Julkalendern (Christmas RockCalendar) Dec 21

Slot 21: Murheellisten laulujen maa/Eppu Normaali

(The Land of sorrowful songs)

Eppu Normaali is probably the most popular rock band in Finland over time. That is not to say the best, but they are impossible to neglect, a Finnish rock institution whose melodies, and perhaps especially lyrics, have touched many Finns over the years. 

Just take the song title, really, The Land of sorrowful songs? 

That’s Finnish melancholy for you!

There is something explicitly Finnish with Eppu Normaali’s sound and lyrics. And a funny detail is that some album titles and covers are travesties of international classics. Valkoinen Kupla (White Bubble) for Beatles’s White Album, and especially Akun Tehdas (drummer Aku’s Factory). Just compare that album cover to CCR’s classic Cosmo’s Factory!