22-Pistepirkko – Eleven (1998)

I've already written about a couple of albums by the Finnish alternative rock band 22-Pistepirkko. I'm sure this is quite a mouthful of a band name for non-Finns. The good news, though, is that the lyrics are in English. Although, I do need to point out that they don't make that much sense either sometimes. But that's only in a good obscure way. Eleven is not actually the band's eleventh album, it's seventh. So, I don't really know why it was titled that. Perhaps it has something to do with being half of 22. In my opinion, Eleven is the band's best album. It includes some proper garage rock songs that the band is known for, but it's also the first album by them to feature lots of fantastic electronic sounds as well. The album sounds wonderfully weird and there are various different types of genres on the album, while it still manages to sound like a coherent whole.



22-Pistepirkko has been one of the bands I've listened to continuously for longest. I already discovered them almost 25 years ago and ever since I've regularly listened to their songs. To me they sound quite timeless. Perhaps that's because they have never really thought about what's fashionable, just what sounds good. I first saw them live at a music festival Ruisrock in Turku, Finland, 24 years ago. I've seen them many times since, but unfortunately I couldn't make their last gig ever a few years ago. This band was always fantastic live, not only because of their music, but because of their strange personalities and stage presence.

The album starts with the song Taxi 74 which is a great introduction to this album. The verses feature almost whispering vocals on top of groovy trip-hop style beats that explode into a chorus with great hit potential. The second song, Onion Soup was one of the biggest hits from the album. The verse is carried with very heavy electric guitars and the lead singer PK's nasal vocals. This all bursts open in the chorus where a bunch of electronic space sounds fill the air. The lyrics are wonderfully absurd. Coma Moon tunes the mood down into a hypnotic and quiet song that has synth sounds that sound like the wind, blurred backing vocals and whispery lead vocals. This is the kind of music you can get lost in when you lay on the sofa after a hard day's work. Sad Lake City has some wild beats and distorted electric guitar riffs that remind me of Eels album Electro-Shock Blues which I just wrote about a couple of posts ago. The song has terrific psychedelic mood. Boardroom Walk is one of my all time favourite songs by 22-Pistepirkko. The verse has some beautiful acoustic guitars and vocals that switch sides in stereo with slightly different tones. The chorus is a fantastic piece of work. When the fresh sounds explode with strings and clear electric guitars, I get shivers down my spine. Hey Man is a ballad that reveals the more beautiful tones of PK's vocals. His voice isn't naturally that beautiful in the rock songs, but when he's keeping his vocals quiet, there's beautiful intimacy in them. Let the Romeo Weep is one of the most electronic songs on the album with electric drums and strange synth sounds. The band's following album explored similar sounds much more. Beautiful Morning has some psychedelic sunny sounds that really sound like a morning when the sun is shining in through the windows. Frustration goes really wildly for fast tempo electronic beats, which almost reminds me of light version of The Prodigy. The album ends with Shadow, which features smooth synth sounds with piercing electronic guitars.

The music video for Onion Soup shows a dark Helsinki where a dark tram is rolling through the tracks and the band is singing the song in the tram. Interesting thing is that the tram is number 11, which doesn't really exist in real life, 10 being the highest number. A bit of investigation would suggest that no. 11 tram is a test tram. I like the fast-forwarded lights in the chorus.

It's not like I really listen to 22-Pistepirkko all the time anymore, but I do always enjoy their music when it's playing. They are one of the most unique Finnish bands and there really is no equivalent anywhere else either. It's one of the greatest examples of how a small country like Finland has a very rich music scene that is rarely known beyond its borders.

Listen to the album on Spotify.