Bracket 4.1.5
Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentti - Sisältäni portin löysin
Mari Boine - Diamántta Spáillit
Incredibly strong week again; Pekka starts it off strong and Mari Boine comes incredibly close. I actually can't make a choice here yet, I'll listen to the songs a few more times over the next few days.

Bracket 4.1.6
Atalyja - Gervele
Tenhi - Kuoppa
Atalyja does not let up with its magical flute and although I quite enjoy Tenhi it's not up to par with its competitor.

Bracket 4.1.7
Clas-Göran Hederström - Det börjar verka kärlek, banne mej
Jakob Hellman - Vara vänner
A very Eurovisionesque song and a song where I feel understanding the lyrics would make it a lot more interesting. Weakest bracket of the week.

Bracket 4.1.8
Bob Hund - Düsseldorf
Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni
Düsseldorf is the only song I already knew this week, but it's simply no match for the beauty of Innundir Skinni.

Bracket 4.1.5
Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentti - Sisältäni portin löysin
Mari Boine - Diamántta Spáillit

It’s difficult to choose between these two very nice folk songs, but the Mari Boine song gets my vote for having a bit more variety.

Bracket 4.1.6
Atalyja - Gervele
Tenhi - Kuoppa

Two more folk songs, but the folk of Tenhi is a bit dark for my tastes. Atalyja's Gervele is more the kind of thing that I like.

Bracket 4.1.7
Clas-Göran Hederström - Det börjar verka kärlek, banne mej
Jakob Hellman - Vara vänner

Yes, it’s a Eurovision song and it’s schlager. But if I were to create a playlist called “Songs That Make Me Happy” this one will definitely be on it. Thanks, Henrik, for recommending the song to me in your thread about Swedish music. (For a clip with better sound quality, try this one.)

Bracket 4.1.8
Bob Hund - Düsseldorf
Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni

I’ve been a big fan of Düsseldorf since the first time I heard it, but the lovely Ólöf Arnalds song is my favourite new discovery this week and gets my vote.

Bracket 4.1.5
Mari Boine - Diamántta Spáillit

Bracket 4.1.6
Atalyja - Gervele

Bracket 4.1.7
Clas-Göran Hederström - Det börjar verka kärlek, banne mej

Bracket 4.1.8
Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni

Bracket 4.1.5
Mari Boine - Diamántta Spáillit

Bracket 4.1.6
Atalyja - Gervele

Bracket 4.1.7
Jakob Hellman - Vara vänner

Bracket 4.1.8
Bob Hund - Düsseldorf

The updated Spotify playlist


Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentii - Sisältäni portin löysin (1970)
Mari Boine - Diamántta Spáillit (2006)
Mmm, difficult, we have some fragile prog-folk from Pekka Streng (a singer that died from cancer when he was only 26 years old) and a sample of joik (I just learned from wikipedia that it's the chant of the Sami people, the Arctic indigenous people that inhabit the far northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola peninsula of Russia). I think I'm going to vote for Mari Boine, not for the testimonial importance but because the song is beautiful.


Atalyja - Gervele (2004)
Tenhi - Kuoppa (2006)
Another strong bracket, that Atalyja tune is mesmerizing but I'm going to chose the Tenhi song because it accurately reminds the dark ambiance of doom metal while maintaining a pure folk instrumentation. Dark folk, isn't it?


Clas-Göran Hederström - Det börjar verka kärlek, banne mej (1968)
Jakob Hellman - Vara Vänner (1989)
Some schlager was inevitable in this section, and this one is really inviting. But I'm going to chose one of my favourite Swedish singers, Jakob Hellman, that released a brilliant debut album in 1989 and wasn't able to release a follow up. The sweet jazz-pop tone of this tune does it for me.


bob hund - Düsseldorf (1996)
Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni (2010)
The Arnalds song is pretty, sweet and caressing. But "Düsseldorf" is probably my Swedish-speaking favourite song coming for the Henrik playlist that I talked about last week (the overall song could be "Dancing Queen", not too original in it). The main attractive of the song to my ears is how they manage to sound rollicking (mostly due to a childish melody and to some jumping guitars) and almost nostalgic at the same time (mostly due to a keyboard that sounds like a pedal steel, you can listen to it at 0:29 or 2:45).

Hey Honorio, if you don't mind I could send you the 8 songs slightly ahead of time so you can update the Spotify playlist and I'll include it in the first post.

Bracket 4.1.5
Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentti - Sisältäni portin löysin

Bracket 4.1.6
Atalyja - Gervele

Bracket 4.1.7
Jakob Hellman - Vara vänner

Bracket 4.1.8
Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni

Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentti - Sisaltani portin loysin 8
Mari Boine Prson - Diamanta Spaillit 9

I love the delicate stringiness of Sisaltani, but Diamantta has this sort of haunting medievalness to it that really gets me.

Atalyja - Gervele 7
Tenhi - Kuoppa 5

Atalya also has that medievalness, but it comes off as too directionless to be haunting, and even a little gimmicky. However, I've seen Celticish violins work really well with metal growling, but it doesn't work here.

Clas-Goran Hederstrom - Det borjar verka karlek, banne mej 4
Jakob Hellma - Vara Vanner 5

(Abstain)
Stephan: If this vote turns into a tie, consider this a vote for Vera Vanner.

Clas-Goran, 1940's American pop music called, even it thinks this is nauseatingly croony. Also, Jakob, the Kinks called. It's about your horn section. They can pull it off, you can't.

Bob Hund - Dusseldorf 5
Olof Arnalds - Innundir Skinni 5

I'm going with Arnalds because I like the vocal melody, but it needed more interesting guitar stuff going on.

