on the airwaves.

my trip last fall via reykjavik was filled with music. the airwaves festival is such a cornucopia of music that the overlapping shows have you first devastated: you find yourself standing in line for phantogram and patrick wolf while you know you're missing out on some other great name. later on it is a relief to realize that just sitting down, sipping a beer anywhere in the city offers something great to listen to. even the off-venue program is so extensive that your brain will be intoxicated with sound.

stella reminded me of one of the songs i sang and hopped along during the long weekend, and i realized that there were so many sounds i was unfamiliar with before that i should probably share the gems – not all of them icelandic – with y'all.

sóley's quiet, dreamy pop reminds me of stina nordenstam. her acoustic gig at a cafe was amazingly calming and soothing.



danish nelson can, a girl group with a rough lo-fi sound, rocked a small bar venue. it was definitely one of my absolute favorites.



of monsters and men seemed to be the band of the moment in the icelandic music export. they were the most buzzed and anticipated local show in harpa and had the international crowd singing along excitedly.



the double take of elín ey – as the singer songwriter with a guitar and as a part of the sisy ey electronic group – displayed a stylish queer talent that was understandably followed around by a doting entourage everywhere she went.





another visible presence around town during the weekend was retro stefson and their lead singer unnsteinn manuel stefánsson who featured in several of the live sets we stumbled into from the smallest bar venue – including a great hip hop show with icelandic lyrics that just took away although we had no idea what was going on –  to the their own show at the harpa main stage.



the bubblegum queen thorunn antonia offered a set of happy pop songs the likes of annie that brought a smile on our faces and a wiggle to our toes.



bloodgroup had harpa dancing with their electronic beats late into the night.



finally, elektro guzzi and their intoxicating live set at the little upstairs club venue. sweat. no cloakroom. more beer, more sweat.



if you ever wanted to visit iceland, airwaves is definitely a bad choice to book a trip for.

diamonds falling from grace.

three years ago i was quite in tune with my inner bookworm judging from a little note i wrote about admiration. nevertheless, being the one-click addict that i am, my amazon shipments have lately included a couple of memoirs – literature i knew to steer clear of before.

judging from how i feel right now, i probably should have kept on avoiding them.

since i never really discuss books here, this may seem an odd way to start – although i am not promising any continuance – but here goes nothing.

i adore beth ditto. i love the gossip. one of my most memorable starstruck moments was when i met her, post-show and after complimenting her singing she gave me the warmest, squishiest hug in the world.

it might have been the single incident that promoted a feeling that i already somehow was connected to her, that despite my overall hesitation to indulge in autobiographical storytelling, that regardless of my understanding of the perilous nature of stories describing subjective facts, that now, here, somehow it would be different.

her memoir, coal to diamonds, started as a light read that i trudged through. the unfastidious language annoyed me throughout, but it was really the structure – or lack of – that became increasingly irritating towards the end. it would be kind to describe the narrative as stream-of-consciousness or circular. truthfully, it was just a messy turmoil with no shape and time-leaps that were nothing short of confusing.

i will try to avoid the potholes of creating a mental image of beth as simple, actually i refuse to believe it, but the memoir's insights offer very little substance with heights such as – and excuse me for paraphrasing – not all people who look like punks embrace the punk mentality or queer people do not all share the same political agenda. the more interesting, complex personal-is-political issues – riot grrl, fat-positive thinking – were merely touched upon and not explained to the uneducated reader.

perhaps a good editor could have pulled this one up from its sad state that was, quite honestly, a waste of paper and time. far better queer coming-of-age stories come from jeannette winterson and, for example, ivan e. coyote – but they happily call them semi-autobiographical.

you can imagine the dread i felt yesterday afternoon when i picked up grace coddington's memoir grace. compared to the ditto version, her's is at least double the length – comparable with their respective ages – and i was afraid i would not finish it. my time is more precious than that. this morning over my cup of coffee, i turned the last page.

it was clear from page one that this was an eloquently written and well-edited story. nevertheless, after a few more pages, i already knew why my literature of choice stays on the fiction side of things: made-up stories are so much more real and insightful than actual life lived and described...

grace was a collection of entertaining dinner party anecdotes suitable for a night with acquaintances; the stories revealed only the surface of their protagonist although providing insight into the world of fashion  editing. the amount of dispensable namedropping at times felt rather ridiculous, but otherwise the accounts of adventures with famous household names provided a peek into a life normally hidden from mere mortals.

perhaps i will stick to fiction from now on then.

diamond rings – i don't need them.

berlin based D E N A brings booty shaking rhythms with a hint of her native bulgaria peeking into the soundscape. the minimalist beat is something i, as an old electro girl, cannot resist. all i want is chill with my friends by the swimming pools...


performing live tonight at siltanen. i'll be there, you should, too.

i don't like your fashion business, mister.

first i took manhattan, then i take berlin – with my monkey and plywood violin. i told you, i told you, told you, i was one of those.



more to follow.

fire explosion.

eagerly awaited, beautifully queer. the knife delivers. again.

soon we'll be enjoying breakfast again.

well hello again.

it's been a while.

i am in the middle of a countdown.

