Beautiful archaic boogie

Being appreciated by both folk and popular music audiences is probably a dream for many musicians operating somewhere ‘in between’. Achieving that might however require some wooing in one or the other direction. Nothing feels calculated in Pekko Käppi’s music and maybe that’s why he is so sincerely loved over genre barriers: he has fans among folk, marginal, experimental and indie music enthusiasts.

After three solo albums and a duo album covering Finnish punk classics (see FMQ 4::12), he has recorded an album with his band K:H:H:L. He’s more pop than ever, bringing to mind especially Finnish singer-songwriters from past decades. But he has not forgotten who he is: a modern runo singer, a storyteller knowing well the musical tradition of his country and playing his bowed lyre, jouhikko, brilliantly.

There is not one miss on this album. To get some idea what can be refined from ingredients such as groovy riffs, stylish arrangements, traditional themes and original singing, try for example these irresistible tracks: the soulful “Mun vereni” (Blood of Mine), breezy “Piika Kaarin” (Maid Kaarin) or speedy “Jussi-setä” (Uncle John).