Scandinavian Music Group
When Scandinavian Music Group released its first single in January 2002, there was little reason to envy the band. Formed on the ashes of the immensely popular Ultra Bra, whatever SMG was doing was immediately compared to the accomplishments of UB. Possibly also the band itself needed some time to finally settle accounts with its past, but with the release of the fourth album Missä olet Laila? in 2007 SMG took a new direction from sorrowful but slightly middle-of-the-roadish pop rock to wistful, country-influenced folk pop. This move was rewarded with scores of new fans and a gold record. Apparently the band itself was also happy with this new outfit, since the latest album Palatkaa Pariisiin!, released earlier this spring, keeps on the rootsy road of its precursor.
Scandinavian Music Group is run like a family business. Almost all songs are written by the guitarist Joel Melasniemi, with lyrics by the vocalist, Melasniemi's ex-girlfriend Terhi Kokkonen. All the pictures in the leaflet of the new album have been taken by Kokkonen, while Melasniemi, also a cartoonist and an illustrator, has designed the covers. This intimate mood is also audible in the music. In fact, SMG makes a point of making songs and not just tracks, as Kokkonen's intelligent and reflective lyrics are at least as important as the melodies. As most of the band members have played together for more than a decade now, their practical training in the art of crowd-pleasing is more than completed, and an intimate evening with stadium-sized feelings is on offer also at the Sulo Club.
www.scandinavianmusicgroup.com
myspace.com/scandinavianmusicgroup
