Lapinpolthajat – Wahlroosin Unelma
I think I can pronounce the name of the band. I am not sure I have yet managed to grasp how to say the name of the album, but in any case, this is a lovely piece of vinyl, released jointly through several labels. It represents the endevours of Lapinpolthajat, a hardcore punk rock band from Finland. Rovaniemi in Finland to be exact. It is the follow up to a self-titled LP released back in 2010 - and the band have, kindly, produced the lyrics in both their native tongue and in English, to appease us ignorant fools.
What they pedal on this album is Finnish melodic street punk. The guy's voice kind of has that tinge that Chris Hannah had on really early Propagandhi recordings - a sort of nasally snort. The tracks are liberally tinged with gang backing vocals and hooks - it's a very retro sounding set up they have going on - minimalistic lead guitars, messy power chords and mid paced, oi-stylings.
From what I can learn online, this lot started off a lot more as an 80s hardcore band, and have progressed towards a more melody led sound - and the best of this record seems to come from their more aggressive moments, where they mix the two directions together. Closing track Itsetuho (that's Self-Destruction to you and me) is probably my favourite track - has hints of old school Poison Idea and that kind of thing going on.
This is perhaps only a unique record because of the language, but makes for interesting listening. I cannot see it lighting up too many people's worlds, but this lot do know how to write a catchy chorus in a language you can't even begin to understand.