Leevi & the Leavings kaupungissa, Ville Leinonen käsiraudoissa, Kauko Röyhkä itsessälissä, Kari Peitsamo fiksuna. Risto tuo takaisin sitä itsevarmuutta, naiiviutta ja aitoutta joka kuoli Gösta Sundgvistin mukana. Oletko kuullut mitä Tampereella kuiskitaan?

Leevi & the Leavings in the city, Ville Leinonen in handcuffs, Kauko Röyhkä in self-pity, Kari Peitsamo as a smart person. Risto brings back that self-esteem, naivity and reality that died with Gösta Sundgvist. Have you already heard what they whisper around Tampere?

Ris-to: Känninen kotka ja hiirulainen

Many are the rumors that revolve round the Tamperean tribe called Kemialliset Ystävät (Chemical Friends), regarding for instance the recipe for their brand of magic potion and their ethnic background. Contradicting the common beliefs, this group, which is now, depending on how you count, releasing its first or tenth album, does not consist of elves, gnomes or some lesser known folk of the forest, but is mainly the product of one human risen from the rotten ditch of Nekala (a Tampere suburb). With his vast set of allies he has by the power of his spirit carved a whole multitude of caves into the cellar of an otherwise unsuspect looking house. From that Cellar Yuniversum (a rough translation of the disc's name) originates this record, which I myself regard rather as the first, as its many predecessors have been either halves of a long player, virtually unobtainable or partial rereleases. Now, at last, as we venture deeper into the cellar than ever before, we see the aforementioned elves and gnomes in their festivities, as the urbanization process has cut down the Tampere backwoods and has thus forced them to flee into the caves of Kemialliset Ystävät, who naturally are in good terms with all tiny earthlings with pointed ears. (Allow me to return to the subject magic potion: I've heard that in order to compensate the Lebensraum, the forest tribes have provided for Kemialliset Ystävät an unlimited supply of bottled fairy's pee, which is the strongest nordic hallucinogen known to man. Whether it ends up being sold at schoolyards and potato markets or to inspire this music, to that information I've got no acces.) By the time one has sunk deep enough into the world of the record, it isn't any more a question of seeing, but knowing in the sense of Plato's anamnesis, re-remembering. The same bearded chap, the Fostex left to the cave by higher powers and a varied selection of nearly broken instruments guarantee that this certainly psychedelic avant folk which stutters just as much as it should makes me remember myself once more at the mountains, naked, as the only human in the whole world. Alone, but still in unity with the world. A mysteriosly long trip across the stars too, and the smell of a Lettish fish factory and, yes, the Cellar Yuniversum is foggy. Kellari Juniversumi fills my head with all this, and countless other things as well, and all I can do is to Quote Janne Porkka (a slightly retarded Finnish TV quiz personality) and state: "It is correct!"

-Ralf Normaali, a lowlife from the capital area

Kemialliset Ystävät: Planeetta kaukainen


Pöllöt on syksyllä 2012 perustettu turkulainen, turkulais-helsinkiläinen ja suomalainen rokkibändi. Yhtye soittaa musiikkinsa rennosti ja tosissaan mutta ei vakavissaan. Yhdessä soittamisen ilo yhdistyy tarttuviin lauluihin. Sanoitukset ovat rohkeita, kokeellisia pieniä tarinoita, arkipäivän mystisyyteen pureutuvia seikkailuja.

Pöllöjen soittajat ovat vaikuttaneet muun muassa Cats on Fire, The New Tigers, Lau Nau, Kiila, Jarse, Barry Andrewsin disko, Goodnight Monsters ja Kauppilan puutarha -yhtyeissä. Jaakko Tolvi, Janne Kauppinen, Markus Jalonen, Ville Hopponen ja Jukka Herva ovat olleet mukana kymmenillä julkaisuilla. Tämä kokemus näkyy ja kuuluu. Pöllöjen musiikki tuntuu heti ensimmäisestä soinnustaan lähtien vaivattomalta ja luonnolliselta. Aivan kuin se olisi ollut aina olemassa. Pintaa syvemmältä löytyvät todella ainutlaatuiset sanoitukset, sovitukset ja sävellykset, jotka jäävät hivelemään korvia pitkiksi ajoiksi.

Hiihtoloma on promosingle keväällä julkaistavalta pitkäsoitolta. Tupaantuliaslahjana tarjotaan myös b-puoli ”Saattaa olla”. Kappaleet on ilmaiseksi saatavilla WAV-muodossa Fonal Recordsin sivuilta.

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Pöllöt: Saattaa Olla

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BUY Digital: coming soon

Fonal Records will release the debut album by Pöllöt on the 1st of August 2014. Pöllöt are a Finnish rock band formed in Turku in 2012. Previously, the band have released a tape called Ekat demot (Early demos) and played shows in Finland. Despite their brief history, the band have caused a stir in the music press and won over audiences up and down the country. Their music is a combination of the effortless joy of playing together and their catchy lyrics and melodies. The lyrics are boldly experimental little stories, adventures in the mysteries of daily life. Mood-wise, the material ranges from upbeat rock songs to rather more peaceful numbers.

