We can’t seem to shake a habit.  So welcome to the end of our End Of Year Review 2014, and as has become customary around this time, say hello to the Soliti Zip Vol. 4. Adorned in a classic Teppo Meriläinen cover, this year we have 12 tracks specially hand picked from the likes of Black Lizard, Manna, Cats Of Transnistria, LOVE SPORT, Astrid Swan, Delay Trees, The New Tigers, Oceans, Sister Flo, Gim Kordon, Black Twig & Ghost Of Jack Nance. Just click the link to get the latest end of year Soliti compilation: Soliti Zip Vol 4.

Soliti Zip Vol. 4 (Soliti Retro 002)

• 1.LOVE SPORT: Well..Shit
• 2.The New Tigers: Keep Cool
• 3.Gim Kordon: Yöhön Tummaan
• 4.Cats Of Transnistria: Good Night
• 5.Ghost Of Jack Nance: Strange Inception
• 6.Astrid Swan: Black Bear & A Hoofer
• 7.Black Lizard: Burning
• 8.Manna: Troublebirds
• 9.Delay Trees: Fireworks
• 10.Oceans: Honest
• 11.Black Twig: Summer Slow Down
• 12.Sister Flo: The Look

A big thank you in 2014 to all of you have supported the label by buying a record, clicking a stream, posting a blog or coming to a show. Your support keeps this thing alive. Big shout out to Heidi & Paltsa for much great behind the scenes work, Onni for some fine posters and Soliti Turns Three cover. Finally, big thanks to Teppo Meriläinen for his SOLITIFEST design and the whole look and setting up of our new web page- a true trooper. And of course all the Soliti acts!

Best Of 2014

As usual, we asked Soliti artists to give us a rundown of their year. Enjoy the lists, happy xmas and a great New Year. See you in 15!

Delay Trees TOP 5 of 2014

1. World Cup 2014 Brazil
2.’Readymade’ release and shows (xoxo Black Twig)
3. True Detective
4. Soliti Fest
5. Writing and rehearsing new songs (October->)

• Best dog breed 2014:Border Collie (for the second year in a row!)
• Up-and-coming, to be big in 2015: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Esa (Satellite Stories)

• Best music 2014
• Saint Pepsi
• Pc Music
• Pelican Fly releases
• Somepoe: Leave The House EP
• Films
• Interstellar
• Highs
• Everyone close to me
• Headlining festivals
• Touring
• Having an opportunity to work with Barny Barnicott
• lows
• Still waiting for proper winter

Astrid Swan

The Good List of 2014

This has been a really difficult year for me, as I started it with breast cancer diagnosis and spent the whole year in treatment. I am glad to wave 2014 goodbye. Here are my highlights though!

• 1. Sharon Van Etten: Are We There -album
  Music to soundtrack my feelings of lostness, tragedy and glimpses of giddy happiness
• 2. Doing my own Tyttöystävä radio show on Radio Helsinki. (find podcasts of the program from the link)
• 3. The Finnish parliament making marriage equal by changing the law and granting gay and lesbian couples the right to marriage.
• 4. Siri Hustvedt: The Blazing World
  I am a slow reader these days, but I love love love this book, its subject and the way it is compiled as if a memoir although it is fiction.
• 5. Elevant restaurant in Tallinn. Because it is so good and I have lovely memories from last summer from their terrace.

BEST 2014  By Henna and Tuomas / Cats of Transnistria

• RECORDS
• Dirty Beaches: Stateless
• Sharon Van Etten: Are We There
• Parquet Courts: Sunbathing Animal
• Angel Olsen: Burn Your Fire for No Witness
• Nots: We Are Nots
• Ex-cult: Midnight Passenger
  Grace Sings Sludge: Red Light Museum
  Thee Oh Sees: Drop
  Black Twig: Heliogram
  Soundtrack: Only Lovers Left Alive
• OTHER BEST
• Cats of Transnistria’s birth, recordings, doing lots of gigs and joining Soliti <3

Aki (Black Twig/LOVE SPORT)

• Things I’ve enjoyed this year (2014):

• Sur-Rur: Ajan Paksu Lakana (album, 2013)
• -Amazing songs, amazing lyrics, amazing album
• Cass McCombs: Big Wheel and Others (album, 2013)
• -I first heard this album when my friend had it as a copy on two cassettes. We listened to it on repeat when the year changed from ’13 to ’14.
• Siinai: Supermarket (album, 2014)
• -Parhaita viime aikojen juttuja Suomesta, jäänyt harmittavan vähälle huomiolle / Best contemporary things from Finland, really underrated in my opinion
• Amanda Coplin: The Orchardist (novel, 2012)
• -Just randomly picked this up at the city library. Definitely resonated and made an impact.
• Cycling (activity)
• -Bought a proper bike for the first time in my life, even though I’ve been cycling all my life. Best investment in years.
• Slowdive at Flow Festival (concert, 2014)
• -Didn’t expect anything but it was the gig of the year
• Meeting Stephen Pastel in Glasgow (fanboy moment, 2014)
• Dean Blunt: Black Metal (album, 2014)
• Playing live and recording (hobby)
• True Detective, Top of the Lake, The Affair (tv-series)

