Hoysto

Various Artists

Cudighi Records, 2020

REVIEW BY: Tom Haugen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 02/02/2021

The Cudighi Records label seems to have access an endless supply of obscure and exciting indie bands, as evidenced by their many compilation releases. This time, they focus on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where a high concentration of Finnish people also reside (the highest outside of Europe, actually), as the songs here represent both U.P. artists and some of Finland's best, too.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Plastics Tones starts the listen with the quick and pop friendly “Don't Forget,” that's got plenty of punchy, garage rock spirit, and the fuzzed out rock of “Rose”, from The Curfews, follows, effectively getting the cassette off to a fantastic start and sign of great things to come. 

There's 21 tunes here, and each one finds its own way into the recesses of our minds, including the lo-fi, harmonic sounds of Beatrix's “Pumpkin,” as well as the jangly psyche-pop of Dan Daniels' “Going To The Ocean. Terminal Orchestra offer one of the most inviting tracks, where their slow, melodic, post-rock textures highlight “Fiver's Plan.”

Further down the road, Wonderhorse contribute the bare but impactful folk approach of “West Coast Fog”, which is complemented well by Joel Parkkila's version of high lonesome on the expressive “Sad Enough For Two.” The God Eaters come through with a late album stand out, via the speedy, bristling punk of “It Takes A Village, and Sumuposauttaja exit the listen with "Entä nyt?", where 5 minutes of gentle, playful instrumentation finds a unique place to reside alongside some variation of eccentric pop.

A really great and diverse peek at some promising bands in the area of outsider pop and atypical indie-rock, the limited cassette even comes with a 7 panel J-card that's got plenty of information to accompany the sounds that would perfectly suit the harsh winters of Michigan, just as they would the brisk, vibrant summers.

Rating: B+

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