Astro Can Caravan Chainsmoker Cleaning Women Dirty Projectors Hotguitars Kaucas Kometa Kontackto Ronskibiitti Phuzy Sekunda Stalwart
Out on BV2 Produktions: STALWART: Torment Nonplus MCD (BV-8) Jyrki Laiho, Veli Nuorsaari and Janne Peltomäki decide to update - nay, take to the next level - most of what's great about their past & present with Pori legends such as Circle, Kuusumun Profeetta and Ektroverde. 5 songs, 23 minutes of sturdy yet versatile hypno/space rock, also recommended for fans of Sonic Youth, Neurosis, and their ilk. "Finland is putting us to shame. Its model healthcare system, social-democratic politics and earthy blond lasses thoroughly outclass our domestic blight of HMOs, Bushes and Olsen twins. So what if our nordic pals endure endless winters and rampant alcoholism?; Pori, their unassuming city on the Gulf of Bothnia, harbors the boldest under-the-radar music scene in the Western world. Local vets Jyrki Laiho (ex-Circle), Janne Peltomäki (ex-Circle) and Veli Nuorsaari (Kuusumun Profeetta) formed Stalwart late last year, from the ashes of their previous band, the industrial-leaning Paine. The plowing yet pretty Torment Nonplus takes an equally relentless but far more natural and colorful tack. From the sweet psych-vortex of 'Kindergarten Trad' to the guttural lumberjack lurch of 'Central Sandras on Black Paint Porch', this pristine, filler-free set elegantly hurls forth compression-hammer rhythms, ecstatic fretboard abuse and acidic, stop-start riffs forged in indie-art-drone-metal utopia. As Hotguitars, Laiho and fellow six-string wrangler T-mu Korpipää asphyxiate their instruments in noxious clouds of explosive studio edits and volatile electronics. Although the deafening, mercifully brief Confessions chugs away like it wants to kill you, the duo upstages comparable non-rock noisemongers with the aid of momentum (via rudimentary computer beats), chops (Yngwie Malmsteen might blush) and abundant perversity ('Budapest Bukkake' rules). Damn, why couldn't some American group have recorded such a gutsy little shocker?" -Jordan N. Mamone, Time Out New York arvioita: 1, 2, 3, 4 Also available: LEE MILLER: Futility Of Language CD Ultraheavy Finnish-American noise-rock trio featuring current and former members of Circle, Stalwart, Alger Hiss, Kuusumun Profeetta, Hotguitars and Ektroverde. Produced by local legend Aki Peltonen, the Futility of Language sessions were even stronger than anyone expected: repetitive Pori-style riffs crash into untamed New York noise rock with enough sideways metal swagger and angst-ridden melody to keep the cute, fashionable girls interested.