Father and son. The picture puts our relationship in a nutshell.
Somehow hard to believe it´s already three years ago that my father died. The bare fact that he ain´t no more seems to be frozen in time, so come the end of January it always feels unreal that time has actually moved on another year.
We didn´t see each other often and when we did it was mostly bittersweet. Inbetween visits and activities a lot of waiting, subconsciously to a large extent, waiting for something to happen, waiting for something to change, waiting for him to change.
Today he´s dead for three goddamn years and often it feels like I´m still waiting.
I just have no idea what for.
SONG FOR TODAY:
(First ever re-post in this blog´s history. The words still stand!)
Muumi mamma Tarja Halonen´s time as president is up and today Finland goes to vote for a new president. Let´s see how that turns out. Although Sauli Niinistö proved to be the most popular candidate with potential 30 % of votes in the last survey, it seems as if many Finns don´t really know who to vote for. Thus it wouldn´t be a big surprise if the elections would go into a second round in February, the 5th I guess it was. I´m not allowed to vote anyway, so whatever... but if the worst nightmare comes true and Soini becomes president I´m outta here - that´s for damn sure.
That was about time! Maybe all my whining about the missing winter paid off.
Whatever the reason, since last Friday Helsinki is covered in snow and I certainly hope it stays like this now. This picture was taken today round about noon by Arto Lauriala in Siltamäki, North Helsinki and beautifully shows how the snow lights up our dark days. Thanks Arto!
Sunday breakfast, 11: something am, candle light and coffee scent fill the apartment.
The doorbell rings. We ignore it, we don´t open for just anyone. About to sit down at the opulent table there´s some knocking on the door followed by more ringing.
Hmm...we successfully ignore that, too, but can´t ignore the apparent commotion in the hallway. Is someone moving in / out? But why would they so desperately want to let us know about it? Nah, thought dismissed, let´s feast.
Wait...now some very distant beeping sound - like the slightest tinnitus that drives you crazy because you can´t decide if you really hear it or if it´s just in your head - becomes more discernible. We do the math: ringing+knocking+commotion+beeping = not good at all.
We open the door to the hallway and witness an exodus of neighbors down the staircase, a few remain on our floor. How did we overhear all this shouting that fills the staircase? As we look down we see the fucking fire brigade that, as we learn from a neighbor, came to extinguish a fire on the floor directly below us! Fuck, that´s bad news! How am I supposed to save all my records from the flames? Are over twenty years of record collecting doomed to go up in smoke? Will my treasure chest of vinyl melt into one big black lump of steaming, stinking plastic? Just as I am about to get nautious / religious we hear the all-clear signal from the firefighters.
Back to the breakfast table. The day is saved and so is our house, our flat and my lps, 45s, 10"s, picture discs etc. No visible harm done, we didn´t see smoke or fire. The food is tasty but for a while we are a bit agitated and confused. Phew, that was a close call.
Nothing much to say, so let´s talk about the weather. Do you know the Spongebob Squarepants episode where Plankton is fooling around with Mr. Krabs´ thermostat?
The weather conditions in Helsinki are quite like that at the time. We´re constantly rotating around the freezing mark which I think is pretty annoying. Snow-rain-ice-rain, snow-rain-ice-rain and everything is either slippery as a dirty limerick or a slushy mess like a bad joke. The snow just doesn´t last. Christmas was black instead of white christmas.
Screw you, Bing Crosby - the temperature difference in Pori amounted to almost 30 (thirty!) degrees compared to last year´s holidays. I´m being ask on a regular basis by my fellow Germans "Is it very cold over there?" "Do you have lots of snow?" "Is it -50 yet?" Well, I made the last one up but my point is: The answer to all these questions is NO and it bums me out.
I feel fooled. Lured into an alleged Winterwonderland that didn´t keep its promise. For the record, most of the time Lapland does deliver what it has promised but that´s a day trip away. Let´s face it: I´m a spoiled brat. I moved to Finland in 2010 during an historic summer that was followed by a damn cold and long lasting winter. And boy, did I like it.
I want my winter and I WANT IT NOW!
Today´s Loppiainen (epiphany / Dreikönigsfest) makes this a day off, so I got time to hammer my five finger feedback for 2011 into my keypad. Here we go:
THUMB:
Up
Edupoli
Työharjoittelu
Summer in Germany
My band
Down
No steady job
Can´t get my head around this language
INDEX FINGER:
Actually Opus Eponymous doesn´t qualify as it was released already in October 2010. I discovered the band though in early 2011 and ever since it has dominated my playlist. Much has been said about Ghost´s Merciful Fate/BOC melange and their ooky spooky image but what makes this record a keeper is the band´s musical craftsmanship! Tons of poppy melodies, harmonies and hooks. The instruments are arranged smartly, the two guitars e.g. rarely play unisono. Combined with that cool organ this adds a lot of depth and color to the songs. Plus a little devil worship is always cool!
Ghost - Satan Prayer
Out of the ashes of Blessure Grave arose Soft Kill, who aren´t far away from their prodecessor musically. T. Grave just replaced girlfriend Reyna K. with Shiloe and updated the Joy Division influence to an New Order influence. Less lo-fi, more pop appeal - also more power and energy! Great wave/ post punk tunes that sometimes even sound, dare I say, uplifting? Well, I guess this ship has sailed as Shiloe is also history now. Soft Kill will carry on nevertheless, which is good news. Anyway, An Open Door is one of the best eighties records, only that it saw the light of day in 2011.
Soft Kill - From this point on
Fuck horror punk, this is horror..er..um..I don´t know. Lonesome´s original band Those Poor Bastards play some kind of trashy horror country and his solo releases followed the same path. But his new output Heartsick? Very dirgy, almost tradional songs with an utterly dark atmosphere (except the track "Going Crazy"), everything here feels old, dusty and full of disease. Only a few instruments were used on this record such as piano, organ, guitar and ukulele. Over all hovers the sad and echo-drenched voice of Wyatt- truly haunting! For me this is his best work up until now.
Lonesome Wyatt & the Holy Spooks - There is Nothing
An interesting blend of hardcore and, yes, post punk, is what the debut album by these Norwegians has to offer. Late love is a very rhythmic and yet melodic album. Arpeggiated chords followed by blunt stop-on-a-dime riffs, vocals are aggressive but very melodic with a lot of room to develop the melancholic atmosphere that sets the tone for this record. For a while I wasn´t sure wether I like this album or not cause its merits are also its flaws. The band gets somewhat repetitive throughout the songs which leaves the hint of a lame aftertaste. Still my tastebuds are pretty pleased!
Wolves Like Us - Deathless
MIDDLE FINGER:
Perussuomalaiset
Racism in Finland and everywhere else
Yksikön ja monikon partitiivi
RING FINGER:
Bernd & Moni
Minna & Jaana
PINKY:
Teuvo Loman (Helsinki City Boy)
That was my five finger feedback for 2011.
2012, show me what you got!
Well, we only had beer and booze last night, but we sure had fun, too! Happy new year to all my blogheads out there, let´s hope for a good 2012. Now I gotta go back to the couch, it´s strangely magnetic today...
