Going back to cold stillness, it is also no wonder I have a very personal (and also very special) affinity for the northern countries, Finland, the land of lakes, perhaps most of them all.
And so this first post of the year, although it could have easily been dedicated to Sibelius, will be about a band.
Introductions aside, you might have noticed a small change in format. I might maintain it, if I feel it works. Also, this is indicative of one type of post you'll see here: a recommendation. Not a review, nor an analysis, presentation, or general commentary. Merely a "have a look at this".
What is "this"? It's a Finnish band called Poets of the Fall, whose albums have only been released in at most 7 countries (for the last one). A musical amalgam of moody, ballad-y rock with twitchy, jazzy rhythms, as well as more straightforward recitative, channeled through an intensely texture-conscious rhythmic and instrumental aural palette.
Confused you yet?
Drawing from the talents of a rock vocalist and extraordinary songwriter, a jazz guitarist and an "industrial machine trance man" (quoting Wikipedia's article) on the keyboard, Poets' music is like rhythmically volatile classic rock, making distinctive use of their impact on the listener, their "mood" as a structural tool like harmony. Their songs are carpets of texture, unrolled agonizingly slowly, or crumpled and set on fire; yet always with the utmost care.
It is this care, and the sensitivity it reflects, coupled with phenomenal lyrics, that make Poets of the Fall perhaps my single favourite "band" among all viable members of that category.
So in a nutshell, if you enjoy sensitive, quirky, dead-serious yet playful rock, from the strongly inward-looking Signs of Life, to the more expansive, hardened and physically hard-hitting (later) Carnival of Rust and Revolution Roulette, the Poets of the Fall deserve your ear.
[Cover of the band's latest album, taken from their official site.]
Two further, non-essential but interesting notes:
- I learned of Poets of the Fall by playing Finnish Remedy Entertainment's magnum opus and gaming landmark, Max Payne 2: the developers had contacted the then-new band to write a song for them to use as a theme for (and throughout) the game, and the result was the (in my opinion amazing) ballad "Late Goodbye", still my favourite song of any type.
- Poets of the Fall apparently record (or recorded the first album) in a studio they'd set up themselves in one of the members' houses. I'm noting this because the sound is particularly impressive, balanced and crystal-clear throughout; more than would be expected even from a big studio with a dedicated sound team, especially for this genre!
