1. THE SUGARRUSH Nina Loves Andreas
(Prinkkilä/Silvennoinen)
Recorded at Rumble Road Studios, Skellefteå, Sweden, September 1998
Produced by Kjell Nästén
The Sugarrush on this recording: Andy J. Prinkkilä (guitar & voc), Coma Silvennoinen (bass & voc) & Paati Wägar (drums)
Contact: www.poko.fi/sugarrush, [email protected]

Frequently described as a "boy band with guitars", an unfair epithet slightly disregarding the band's undisputable songwriting talent and ambition beyond mere bubblegum, this unusually good looking power trio is Finland's no. 1 contender for the 'prototype of a modern power pop band' award, mixing big juicy choruses, power chords and catchy hooks in the vein of Swedish popbands a'la the Wannadies or Drowners. All this combined with boyish charm, a sympathetic amateur approach and an overdriven sense of humour and irony. This track is an outtake from the sessions that spawned their debut album "Blackie's Wig" at the legendary Rumble Road studios in Sweden, produced by Sweden's top guitar pop producer Kjell Nästén. Their latest, 2nd album is "Mirrorball Ballerinas" out on Popatak/Poko Rekords.

2. KEVIN Motorways
(Kevin)
Recorded and mixed at Cosmic Studios, Tampere, February 2000 by Lex Luthor
Kevin on this recording: Ville Särmä (voc, guitar), Jussi Ristikaarto (Hammond organ), Finn Andersson (bass & backing voc) & Antti Alén (drums)
Contact: www.kevin.tc, [email protected], tel. +358 (0)40 5647173

A track off Kevin's soon-out debut self-released CD-EP "You Can Call Me Kev". Motorways blends chic Velvet Underground cool with its members' brit-pop past and current rock'n'roll fantasies. In Kevin, a self-conscious and well thought-out musical concept, healthy self-confidence and years of experience in music (the band includes members of such brit-pop influenced bands as Super, Coo and Tunaflakes) meet in a most exciting manner. Let's hope we'll all hear more from these veterans of Finnish indie pop in the future!

3. BRIDGET Needless
(Janne Kiviniemi)
Recorded & mixed at Valtone, Turku, by Timo Haanpää
Produced by Mikko Lappalainen
Bridget: Dino (bass & backing voc), Jamie (drums), JK (voc, guitar & glockenspiel) & Saku (guitar & backing voc)
Contact: www.bridgetpop.cjb.net, [email protected], tel. +358 (0)40 741 5670

Lead by the talented and personal songwriter Janne Kiviniemi, this gracefully self-effacing huggy bear quartet aims to capture the beautiful, the fragile and the serene in pop. Celebrating the small things in life and promoting down-to-earth attitudes and elegant miniature melancholy of twee pop, Bridget reminds of the Scottish indie-popsters such as BMX Bandits, Speedboat and even Belle & Sebastian at their rockiest. Needless, a tuneful song with a chorus to die for and cute, on-the-spot improvised vocals in the 2nd verse, however, portrays Bridget's occasional americana/country elements at their most vibrant. They are still criminally unsigned…Could somebody kindly do something about that? Please?

4. HARRY HUNKS With Summer Wine
(Ahokas/Eräsaari/Moilanen)
Recorded somewhere in Helsinki, summer 2001 - special thanks to Mikko Ojanen, who recorded and mixed and to Tuomas, who played bass
Harry Hunks on this recording: Matti Eräsaari (voc & guitar), Antti Ahokas (Rhodes & organ), Olli Moilanen (drums) & Tuomas Kirkkopelto (bass)
Contact: [email protected], http://listen.to/harryhunks

Like a summery breeze, they came and conquered, totally out of the blue. These Helsinki newcomers could be easily labelled the Belle & Sebastian of Finland - the authenticity of this pastiche, bordering on imitation, is incredible and may even disturb some listeners. However, in Finland, this type of loungy retro indie pop is something not yet heard from a Finnish band and on their recent self-released debut 7" and this brilliant new track Harry Hunks have introduced themselves as one of the most promising acts to come out of Finland in a while. These guys are ones with marvellous future prospects.

5. PUNY New Day
(Teemu Into)
Produced by Puny
Puny on this recording: Teemu Into (guitar & voc), Raine Hynninen: (guitar), Jari Järvi (bass) & Kimmo Koskinen (drums)
Contact: www.listen.to/puny, [email protected]

New Day is taken from Puny's debut, a self-released untitled CD-EP from June 2000. The band deals with a sort of powerful and emotional, yet melodic alternative rock - they would probably call it college rock in America - a good example of which is this passionate and dramatic track. Since the EP, Puny has recruited a new guitarist Rami Kinnunen, allowing the frontman Teemu Into to concentrate on his singing and the occasional acoustic guitar and started working on their debut album, due out in late 2001/early 2002!

