingredient very much toned down, thank god. The Pohjantähti (North Star) album, released this year, is so elegant and so European, I almost get a craving for some calvados and a baguette when listening to it 😀
The way they transform a Finnish trad waltz staple, Metsäkukkia (Flowers of the Forest), from its original a depressed dirge into a refined and playful tune is nothing short of miraculous. Sooo enjoyable!

Bandcamp – Spotify – Apple Music – Tidal – Deezer

***

In closing, I bring up the electrifying Okra Playground, a Finnish neofolk outfit who combine mostly Eastern Finnish traditions with much electronics. The lineup includes trad instruments, electric bass and two electric kanteles and mucho digital percussion, not just loops but digital instruments.

The band has been around for some time now and are seriously impressive, taking the ancient Finnish trad music firmly into the 21st century with both original and trad tunes. The main kantele player, Maija Kauhanen, is an effin’ genius and something of a mad scientist with her instrument(s). She does solo work as well, has played with Malin Lewis and was recently awarded a prestigious award by the Nordic Council.

Okra Playground’s most recent album, Itku (Cry), is imho their best so far and present a happy and fruitful collision of the past and the present.

Bandcamp – Spotify – Apple Music – Tidal – Deezer