Various - Kalevala Records

A personal holy grail that I had bits and bobs of, floating around on poor quality mp3s. Just ripped them all there and thought you lot might as well get a sniff of 'em...

An extravagant payday-timed eBay purchase from last week which I'd given up all hope of ever seeing. What is it? For the uninitiated, check this out. There's a great fake website here as well.

Rather than my own pish chat, here's text I've pinched from this Probe Records page to accompany each 7".

001 - Draculas Daughter - Candy

Like a bit of 60's New York landed in Helsinki in 1997. The four young ladies who make up this group consider themselves artists rather than musicians, much like the early Velvet Underground. The song itself is a piece of prime quasi-Velvets dedicated to the famed Factory transsexual Candy Darling and features guest vocals from the Nico of the north-lands Kristina Bruuk. As the debut release on a fledgling label Kalevala couldn't have done better. Jesus And Mary Chain, eat your hearts out.

This is actually the third release for the girls, previously they've made two (very limited) singles on their own private label. Don't bother trying to find them because, unless you live in Helsinki, you've got more chance of finding a Beatles acetate.



Draculas Daughter - Candy
A - Candy
B - Candy (Version)

002 - The Fuckers - Sexy Roy Orbison

The world's only Lapp punk band don't care one whit for the pop-punk emo-core posturings of their Californian contemporaries (Green Day / Offspring / NoFX etc), in fact this record gives the impression they'd happily kill them and eat them (it'd make a change from reindeer meat at least). They don't care about anything. A ferocious amphetamine blast of pure realpunk hatred from a group that's existed in almost total isolation for over ten years, and whilst their old-skool cousins (Extreme Noise Terror / Napalm Death etc) may have sold out to the metal dollar The Fuckers have remained true to their hardcore roots. For that reason they are, without doubt, the hardest, fiercest and most aggressive punk band on planet Earth. Hear this and despair, pop-kid.

With luck (or perhaps that's bad luck) the Fuckers hope to land on these shores next year to play at a series of Cider Festivals (the psycho scrumpy being the only thing in the world they will admit a liking for).

Anyone old enough to remember the Norse invasions of the dark ages will want to emigrate now.



The Fuckers - Sexy Roy Orbison
A - Sexy Roy Orbison
B - Sexy Roy Orbison (Version)

003 - Gimpo - Gimpo

An absolute must for fans of the KLF / JAMMs this being their legendary roadie, driver and, more notoriously, film-maker (it was Gimpo that filmed the famed Million Quid incineration). Now he's turned his talents to music and, in collaboration with Finnish techno-psychos High End World Receiver, has produced a debut single of gargantuan proportions. A crushing slab of Industrial riffage and Godzilla size Atom Bomb beats make this a true dance-floor krasha, but the tirade of four-letter words on top and the rousing chorus of "You Fucking Twat" make this one Kalevala release you will not be hearing on the wireless.

Anyone thinking the Prodigy own the copyright on Extreme Dance-Metal Carnage better think again...Gimpo is here to eat you alive. And thank Gruad for that!



Gimpo - Gimpo
A - Gimpo
B - Gimpo (Version)

004 - The Daytonas - Faster, Gimpo, Faster, Kill! Kill! Kill!

Super speedy surf-core from this band of seven brothers who've been constantly gigging since the original surf-beat craze hit Finland in the early 60's. The Daytonas have remained true to the original fun, fast, frantic sound sound of this music - so anyone expecting the clever, know-it-all, tongue in cheek irony of Man Or Astroman and their hodad ilk will be sorely disappointed. If, however, you're still diggin' the sound of old California back when the days were short and the nights were long you're in for a treat, Surfin Bird!

The title? Yep it's that Gimpo again. He's certainly made a name for himself over in Finland.

Oh yeah, don't confuse these with the Swedish surf outfit of the same name.



The Daytonas - Faster, Gimpo, Faster, Kill! Kill! Kill!
A - Faster, Gimpo, Faster, Kill! Kill! Kill!
B - Faster, Gimpo, Faster, Kill! Kill! Kill! (Version)

005 - The Blizzard King - American Trilogy EP

Incredible 3-track Extended Play 7" from the Jesus of Cool himself. Opening with a stunning version of "Break On Through", featuring a storming Hammond work-out of hyper-Manzarekian proportions, followed by a startling rendition of "Strangers in the night" (This being the recording from a parallel universe in which Old Blue Eyes didn't refuse to be in the same building as the Doors, but invited them into his studio for a full-on Drink, Drugs and Jam session.) As if this isn't enough already, this classic 7" is rounded off by one of the Fat Elvis's all time greats "In the Ghetto".



The Blizzard King - American Trilogy EP
A - Break On Through
B1 - Strangers In The Night
B2 - In The Ghetto

006 - Aurora Borealis - Aurora Borealis

Two superb ambient sound-paintings, from this reclusive collective of shamanic Artists, Poets and Musicians. Deep within the Arctic Circle, far from the cities and industrial decay of the modern world, they have produced these sonic sculptures, influenced solely by the protean wastes of their Lapp homeland. This is sombre, soulful and dreamy stuff - right from the heart of the Lapp zeitgeist. But don't think that it's in any way colourless, joyless or impenetrable, far from it - Those of you who have cooled your souls at the eternal 3 a.m. of melancholy, will find much in this music which speaks directly to your secret mind.

It would be unfair to burden these isolated art-makers with crass comparisons with the work of others. However, for those of you who won't buy anything unless you think you know what you're getting, this record would sit happily next to the finest work of The Orb, or (of course) the KLF's "Chill Out".



Aurora Borealis - Aurora Borealis
A - Aurora Borealis (Part 1)
B - Aurora Borealis (Part 3)

Download Link *updated for 2016* WAV and mp3

Buy it here? Nae chance...