6. HOMESPUN Partycrash
(Juho Pätäri)
Recorded and mixed at Jeff-Sound in the spring of 1998 by Japa
Homespun on this recording: Juho Pätäri (guitar & voc), Mikko Riikonen (bass), Antti Laari (drums) & backing vocals by Noel
Contact: Homespun, Väinöläntie 30, FIN-45200 KOUVOLA, Finland, [email protected]

Homespun are mostly about guitars - screeching, wailing, sturdy distorted guitars, knitting breathing layers of noise and creating exciting sonic soundscapes. Yet, Homespun's brain Juho Pätäri also knows how to write a decent pop song. Such as this one, harking back to J Mascis' heyday fronting early Dinosaur Jr and other past glories of the best of American noise pop. The typical Homespun song would probably be a mellower, more atmospheric and slackerly laconic one, but Partycrash fits the first single profile perfectly and therefore represents this ultra-low profile, infrequently recording and hardly ever gigging trio here. To get a hold of Homespun's two CD-EP's, contact the band.

7. BEN'S DIAPERS Josephine Geraldine
(Söderström/Lappalainen)
Recorded and mixed at Valtone, Turku, in Feb/March 2001 by Timo Haanpää
Produced by Joe Algeri
Ben's Diapers on this recording: Jaakko Söderström (guitar & voc), Vesa Salonen (bass & backing voc), Mikko Närvä (guitar), Panu Jaakkola (guitar), Mikko Lappalainen (drums) with special guest star Joe Algeri on harp
Contact: via Rhythm Barrel, http://hop.to/bensdiapers, [email protected]

This quintet with three guitars hails from Turku, maybe the pop capital of Finland at the moment. Ben's Diapers have always emphasized songcraft over the empty glamour usually associated with pop music; here's a band that actually thinks about music and writing songs first. Mixing various elements, spanning from classic 60's pop thru modern singer-songwriter power pop to country-tinged Americana, and combining them all with something that may be distinct Finnishness: bittersweet melancholy and an approach to songwriting stemming from healthy distance to the immediate influence of the international pop industry - Ben's Diapers have been able to find their own voice on a bunch of singles, compilation tracks and one album (recorded in LA, produced by Australian pop wizard Michael Carpenter) that they've released so far. This is the opening track of their new EP "Middle Eights For Modern Lovers", out on French Pop The Balloon label.

8. SISTER FLO Runboyrun
(Sister Flo/Samae Koskinen)
Produced and recorded by JVA at Headcase, summer 2001 Mixed by JVA & Samae Sister
Flo on this recording: Samae Koskinen (voc, guitar), Petri Nakari (guitar, voc), Mikko Salonen (bass), Antti Kaistinen (drums) & Janne Lastumäki (keyboards), featuring Erno Kettunen on trumpet
Contact: [email protected], www.hansoovoice.com/sisterflo

So far a pretty well kept secret in Finland, Sister Flo are a wonderful band that carefully amalgamates 60's/retro psychedelia, folk and modern warped indie rock. The band does have considerable aspirations towards experimentation and sheer eccentricity and one can easily picture an introverted brotherhood of bedroom romantics when listening to them, but more often than not Sister Flo manages to maintain and accentuate the cute pop sensibility that underlies most of their material…A perfect case in point being this melodic tune! Check out their DIY albums on their own Hansoovoice label.

9. CARTOON TREE Please Let Me Be The One (previously unreleased version)
(Huuhtanen)
Engineered by Kari Salli in October 1998 and Olli Linna in August 2001 Mixed by Olli Linna & Harri Huuhtanen at Linna Bros studio, Oulu
Produced by Cartoon Tree
Cartoon on this recording: Harri Huuhtanen (voc, guitar, acoustic guitar & synth organ), Jari Kangaskorte (voc, guitar & acoustic guitar), Rane Hirvelä (drums & tambourine) & Olli Linna (voc & bass)
Contact: Cartoon Tree, P.O. Box 54, FIN-84101 Ylivieska, Finland http://cartoontree.musicpage.com, [email protected]

One of the original three power pop signings of the late Popatak label (others being The Sugarrush and Ben's Diapers), Cartoon Tree have been on a kind of long hiatus since the release of their cool Dom Mariani (of Stems, DM3 fame) produced album "Goodbye Mrs Greeneyes" and the departure of their bass player Olli (see Elliot Scale). However, they are still alive, a proof of which is this new, partly re-recorded version of a classy track off the said album. The band's undying love and admiration for Teenage Fanclub may shine through from most of what they've done, but what's the problem when the results snap, crackle and pop in the most beautiful manner. Let's all hope they will finally get their act together for another album and more top gigs.

