Aavikko – Back from the Futer (2005)

For such a tiny country, Finland has a really rich music scene. Aavikko is a good example of a band that had courage to make music that wasn't very fashionable at the time, but that got some following from their uniqueness. Aavikko plays synth pop that seems to take most of their influences from late 70's Kraftwerk. The synth sounds are very retro and there are similarities to Nintendo video game sounds. There aren't that many lyrics in the songs, apart from occasional spoken word sequences. In a way, this band sounds like a simplified and early version of Public Service Broadcasting. Aavikko is from a tiny town called Siilinjärvi. They must've had all the time in the world to experiment with sounds and it really shows in the results. I think Back from the Futer is the band's best album. I bought it a long time ago on a CD in nice glossy covered cardboard case.



There is quite a range of songs on this album, but I still feel like most of these songs are influenced by late 70's synthesiser music. There are laser sounds, buzzes and clanks, and wild synth jams. All in all, I think this album is very well made and you definitely don't need to be a Finn to appreciate their music.

The opening song Back from the Futer has an electronic beat on the background with some buzzing synth sounds on top, making it sound a lot like Kraftwerk's Autobahn. Rosinante shows the faster and more adventurous sound of Aavikko. I could imagine this song playing in the background of a Mega Man video game. Homo Futurus is again more in the Kraftwerk world with it's industrial beat and robotic spoken words. Una Lira Soluzione is a great fast song with amazing futuristic robot sounds. Erotica slows the tempo down a bit. The drums at least sound like actual drums, but on top of that there are some great video game sounds. Wot Wot Neozulu is a great buzzing song with a great beat that's good for dancing. It's like a video game version of a rave song. Futer City is probably my favourite song on the album. It has a great melody and again, I think it sounds a bit like the best songs in Mega Man. P-Piste is like a song from a tacky old horror film. Also, it reminds me of the music in the computer game Day of the Tentacle. Salamapallo is another fantastic fast song with some amazing synth wars. Capitano Argento has a latin beat and sounds that resemble steel drums. It's like a strange futuristic version of a calypso song. The ending song Diamond Pyramid is one of the best songs on the album and really something you might hear in a Nintendo game.

In the mid-00's, great storyline music videos were still quite fashionable. There's a great music video for Una Lira Soluzione. It's a doll animation with props made out of toilet paper rolls and old toys etc. Watching this makes me miss times when there were actual music televisions that were showing music videos. And I don't mean the current mainstream videos that are all about live performances and dancing. I mean the videos that had storylines and that actual video artists created.

If you like electronic music, Nintendo games, Kraftwerk, crazy synth sounds, beeps, clanks, explosions and laser sounds, Aavikko is definitely a right band for you.

Listen to the album on Spotify.