in Reviews

New national treasure?

"Our Nation is musically relaxed and witty. Shine 2009 know their musical history yet reach forward in a way that might reflect the way Pykäri and Suova would like Finland circa 2013 to be."

SHINE 2009
Our Nation
Expo EXPO 12

Some might still remember the years when Finnish indie bands were praised for having an international sound that separated them from the quite embarrassing peripheral Finnish pop. Shine 2009, the stylish duo of Mikko Pykäri and Sami Suova, make Finnish clichés work for them with an ironic trick: the cover art of Our Nation is a collage of national symbols, from the Aalto vase to the famous ‘blue’ sausage and the Lumia smartphone. The light-hearted take on national mythology turns nationalism into exciting exotica.

Our Nation is musically relaxed and witty. Shine 2009 know their musical history yet reach forward in a way that might reflect the way Pykäri and Suova would like Finland circa 2013 to be. Our Nation plays with light adult rock, Pet Shop Boys-style pop and the special effects of more recent electronic dance music. The production is excellent throughout, which is no surprise since Pykäri has proven his magical pop touch already on the records of Regina, making him a kind of national treasure in his own right. Our Nation has all the potential to become a hit to cross nations.

 Listen to Our Nation at Soundcloud

Timo Harjuniemi

Translation: Jonathan Mander