The members of Pöllöt have in the past played in bands such as Cats on Fire, The New Tigers, Lau Nau, Kiila, Jarse, Barry Andrewsin disko, Goodnight Monsters and Kauppilan puutarha. Jaakko Tolvi (guitar and vocals), Janne Kauppinen (guitar and vocals), Markus Jalonen (bass), Ville Hopponen (drums) and Jukka Herva (keyboard and vocals) have, between them, played on dozens of releases.

There are three vocalists in Pöllöt. "Tapetaan aikaa", vocalised by Jaakko Tolvi, is a real Pöllöt rocker with a murder-story lyric to boot, while "Valonsäteet", sung by Janne Kauppinen, is a beautiful little pop tune. The album closer "Sade loppuu" is a multi-part mini epic about making jam. Even though the songs have been carefully written and arranged, there’s plenty of space for improvisation and surprises. The music of Pöllöt sounds as though it has always been there.

Pöllöt recorded their debut album in August 2013 at Äänikuva Studios in Turku. The album was mixed and produced by Jari Suominen (of Shogun Kunitoki/Jarse fame). The mastering was done by Samuli Tanner. In the studio, the aim was to capture the idiosyncratic sound of Pöllöt. The album cover was designed and created by Timo Marila.


Press photos and sound clips:
http://www.fonal.com/pressmaterial_pollot.php


Pöllöt: Kalla

”Hem. Någonstans” is the fourth album of Lau Nau. This time she takes us to the fleeting borderline between contemporary classical and experimental music, true to her idiosyncratic style. The electroacoustical orchestrations of the album pilot the listener through an archipelago of cloud constellations to rest and dream on massive pillows of sound. It’s also clear that Pekko Käppi, the emperor of jouhikko, a Finnish traditional string instrument, has left his mark on the album by playing all the string arrangements.

Except one song, ”Hem. Någonstans” is an instrumental album and rare of it’s kind: it’s a soundtrack album to a similarily named documentary film by Lotta Petronella (”Home. Somewhere”, Fisher King Productions 2015). Think of an action film that takes place in a far away archipelago, but where most of the action happens inside the minds of the characters. In addition to the tree main characters of the film, Lau Nau’s music arises as the fourth character of the film. It’s born with a soul.

Lau Nau: Koti

Lau Nau: Kuun Mustelmat

Turkulainen pop-yhtye Hiljaiset kallot julkaisee debyyttisinglensä
Miespaikalla Ruotsiin / Kaunis nainen digiversiona ja
seitsemäntuumaisena vinyylinä.

Kulttibändi TV-resistorin jalustalle rakentunut Hiljaiset kallot on
kuljettanut materiaaliaan hiljalleen läpi kivikoiden ja mökkiteiden
nykyiseen muotoonsa. Tuloksena on ihastuttavaa ja omaleimaista
tuoretta pop-musiikkia.


Hiljaiset Kallot: Miespaikalla Ruotsiin

An unreleased remix of the track Uskallan by Paavoharju. A gift from Fonal Records and Paavoharju to you.

December sale is back! 50% off on ALL orders! http://www.fonal.com/shop

Paavoharju: Uskallan Alt

Poseidon

Lau Nau: Poseidon

Lau Nau: Elina

PRE-ORDER NOW: https://www.fonal.com/shop/talvipalatsin-puutarhassa-lp/

Fonal Records will release the fourth album by Eleanoora Rosenholm titled Talvipalatsin puutarhassa (trl. In the Garden of the Winter Palace) on November 30th 2018.

Mika Rättö (Circle, Rättö ja Lehtisalo) has once again penned all the lyrics for the new Eleanoora Rosenholm album and also plays all the drums on it. Most of the songs are situated in the old Soviet Union. ”The idea begun from Vaganova ballet school, where Eleanoora applies as an exchange student. However she is not accepted in and takes revenge on the school by rubbing soap on its dance floors”, explains Rättö.

Pasi Salmi (Saijaa Saijaa, Magyar Posse) has composed, played and also recorded the new album. ”This time we have more acoustic instruments. We recorded horns and drunken Cossack choirs to create the sound of the Soviet Union. This album has been recorded in multiple places and I believe that gives it a certain gangly sound. Despite of this, Talvipalatsin puutarhassa is the most thematic of all the Eleanoora Rosenholm albums so far”, says Pasi.

Eleanoora Rosenholm’s character is once again channeled by Noora Tommila with her unique voice. Talvipalatsin puutarhassa took six years to make. At one point the recordings were put on hold for as long as three years as Rättö was busy filming his first feature film Samurai Rauni and writing his third book. These projects had a big influence on the lyrics making them more storylike.

Other musicians on the album are Tuomas Niskanen (guitar), Turo Sinkkonen (bass), Juho Nordman and Jukka Kettula (horns).