10. FLANNELMOUTH Last Exit
(Tuomo Kuusi/Ari Virtanen)
Recorded and mixed by Hannu Tornivuori
Flannelmouth on this recording: Markus Koskinen (drums), Tuomo Kuusi (voc), Jussi Lahtinen (guitar), Antti Lönnblad (bass) & Ari Virtanen (guitar)
Contact: http://koti.welho.com/jlahtin5/flannelmouth, [email protected]

Flannelmouth are one of those truly original bands that really sound like no-one else. There is definitely a certain air of Britishness (or maybe we should call it an anglophile slant) in their sound, but also some hints of American style indie rock experimentation. Hailing from Helsinki, Flannelmouth have two not-exactly-recent releases (a CD-EP and a CD single) out on their Popvirus label…During the break in releasing stuff independently, the band has, however, recorded demos and played gigs pretty actively. Quirky, yet melodic Last Exit sees them return, alive and kicking and probably sounding better than ever on record.

11. SINCE NOVEMBER Seven
(Tomi Mäkilä)
Recorded and mixed at Riverside Studio, Turku, by Pette Rissanen
Since November on this recording: Tomi (guitar & voc), Kalle (guitar & backing voc), Bambu (drums) & Jori (bass)
Contact: www.listen.to/sincenovember

Since November have been playing the local clubs and bars in Turku for quite some time already, so it's about time for them to get some attention and recognition that they undisputedly deserve. They haven't really released anything except a few beautifully packaged CDr promos - with the songwriting talents and melodic prowess of the band leader Tomi Mäkilä, it's almost unbelievable. Their recordings may lack a bit on the production side of things, but the songs are always superb - classic, tuneful indie pop - and their live shows are at their best nothing short of heightened. Seven here gives you a rough idea.

12. CHEERLEADERS UNITED Guiding Star
(P.Rautiainen/T.Ranta)
Produced by Cheerleaders & P. Laaksonen
Engineered by P.Laaksonen
Cheerleaders United on this recording: A. Kaipela (drums), T.Ranta (voc), P. Rautiainen (guitar & backing voc), M. Seppälä (guitar & backing voc) & J. Sunikka (bass)
Contact: [email protected], tel: +358 (0)40 5927631

Cheerleaders United's fantastic lead singer Timo Ranta used to front, after singing in various punk and indie bands in the 70's and 80's, a very stylish and tragically ignored pop band Going Public in the early 90's. Now he is back with this rockin' combo, which takes us back to the 80's style guitar pop/rock of the likes of The Smithereens (the band even covers Behind The Wall Of Sleep live) and Hoodoo Gurus, and other Australian popbands of that era. This superb song, fiercely demanding sing-a-long and some serious foot tappin', is taken from Cheerleaders' 3 song promo EP on their own Touchdown Records, the band's only recorded work so far. There are plans to record something new shortly - inquiries to the contacts above!

13. ultrasport You Are Evil
(ultrasport)
Recorded at Sami and Samuli's basement on 4 track in May 2001
Ultrasport on this recording: Juho (voc & guitar), Sami (welmu4 organ) & Samuli (bass, backing voc & dr5)
Contact: http://ultrasport.cjb.net, [email protected], tel. +358 (0)40 5947870

Here's another up'n'coming band from the tweer end of the pop spectrum, and they are just too darn cute to be true…ultrasport rule big time! As masters of understatement and humble subtlety, they insist their name should be spelled with no capital letter and in instrumentation, resort to an acoustic guitar, a bass, a crappy drum machine and a selection of cheesy organs. You could say they are Finland's answer to the 'new acoustic movement' or whatever, and they do play extremely quietly live, but then again, you could say a lot of things. Just think acoustic folk and nice simon&garfunkely harmony vocals brought into the modern bedroom indie sound. This is basically just a demo, so get in touch with the band or visit their website to know what's happening. And remember where you heard them for the first time!