4 to go.

see you soon.

in the meanwhile, enjoy this amazing little song.

throb and swoon.

alien alien is a sideproject of rodion and hugo sanchez, casiotone and italo house masterminds. their ep came out already over a year ago, but somehow i missed it.

its b-side is a low, sleazy and lazy sort of a tune that can fill the dance floor at the very late hours, get an afterparty going towards the execution of ideas that make people blush in the morning (or late afternoon) or just the perfect sunday morning workout song.

the video reminds me of early mornings in nyc after a queer warehouse party in a derelict space somewhere in the meatpacking district or just walking home through the desolate streets of brooklyn 5 am... the boys in the video – fierce.

fluttering foretaste.

actresses turning singers is a phenomenon that disappoints more often than not, but this particular spark has me eagerly awaiting. the first glimpse and flickering suggest much to anticipate.

there's a particle of light and it makes things right... it just don't behave like a wave.

i’m in the milky way.

well, i'm not too keen on suggesting summer hits – my psychic predictions are known to stray away by miles. but i think this song by swedish electropop duo icona pop might keep me bouncing a little come warm weather.

simply. i love it.

fragile vessel.

it's been a while since i've posted music.

too many mediocre songs and meaningless albums have passed by or i've just assumed that you know about the good ones way before i have time to say anything.

 yes, i assume you are a busy lot well informed and all...

even this one isn't new although porcelain raft's debut album strange weekend is just coming out next week. the dreamy, lofi pop that sounds as brumous as his videos look like are beautifully accompanied by the voice that assumes nothing resembling arrogance or pomposity, just gently adds to the haunting float that becomes a song.

he's opening for m83 at tavastia on feb 27 which is a combination bliss, if anything can be.

 

monday doc.

a great little piece of film about flow festival history and present by nokia. for english subtitles, click to youtube and press cc.

there's a short duck hat presence at around 4.30 mins from the beginning...

tori.

there are little girls who love barbies and ponies, but who are anything but barbie-like and fear real live horses.

there are adolescent girls who, instead of dressing up in frilly costumes and riding to the sunset their hair flowing wild, hide in the attic reading edgar allan poe and crime scene depictions.

there are ripening girls who build their soundscapes around faerie dreams and wild yelps.

there are grown girls who find the boxes surrounding them tangible and mutilating, but fight back with redefinitions and the full strength of their mind.

wednesday night i relived 20 years of what a life as a girl like that can be.

pic courtesy of tori.

a musical timeline facebook cannot even dream to provide...

life in pop.

well now, i usually do not do competitions. i hardly ever take part in them myself since i am not too into random free stuff and i find it rather awkward to bother someone with postal services in case i do win.

i am also butt lazy and cannot be bothered with mailing stuff myself which also prevents me from selling my surplus gear via interwebz...

it is not that i do not appreciate you, my dears. i do. other bloggers say that it's a cool way to reward readers, and sure, i agree.

but still preposterously like to think it's the content that draws people to read a blog. or merely the need to sneak into the life of someone they know – or do not.

here's the story: i gave in this time because it really is no bother to me (no mailing involved) and i think you guys might actually appreciate this. that is, i presume that you share my taste in music, even partly.

since you're quite an international lot, my dear readers, this little competition will not perk most of your lives. but the better for you locals, then.

now i feel the obligation to provide a competition to international readers. oh chucks, the slippery slope i just tapped my toe with...

but yes, to the point.

a new regular club night is launching this friday called poplife. it is the child of positively notorious club hosts that were behind the tavastian lauantaidisco and misf*ts, and they cater great music. you just have to trust my word on that.

ok, the official release says it's pop, rock, indie and tiny bit of dance music. but if that ain't the official definition of great music, you've officially got poor taste in music.

now, i've got 5 tickets for two courtesy of tiketti to the opening party. it's soon and you should polish your dancing shoes, but before that, you need to enter by leaving a comment below.

i guess this is where i come up with a funky little question you need to answer... here goes nada.

in your comment, tell me which shoes you'd wear to dance to your favorite tune. describe the shoes, name the tune, please. (finnish is more than ok if you do not want to write in english.)

and of you feel the need to say you'd dance barefoot to some hippy tune, please leave. 

i will then use the random number generator and pick five lucky winners – if enough of you leave a comment. make sure you leave your email-address in the comment section – unfortunately blogger does not allow hidden email-providing as far as i'm aware. in case do not want to share your email, you can also just send it to me at stellageezer [at] gmail.com with your nick. but do leave a comment, nonetheless.