Live band will consist of Olli Joukio (drums), Noora Tommila (vocals), Tuomas Niskanen (guitar), Tatu Tyykkilä (percussions and drums), Pasi Salmi (synthesizers), Veli-Ville Sivén (synthesizers) and Turo Sinkkonen (bass). Tour dates to be announced.

Cover photo is taken by Juha Arvid Helminen and layout has been done by Eetu Henttonen.

Talvipalatsin puutarhassa

Eleanoora Rosenholm: Lasijoutsen

Buy CD: http://www.fonal.com/shop/eeliksen_suutreteiter_cd

Eeliks:en aka. Eelis Mikael Salminen is a seven year old boy in his first year at primary school. He also studies at Sara Hilden Academy’s fine art school. He learned to read when he was three years old. His favourite bands include Beatles, AC/DC, Beastie Boys, Robin, Kiss, Rolling Stones, Pikkuoravat and Prodigy. His favourite foods are lasagna, fish fingers and salmon.

Eelis begun recording his album on his dad’s iPhone, trying to make the songs as consistent as possible, but unfortunately he failed at his first attempt. Soon after though, he recorded more music because “his dad made him.” He describes his music as a mix between electronic and dance music, and thinks the only one who might like it is (musician and Fonal head honcho) Sami Sänpäkkilä. He sings in gibberish and in English. The album ‘Suutre Teiter’ also features appearances from his little brother Niilo and friends Kalle, Siena and Oscari.

Eeliks:en has declined to do live concerts. His explanation was simply: “I don’t want to be Robin”. (Robin is approximately the Finnish equivalent of Justin Bieber).

Eeliks:en: Suutre teiter

Eeliks:en: You stye a back in row

Jari Raaste: Ilmalaiva / Candy Dandy 7" available from Fonal records online shop: https://fonal.com/shop/ilmalaiva-7/

Jari Raaste: Ilmalaiva

Land Without God is a soundtrack by Lau Nau to a documentary film by the same name directed by Mannix Flynn, Lotta Petronella and Maedhbh Mc Mahon. It is an intimate portrait of a family coming to terms with decades of institutional abuse and the impact that it has had, and still has, on their lives.

Land Without God

Lau Nau: The Saints


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In 1910, the illustrator George Herriman created the Krazy Kat comic strip. Ignatz, a vicious mouse, was Krazy Kat’s arch enemy, and his favourite pastime was to throw bricks at Krazy Kat’s head (who misinterpreted the mouse’s actions as declarations of love). Landen, Belgium based artist Bram Devens uses Ignatz as his alter-ego, and comes armed with his own pile of bricks; sparse, emotive songs born of the human condition, wrapped in effects, corroded by tape, driven forth by improvisation and spontaneity.

Whilst ‘Can I Go Home Now?’ is Ignatz’s first Fonal release, it is in fact his fifth full-length album proper (his seventh if you count the Kraak 2011 Cassette Compilation and 2010’s ‘Mort aux Vaches’ live LP on Staalplaat). Recorded in Schaarbeek, Brussels, Belgium between 2011 and 2012 on four-track and computer, the album sees Devens shift his focus toward more exclusively song-based compositions, cut largely from unabridged electric and acoustic guitar.

Ignatz’s songs stem from a familiar stripped folk framework, with Devens’ delivery recalling the louche primitivism of V.U. or Henry Flynt - but these songs sound inverted, cast adrift, their cool touch belying a stymied heat beneath the surface. Where Devens’ fretwork is adorned, it is executed with a refined coarseness. Autonomous loops entwine each other. Songs brush past percussion, bass notes, or a scant keyboard motif. A voice recedes from the heart of the song into a dislocated, cracked drawl. And yet if Ignatz does occasionally recall the ghost of Jandek, there are moments of warmth and beauty, as sunlight glistens on the ice.

Almost diaristic in tone, Devens’ personal experiences echo throughout the albums artwork and the title itself, as well as the music. “The artwork is a drawing of a dog, a boxer called Gibbe. It is a drawing by myself from 1994 made in Budapest, Hungary, just after Gibbe died at the age of 13 from meningitis. A family holiday went bad. Because we did not want to leave him in Hungary we decided to wrap him in plastic and tie him on the roof of the car and drive back to Belgium (which took us 2 days and the body started to smell). This was the last holiday I spent with my parents, and this moment defined the end of my childhood, more then any other”.


Ignatz: I Need A Good Night's Sleep

Fonal Records artists include Lau Nau, Olimpia Splendid, Hiljaiset Kallot, Kemialliset ystävät, Ville Leinonen, Islaja, Es, Kiila, Risto, Tv-resistori, Eleanoora Rosenholm and Paavoharju. Fonal Records is a Finnish independent label that began releasing mainly domestic music in 1995. Fonal has a vast catalogue of experimental, folk, ambient and popular music releases.


Popular tracks by Fonal Records