Bracket 4.1.5
Mari Boine - Diamántta Spáillit

Bracket 4.1.6
Atalyja - Gervele

Bracket 4.1.7
Jakob Hellman - Vara vänner

Bracket 4.1.8
Bob Hund - Düsseldorf

It's a pity, my two favorites songs this week are both in the last bracket.

Bracket 4.1.5
Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentti - Sisältäni portin löysin 4
Mari Boine - Diamántta Spáillit 3.9
Very close, I'll go for the simpler song. More emotional power in the first too, more musical skills in the second.

Bracket 4.1.6
Atalyja - Gervele3.9
Tenhi - Kuoppa 3.75
here again, close call. I'll go for my nomination because it's a little less dark and more melodic.

Bracket 4.1.7
Clas-Göran Hederström - Det börjar verka kärlek, banne mej 3.9
Jakob Hellman - Vara vänner 3.75
2 gentle pop songs. I like oldies, so we'll go for the first

Bracket 4.1.8
Bob Hund - Düsseldorf 3.75
Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni 4
Great simple folk song with a jolly voice is what I like. First one is OK but a little twisted

Bracket 4.1.5
Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentti - Sisältäni portin löysin
Mari Boine - Diamántta Spáillit

Beautiful piece with amazing vocals.

Bracket 4.1.6
Atalyja - Gervele
Tenhi - Kuoppa

A bit melodramatic, but this is not necessarily a bad thing!

Bracket 4.1.7
Clas-Göran Hederström - Det börjar verka kärlek, banne mej
Jakob Hellman - Vara vänner

Hederström has more flare in his delivery. And sometimes I think I shouldn't be watching these videos, because Hellman's dancing got on my nerves.

Bracket 4.1.8
Bob Hund - Düsseldorf
Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni

Arnauld's song is excellent from a technical standpoint, but I prefer the weirdness of Bob Hund here.

Bracket 4.1.5
Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentti - Sisältäni portin löysin
The first is simply beautiful, Mari Boine is too folksy for me

Bracket 4.1.6
Tenhi - Kuoppa
Atalyja again is too folksy, the second is more contemporary.

Bracket 4.1.7
pass - both very irritating people

Bracket 4.1.8
Bob Hund - Düsseldorf

Bracket 4.1.5
Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentti - Sisältäni portin löysin

Pekka Streng has probably affect half of my Finnish favorites more than any other (Finnish) artist at least vicariously.
The song is also very beautiful and timeless. Mari Boine is also good but Streng will be one of my biggest favorites in the game.


Bracket 4.1.6
Tenhi - Kuoppa
To be honest I listened to this song first time when Mindrocker voted for it in 00s poll (and I'm from Finland if someone didn't know that). So these songs in the game are definitely not from the best selling artists of their countries which is very good. Honorio said it already. doom metal + folk = Dark folk. Sounds like my thing in theory and also in practise. (and again the competing song is very good too).

Bracket 4.1.7
Clas-Göran Hederström - Det börjar verka kärlek, banne mej
Jakob Hellman - Vara vänner
I wait if there's need to make difference between these songs. I'm not going to listen to these again now.

Bracket 4.1.8
Bob Hund - Düsseldorf

Two amazing tracks (I don't even know if this bracket is better than the one with Pekka Streng). I vote for Bob Hund but if Ólöf Arnalds qualifies I'll probably vote for it in forthcoming rounds.

Bracket 4.1.5
Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentti - Sisältäni portin löysin
Mari Boine - Diamántta Spáillit
"Sisältäni portin löysin" is beautiful. "Diamántta Spáillit" is good too, but the combination of Nordic folk and modern production is a little problematic for me.

Bracket 4.1.6
Atalyja - Gervele
Tenhi - Kuoppa

Bracket 4.1.7
Clas-Göran Hederström - Det börjar verka kärlek, banne mej
Jakob Hellman - Vara vänner
Two feelgood songs. Well, if you like that - sad comments from BillAdama and Antonius. Before this game I had no idea I would get so easily upset by negative comments about the Swedish songs. Anyway, this is a cult schlager song (which has really become a personal favorite since I posted it in my Swedish music thread) against the lead single from the best Swedish album ever according to the only(!) Swedish critics poll, in 1996. I like the album "...och stora havet" but it has never been close to #1 for me so I have always felt that Hellman is a little overrated. Nevertheless, the jazzy "Vara vänner" is wonderful and is my pick after all.

Bracket 4.1.8
Bob Hund - Düsseldorf
Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni
My favorite Bob Hund song, with some of my favorite lyrics.

"Jag gillar sånt som ingen bryr sig om. När jag blir nyfiken står tiden still. Då blir jag pigg och orkar lite till."

(I like things that no one cares about. When I get curious time stands still. Then I get alert and can do a little bit more.)

Well, it works better with the rhyme...

Maybe I was a bit harsh with my comments on those songs Henrik, but I just listened to the two again, and the former still strikes me as very big band croonery. And the latter I'm finding impossible not to constantly compare to Sunny Afternoon.

That's fine, Bill. There are similarities between "Vara vänner" and "Sunny Afternoon". Usually Hellman is compared to Elvis Costello though.

I decided to vote for Mari Boine too, but it didn't matter anymore as it was already 7-5. The rest of the results, in the closest overall week I believe we've had so far:

Bracket 4.1.5
Pekka Streng & Tasavallan Presidentti - Sisältäni portin löysin - 5
Mari Boine - Diamántta Spáillit - 8

Bracket 4.1.6
Atalyja - Gervele - 8
Tenhi - Kuoppa - 5

Bracket 4.1.7
Clas-Göran Hederström - Det börjar verka kärlek, banne mej - 4
Jakob Hellman - Vara vänner - 6

Bracket 4.1.8
Bob Hund - Düsseldorf - 7
Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni - 6