14. BIG WHITE MONKEES Theme Song
(Big White Monkees)
Recorded, mixed and produced by Fill Inspector somewhere in the jungle
Big White Monkees on this recording: Funky Monkey (voc & bass), Money Monkey (voc & guitar) & Monkey Dude Monkey (drums)
Contact: [email protected], or the nearest bar

Think supergroup. Big White Monkees are a fun, side project type band that features members from such Turku bands as Boomhauer, Bridget and Since November. It's all about short, carefree, feelgood pop songs, relaxed let's-have-some-fun live shows, some light stand-up comedy, winking at girls, digging Evan Dando, playing that guitar. Big White Monkees don't exist to conquer the world, they exist to conquer the nearest bar and the prettiest girl. They probably didn't mean to record anything, but here they are, however. Sounding great. That's how it goes when you don't try too hard.

15. ELLIOT SCALE Innerspace
(Olli Linna aka Elliot Scale)
Arranged, played, recorded, mixed & produced by Elliot Scale at Linna Bros. studio, Oulu Drums recorded at HAMP Studio, Haukipudas
Elliot Scale: Olli Linna (all instruments, voices & thoughts)
Contact: [email protected], +358 (0)40 500 8980

Elliot Scale equals the multi-talents of one sweet and lovable guy from up north, Olli Linna, who used to play guitar and sing in a tasty punk pop outfit Time Flies in the early 90's and later play bass in Cartoon Tree, now on his own. Literally. He does everything from producing and engineering to writing and performing by himself, a fact that does no harm to this cool song, rocking away like it was executed by a tight four-piece. Innerspace is a nice union of modern power pop and more mature singer-songwriter elements…And expect more ditties from where this came from!

16. HUNDRED MILLION MARTIANS Excitement Of Possibility
(Jyrki Mäkelä)
Recorded & mixed at Huitsin Nevada in September 2001 by Olli Kaarnisto
Produced by Olli Kaarnisto & Hundred Million Martians
Hundred Million Martians on this recording: Jyrki Mäkelä (voc & guitar), Tuomas Pelttari (guitar, tambourine & backing voc), Ari Väntänen (guitar), Pasi Hjerppe (bass) & Jarkko Lehti (drums)
Contact: www.hundredmillionmartians.com, [email protected]

These guys represent the more experienced and harder rocking bands on this collection, with - count 'em - two full-length albums out on the Finnish label Hiljaiset levyt, the wittily titled duo of "Martian Arts" and "Mars Bars". Since the release of the latter, the Martians have been very quiet, enjoying a longer break, changing guitarists and writing new material, such as this brand new song, which could be interpreted as a celebration of future opportunities and the band's return to the scene once more. As a well-known and dedicated Wildhearts fan, singer and songwriter Jyrki Mäkelä's recipe of power pop features walls of metallic guitars, big choruses and a subtle blend of punk, glam rock and pop.

17. MENTAL MARKET Shameless & Shallow
(Jukka Melametsä/Tom Stenman)
Recorded and mixed at House Of Dread, Pietarsaari, by Tumba Haldin
Mental Market on this recording: Jukka Melametsä (guitar), Tom Stenman (voc), Pekka Hietalahti (bass), Tommi Lahtonen (drums) & Tumba Haldin (keyboards)
Contact: www.mentalmarket.com, +358 (0)400 764059

From the ruins of a great early 90's power pop band The Refreshments (a great album "Fresh!" was released on Gaga Goodies - don't confuse them with the bands from the US and Sweden with the same name) arose Mental Market, a weird combination of guitar genius Jukka Melametsä's extravagant and tastefully violent fingerwork and singer Tom Stenman's chillingly lunatic vocals and thoroughly disturbing literate lyrics about madness, drug abuse, sex, violence and death. The band sounds like Material Issue or Mega City Four on amphetamine - yes, it still is power pop, but it's power pop with a noisy, psychedelic, scarily gloomy edge. Mental Market's debut album "Spooky" (on Popatak) is probably hard to find and deleted, but expect a new record in 2002!

18. SPOKANE Fucked Up In Glasgow
(Spokane)
Recorded and mixed by the band, late July/early August 2001
Spokane on this recording: Toni Hautamäki, Marko Hongisto, Matti Ikonen, Juha Kiskonen & Jussi Kolehmainen
Contact: fade.to/blacklodge, [email protected]

Spokane are a slightly mysterious collective importing the gospel of the more melodic and moody end of the "post rock" phenomenon to Finland. One of the band members once told Spokane are trying to sound like what Twin Peaks feels like (note the Twin Peaks references in their URL and e-mail address) and that's a perceptive way to put it - as is my American friend's comment: "I've been to Spokane and I've seen the band…The band is definitely better than the city!". Spokane's wide landscapes provide a fine, albeit dark and brooding, hypnotic and surreal end to this collection of songs.

Band descriptions by Mikko Lappalainen