and yes, you will need to be 22 years of age to participate. and you've got till 11am on friday (finnish time) to participate.

whoah. ok. good luck!

you can like poplife on facebook here.

see ya on friday!

alternative bar.

not for the thirsty kind, this bar is meant for the vinyl aficionado and those who want to preserve their precious cassette tapes and vinyl records.

opening as a part of the city centre library, kirjasto 10, the vinyl bar serves as a platform for beginner dj's (or those willing to learn more) as they offer two quality turntables and a mixer in addition to a selection of records for your listening or practicing pleasure. there's also a recorder to preserve the sound on a cd, in case that's something you're after.

opening tonight, i'm proud to say i have dug from good old my vinyl collection a set of 30 minutes to play in the company of otto talvio, islaja and dj orkidea. the event starts at 7pm and you're very welcome to pop in before 9pm.

pic by mikko rasila

after the rain.

during the last weekend of my holiday, a hot and humid summer storm passed right above us booming and pouring down water.

afterwards it was calm and green under the ivy-covered terrace.

i armed myself against the tropical weather with a silk dress and sandals. simple, flowing and airy.

silk dress by cos, necklace by martin margiela mm6.

sandals by carin wester, dirty toes my own.

turku modern had me dancing through the entire weekend. 

love token.

i hardly use my blog as a wish list. i tend not to want many things and when i do, i have a habit of forgetting them unless i succumb to my desire instantly. my way of being is very much in the moment and i tend to harbor fairly few plans for the future which is obvious in my inability to think about, for example, fashion of the coming seasons. hence, creating lists of fleeting wants or needs seems rather futile and artificial.

i live in the now.

sometimes i surprise myself, though. that is, i give into uttering a wish. sometimes i am surprised by loved ones who read my wishes and follow them.

this time i voiced my wish at another location. and it still actualized on our third anniversary.

my token of love.

customizable jewelry from ideapaju.

hel yes.

wirkkala champagne flutes.

last wednesday night we enjoyed a meal at hel yes. we had booked the much coveted seats early, but felt fortunate to have a very unexpected additional reason to celebrate.

more about that later, my dears.

the pop-up restaurant itself was located in an old warehouse at the outskirts of town – there was a handpainted sign guiding the way, but from the outside only a string of lights revealed that something out of the ordinary was going on. as an urbanite with a partiality towards rough and rugged surroundings, i instantly loved the location.

the large dimly lit room was decorated with assorted furniture from finnish designers and everyone was seated at communal tables. the tableware was also mismatched creating a homely bohemian feel. klaus haapaniemi's amazing folklore-inspired blankets hovered tent-like over some tables, ours had an arch of birch creating our own micro-sanctuary of repast.

the leg of a lamb served from communal plates was gnawed clean...

the atmosphere was excited and expectations were high. perhaps a little too up there as the porcini mushrooms in my lasagna proved. the food was tasty, but not spectacular. nevertheless, the location and the buzz compensated nicely, and ultimately i found myself returning to my thoughts about guerilla stores and the impulses they create.

luckily, the champagne, organic beer from lapin kulta and the dessert wine were exactly what i needed, and we left very satisfied.

the reason we rushed out soon after finishing the dessert were tickets to see the hurts. we made it to the club exactly when the guys stepped on stage. i could not have been surprised more pleasantly when i heard my favorite kylie song cover.



a hel of a good night.

i will follow lykke.

i wasn't entirely sure lykke li's "get some" was going the right direction for me, but the second single from her forthcoming album, wounded rhymes, has more promise. lovely video, too.

feelin' the blue.

you might as well consider yourself deaf if you did not hear the dance track of 2008: hercules and love affair's "blind". it is rare that an original dark dance gem gains such popularity – in my circle of friends it crossed musical taste boundaries like no other new song that i know of.

the album was great and the band rocked live, but i started doubting if there'd be anything to follow: the following year their starlet, nomi, formed another group, jessica 6. late last year kim ann foxman released a(n amazing!!) solo single, "creature".

i was convinced the band was done.

but no. soon after kim ann's release there was another hercules song: "my house".



their album, blue songs, will be released at the end of this month. for those of you in need of a prefix, guardian is offering a full album stream here. they're also playing live at debaser, stockholm 3 march 2011.

good vibes are back!

top 10 of 2010.

i am not in the habit of doing these lists. i think this might be the first time, like ever, that i am putting together a summary of albums that i liked in one year. there were many others with excellent parts. not all of these are great throughout.

but here is my list in no particular order.

twin shadow: forget



national: high violet



magenta skycode: relief



villa nah: origin



owen pallett: heartland



marina and the diamonds: the family jewels



the hundred in the hands: the hundred in the hands



bag raiders: bag raiders



anoraak: wherever the sun sets



jaakko eino kalevi: modern life