One Track Mind

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Finland’s Puumaja just released their debut full-length, Meriselityksiä, and although I can pronounce neither their name nor the title of their record, it’s easy to understand what they are accomplishing musically. I love that the band writes songs in their native tongue, bucking the trend promoted by most European acts of singing in English even if their grasp of the language isn’t quite there. For those of us not blessed with a working knowledge of Finnish, it also adds an additional layer of mystique to tracks like “Punaiset Seinät.”

Puumaja remind me a little bit of what The Mary Onettes (who, incidentally, are Swedish but sing in English) might sound like if they had been influenced more by The Psychedelic Furs or Nick Cave and less by Echo and the Bunnymen. There is a dark, murky force bubbling up from below courtesy of some massively distorted bass, but this never dominates the mood. Instead, it does battle with decidedly sprightlier guitar melodies; the resultant tension provides both the friction and lubrication required to keep things interesting.

This sense of balance on “Punaiset Seinät” is not easily accomplished but Puumaja does a good job of maintaining in throughout the song’s movements. Its opening is arid, the choruses are puffed up and preening, the guitar solo soars, and the ending is a nice slam on the breaks–but all the while the listener is pulled between the lightness of the melodies and the darkness of the vocals and rhythm section. “Punaiset Seinät” is obviously not intended to light up dance floors or be a summertime jam, but it hints at an LP that is more musically mature and emotionally sophisticated than most debuts.