Rubik – Dada Bandits (2009)

Rubik was one of the most ambitious Finnish bands ever to exist. Their music could be described as indie rock with some progressive rock elements, but the sounds are really modern and sound new even ten years after the release of this album. The band has very rich sounds filled with orchestral elements such as trumpets, strings and electronic synth sounds. Rubik was also one of the greatest Finnish bands to perform live. Their live performances were carefully planned with excellent light shows and big sounds. It's a real shame that Rubik was unable to draw more attention abroad, since this is one of the bands I had most faith in to make it internationally. Perhaps it was again the problem of not being able to market the music in a right way. This has been the flaw for many Finnish bands and the sole reason why they haven't made it abroad.



I was very aware of the Finnish music scene at the end of the 00's and that was a good time to be an indie rock fan in Finland. Helsinki music scene was booming and good bands were born all the time. Rubik is one of the finest examples of just how innovative the bands from that time could be. I saw them live at the Flow Festival in 2011, where their show was one of the greatest performances even though I also saw some great international acts.

Rubik's first album sounds like they're still trying to find their sound. The songs don't feel as prefectly polished as on the other two albums. Dada Bandits is the second album and this is the first album where Rubik really shows all of its potential. The third album Solar pretty much continues on the same route. The lead singer, Artturi Taira's vocals have also developed significantly for this album. his high-toned vocals may not be amazing by their technical aspects, but it fits the music brilliantly.

The album starts with the song Goji Berries that has some interesting rhythms and pounding drumming that gives the song a feel of progressive rock. The song evolves itself quite a few times during the song and it gets quite groovy in places. Radiant shows the more massive sounds that Rubik is also capable of. The guitar walls are huge and completed with horns and electronic samples. No Escape is one of the most danceable Rubik songs. There's a groovy disco beat and a catchy melody that will make people jump up and down on the live gigs. Wasteland starts off kind of quiet with some minimalistic guitar plucking, but it grows steadily into a full-blown rock song with some of the greatest vocals for the band. You Jackal!! has a bit more experimental approach and the rhythmic changes make it an interesting song. The trumpets sound great in this one. Fire Age is another experimental progressive rock song with some crazy synth sounds. Indiana goes to even more experimental directions with its rolling drum beats and out of rhythm bass and guitar lines. It's great how the seemingly chaotic sounds are held together. Richard Branson's Crash Landing is one of the most obvious hit songs on the album. Especially the intro is very catchy and there's a nice sense of drama going from one part to another with highs and lows. The only song with a Finnish title, Karhu Junassa, isn't actually sung in Finnish despite the name. The song grows nicely throughout the length of it. Follow Us to the Edge of the Desert is the only proper ballad on the album. The pianos sound like they've been played on a slightly out of tune piano in a echoey space, which makes the overall sound of the song kind of haunting. The album ends with another great hit song Altitudes, that  shows some influences from post-rock bands of the time.

Finnish music videos aren't often that special. Especially the indie bands rarely have enough money to really make them special. The music video for Wasteland isn't an exception, but it's still worth watching. It basically shows the band playing live with colours and in black and white, but what's worth mentioning is the use of light zooming in and out. This was an often used feature on the band's gigs. They had orbs on stage that would get higher and lower with light according to the intensity of the music. The whole video looks like it's been fast-forwarded and there are also some pictures from nightly Helsinki.

I was really disappointed to hear in 2013 that the band had decided to disband, since their music had been getting better throughout their career and I believe lots of people were expecting great things from them. On the other hand, it might have been a good call to start at the hight of their career if they felt like they couldn't top their previous albums. Who knows. Nevertheless, Rubik is one of the Finnish indie rock bands that I feel proudest of to present to non-Finnish readers in this blog. I hope many of you will discover these Finnish jewels that otherwise remain unknown outside of Finland.

Listen to the album on Spotify.