Mikko (Sister Flo)

My definitive list (in no particular order)

Wild beasts: present tense
Cloud nothings: Here and nowhere else
Ryan Adams: s/t
J Mascis: tied to a star
The Magic Numbers: Alias
Real Estate: Atlas
Jukka Nousiainen: huonoa seuraa
Fucked Up: Glass boys
The war on drugs: lost in the dream
Beck: morning phase

Aleksi (Gim Kordon)

• 1. War On Drugs: Lost In The Dream
• -Album of the Year
• 2. Ryan Adams: Kim
• -Song of the Year
• http://www.last.fm/music/Ryan+Adams/_/Kim
• 3. War On Drugs: Under The Pressure
• -Song of the Year #2
• http://youtu.be/vkLOg252KRE
• 4. Morrissey Live at Finlandia Talo, Helsinki
• -Gig of the Year
• http://youtu.be/1uOoInCXA6I
• 5. Satellite Stories: The Trap
• -Pop perfection of the Year
• https://m.soundcloud.com/satellitestories/the-trap-3
• 6. Teksti-TV 666
• -The best band Gim Kordon played with in 2014
• http://youtu.be/C2QSdt3OpTI
• 7. Pietarin Spektaakkeli
• -Another best band we played with
• http://youtu.be/m07SN0dU1eU
• 8. Black Twig: Heliogram
• -The album I love
• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QNFTBMbBgZ8
• 9. Action Bronson: Easy Rider
• -The anthem of the year
• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=58RSC7HO9aU
• 10. Future Islands
• -The thing
• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ee4bfu_t3c

Lari (Ghost Of Jack Nance)

So.. we’ve been together as a band for about… 9 months. It’s been a bliss to play the amount of gigs we’ve had so far… like playing with The Raveonettes and facing Tavastia for the first time.  We released our first EP which is also the first release on Soliti as well and It’s called “My Heart Sings–”. This year has been a good one exciting, but it is only the beginning…

Ville (The New Tigers/Cats On Fire)

• New songs:
• Ariel Pink – Dayzed Inn daydreams
• Sverige – Anna
• Jessica Pratt – Back, Baby
• Foxygen – How Can You Really
• Nuslux – Endless Summer
• Ducktails – Letter of Intent
• The War on Drugs – An ocean in between the waves
• Linda Perhacs – Prisms of glass
• Cassie Ramone – Hanging on
• Donnie & Joe Emerson – Something’s Coming Down
• Prince – Breakdown
• Jarse – Det går runt igen
• The Soundcarriers – The outsider
• Julia Holter – Don’t Make me over
• Johan Hedberg – Nackamasterna
• Black Twig – Halfways
• Ramona Lisa – Dominic
• Rae Sremmurd – No Type
• Fate vs. Free Willy – Swallow
• Alice Boman – Over
• Ariel Pink – One Summer Night
• Older songs:
• Fairport Convention – Autopsy
• Karen Dalton – Something on your mind
• Tim Buckley – Phantasmagoria in two
• Alice Coltrane – Hare Krishna
• Gene Clark – No Other
• Lalo Schifrin – Agnus Dei
• The Durutti Column – Duet
• The Electric Prunes – Agnus Dei
• Girls – Life In San Francisco
• Dennis Wilson – Lady (Falling In Love)
• Sally Oldfield – Blue Water
• The Cleaners From Venus – Helpless
• Blood Orange – Chamarkay
• Sinead O’Connor – Nothing compares 2 U
• Robin Gibb – How Old Are You?
• Chris Bell – I Am the Cosmos
• Flamin’ Groovies – Yes It’s True
• Stevie Nicks – Rooms On Fire
• Matching Mole – Signed Curtain
• Phil Ochs – Jim Dean of Indiana
• Spotify link: new+old 2014 
• (Minus non–spotify tracks which are here)

Teemu / LOVE SPORT (whatever works, 2014 and beyond)

• – Teksti-TV 666 (a band)
• – Tim Moore – s/t (LP)
• – Fuck CD’s  (a label)
• – Aivovuoto @ FLOW 2014 (a gig)
• – Lähtevät Kaukojunat – s/t (LP)
• – Anna Veijalainen – Joukkokohtaus (a book)
• – Miki Liukkonen – Lapset auringon alla (a book)
• – Ruben Östlund – Turist (a movie)
•  
• plus the talented people all over Finland,
• who go their own peculiar ways. Inspiring !