Judging by the strength of recent releases by the likes of Camp Actor and Means Of Production, it seems there really is a slew of nu-synth poppers (I'll take my copyright cheque for that one now, thanks) already seeping through into the general consciousness.
Both sides of this double A-side 7" single touch base with that theory, but - as is the case with the aforementioned artists - both are surprisingly cool in their own right. The other obvious trait these songs have is that both are touched by the hand of one Teemu Metsala: respected Finnish chap around town in, er, Manchester. You following this? Good.
Teemu fronts ROGER and has roped respected ex-New Order/ Ladytron man Roger Lyons in to produce. Between them, these two characters sure know their synths, and thus "A Kiss In The Darkness"s starting points would surely include Kraftwerk, Georgio Moroder and infuential first wave Japanese such as Yellow Magic Orchestra and The Plastics. Oh, and Teemu has also apparently nicked several of Laurie Anderson's vocoders for good measure. You sure you're still following this? Yeah? Then we'll continue.
Teemu appears once again with BOYS OF SCANDINAVIA on the flip: a reasonable enough name for an underground supergroup of major players from, er, Scandinavia, bearing in mind that BOS are completed by Tuomi Kuusi (vocals and flamboyant Finnish beatnik) and producer Juhana Lahtinen, who also plays the distorto guitars on their contribution "Worse Than A Girl".
|
So when is Helsinki not Helsinki exactly? Well, how about when it's been transported to Manchester, as this track has, especially when Teemu's finger-poppin' bassline recalls A Certain Ratio so vividly. Mind you, just to confuse the issue further, "Worse Than A Girl" also recalls LCD Soundsystem and Depeche Mode (roughly circa "Violator") to these ears. Oh come on: you can't still be following my drift at this stage? You are? Excellent. The cheque's in the post as I type.
So there you have it: the shape of Finns to come. From Manchester. Confused? You will be, but quite blissfully so, believe me.
|
