String Tease
JPP has been spearheading the Finnish folk revival for over a decade, fusing traditional tunes and the unavoidable Finn penchant for tango to create a new and unique art form, one that has given them one of the most recognizable sounds in Scandinavia. Using bass, harmonium (pump organ), and a gang of ace fiddlers, they come to this new album full of new ideas, tight and innovative compositions, and a spirit that will refuse the listener any complacency. They roar into the opening track, "Hale Bopp," with a semiclassical verve, taking fiddler Mauno Järvelä and harmonium player Timo Alakotila's composition and making it into a stark skyscape. They play beautiful waltzes, lively polkas, and some jazzy originals, each with sparkling accuracy and cleverly arranged spirit. String Tease not only features the usual contingent of three to five fiddles, but also adds the JPP String Orchestra on a number of cuts for a rich full-chamber sound. This record also marks a departure for the band, as they collaborate with the Swedish folk-pop band Väsen on a few tracks, adding guitar,nyckelharpa, and percussion to their usual string sound in some great new tunes. This is the best record the band has made to date and a major accomplishment for the Finnish new folk scene.--Louis Gibson