CD Review: V/A - 'Arctic Paradise: Contemporary Music From Finland 2010'

Various Artists
Arctic Paradise: Contemporary Music From Finland 2010
FIMIC

The contemporary music of Finland is poignantly captured by researcher, Pirkko Kotirinta. The stylish liner notes weigh in at nearly 80 pages of text. The information contains in-depth analysis of various music genres from Finland, including vocal genres, pelimanni music, accordion/harmonium, kantele, jouhikko, sami, and fusion styles. The music of Tsuumi Sound System, Svang, Sanna Kurki-Suonio, Trepaanit, Lepisto-Lehti, KTU, Frigg, Vilma Timonen Quartet, Alamaailman Vasarat, Ulla, and others are included on the compilation. However, the sounds of Finland's finest performers--Wimme and JPP--are nowhere to be seen. Some of the artists not featured on the tracklist are discussed in the text. The compilation runs the gamut of traditional styles in a contemporary context. However, this is not your pop or rock album. Nevertheless, some rock elements make their way into KTU's "Quiver." Overall, the Finnish Music Information Centre produced a fine example of Finland's music heritage on CD. ~ Matthew Forss