The best of 2024. Soliti artists pick their highlights from 2023! See you on the other side!
Stina Koistinen (Stinako)
END OF THE YEAR LIST – STINAKO
Books: Niko Hallikainen – Suuri märkä salaisuus, Juhani Karila – Pienen hauen pyydystys
Movies: Perfect Days, Crossing, Driving Madeleine
Gigs: PJ Harvey at Flow Festival, Ville Ahonen at Kuudes Linja
Albums: The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World, Tous les Matins du Monde -movie soundtrack
Songs: Ed Askew – Moon in the Mind
Albin de la Simone – Les cent prochaines années
Buffy Sainte-Marie – Little Wheel Spin and Spin
Peso Pluma feat. Junior H, Oscar Maydon – ROMPE LA DOMPE
Bon Iver – S P E Y S I D E
Work of the year: Angels in America – my first time being a composer and musician for a theatre piece
Decision of the year: Slowly but firmly letting go of self-rotting beliefs, letting light in and searching for good things (thanks therapy!)
Tuomas Alatalo (Cats Of Transnistria)
Songs/albums of the year
Some of these might have been released last year but who cares
Amyl and the Sniffers – U Should Not Be Doing That
The Cure – Songs From A Lost World
Dirty Three – Love Changes Everything
Dragsvik – Kaikki maailman kukat
Henna Emilia Hietamäki – Luutarha
Kim Gordon – The Collective
Moor Mother – The Great Bailout
Pussy Gillette – So Fucked
Sir Liselot – Nämä kädet ei paljoa suojaa
Special Interest – Nothing Grows Here
Ydinperhe – Raitis ja valveilla oleva työväenluokka
Valtteri Virtanen (The New Tigers)
2024 in musical terms
New songs:
Men I Trust: Husk
Sheer Mag: Moonstruck
Snail Mail: Tonight, Tonight
Kavinsky, Angele, Phoenix: Nightcall
Penniless: 44
Jalen Ngonda: Illusions
New albums:
Top Sound: Isn’t Happiness.
This great album is from 2022 but it’s new, right!
Best shows:
Alvvays / Helsinki
Pixies / Helsinki
Melenas/ Alicante
Jonna Tervomaa/ Turku
Smashing Pumpkins/ Montreux. Okay I wasn’t there but Kece was and he said it was rather good. I believe it!
Most memorable shows I played this year:
– Karviset at friend’s birthday garden party one June night.
– A rocking christmas music show at a kindergarten dressed up as Santa Claus. The children welcomed me like the rockstar I always wished to be!
Best band rehearsals:
New Tigers, when the new songs started to rock!
Best (and only) studio session:
Hell Cat at Studio Sämpy. Being a trio, we rehearsed the multi-faceted songs layer by layer, for example the bassist rehearsed both guitar and bass parts, the drummer drums and lap steel, on different times naturally. When we put it all together, it worked. Phew!
Most controversial music experience:
That song that kept playing at max volume through the first part of the movie ”Anatomy of a Fall” freaks me out.
Julian Lahdesmaki
2024 – Year in review
After releasing my Young Jupiter EP, 2024 turned into an artistic inhale for me. I found myself collecting ideas and inspiration while forest bathing, visiting world renowned artistic works, and opening myself up to the whispers of the universe.
Notable inspirations:
Song: This Is Life – by Dawes, Medium Build and Winnetka Bowling League
Albums: Legends, Myths, and Lavender – Stephan Moccio, So – Peter Gabriel (1986)
Book: Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari
Movie: Brian and Charles (2022)
Documentary: Anselm (2023)
Paintings: The Little Street – Vermeer, Night Watch – Rembrandt
Exhibit: Gothic Modern – Ateneum
Artist: Matias Karsikas
Henna Emilia Hietamäki
Some things I enjoyed in 2024:
Gigs:
Kim Gordon, Slaktkyrkan, Stockholm
L7, Sideways
Fontaines D.C., Sideways
MESSA, Kuudes linja
Lost Girls, Odysseus
Ville Leinonen, Odysseus
Rosettes, Tavastia
…and many many more, including Lau Nau, Heta Bilaletdin, Thomas Ignatius, Topias Tiheäsalo, Kadonnut Manner…
Movies:
Crossing
Anora
Firebrand
Poor Things
Challengers
Books:
Miranda July: Nelinkontin
Nina Lykke: Emme ole täällä pitämässä hauskaa
Britney Spears: The Woman in Me
Other:
My dog Konna
Juppe
Juppe’s Best of 2024
Best album I listened to:
Ernest Hood – Neighborhoods (1975)
”A very cool ambient album from the seventies, perfect blend of analog synths and field recordings.”
Best movie I saw:
The Third Man (1949)
”Great cinematography, very modern dialog and an impressive performance from Orson Welles.”
Best tv show:
Dandadan
”Best anime of the year.”
Best rock I held:
Quartzite
”Very hard, very metamorphic. I’m a big fan”
Best animal:
My sister’s cat Koko
”Grey cat, loves to sit on your chest if you make the mistake of sitting down. Classic.”
Best gig I saw:
Bad Sauna at Tavastia
”Finland’s best grunge band gets better every time I see it.”
Honourable mention:
My headphones.
”Almost broken but still going strong, wiggling around with the cord seems to work for now!”
John McGregor (Kaspar)
Mikael Hakkarainen (Kaspar)
12 songs from 2024
Hurray For The Riff Raff – Alibi
Adrianne Lenker – Sadness As A Gift
Andrew Bird, Madison Cunningham – Don’t Let Me Down Again
Gillian Welch, David Rawlings – Howdy Howdy
Bonny Light Horseman – Singing to the Mandolin
Bonnie Prince Billy – London May
The Folk Implosion – Moonlit Kind
Luke Sital-Singh – Hold the Lightning
Favourite live versions 2024
Ryan Beatty: Haircut / Cupid / Powerslide (Live from Danforth Hall, Toronto)Feist: Tiny Desk Concert
Lizzy McAlpine – I Guess | Live from Vevo Studios
Bonus from 2023:
Sylvan Esso – How Did You Know (Live At Electric Lady)
Joona Kinnunen (Ghosts on TV)
Hi all! I think I missed the last two of these, so let’s do a little annual update for the Soliti blog once again.
2024 was after all an anniversary year – as we kicked it off in January with Ghosts on TV‘s 10th anniversary shows. At the main celebration at Tiivistämö I might have gotten a bit emotional, when the two-hour spectacle with lights, guests, and fireworks ended with the last track of our first EP, Swim.
Well, great stuff for the nostalgic types – which I definitely am – but right now the focus is entirely on our third studio album.
Surprisingly 2024 was also a year of international activities in my life and in this lovely underground scene of ours. We got to play with an American dream-pop band in Finland and Estonia, and in March we also had guests from Switzerland. Refreshing! We also did a small European tour with my other band moshimoshi, together with a New Jersey-based act. Definitely had lots of conversations about The Boss and The Sopranos with them. A shoutout also to the scene in Tallinn! I got to meet Pia Fraus, Buzhold and many others with my bands, as I ended up visiting the town five times this year. Gonna return with Thelma’s Dream next February already, so I think there’s definitely some new movement happening in Eesti! Hyvää Eestin Reissua!
About my favourite cultural things – I’ll soon be posting my favourite albums of the year on Instagram, as is custom. Boston&joona33 This marks the 10th year I’m doing that– here’s to ten more. Music has definitely been good this and the last decade.
But this post needs a list too – so let’s go with the 20 best shows I saw in 2024. Happy Holidays!
1. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Olympiastadion
2. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Paavli Kulttuurivabrik
3. Pulp – Flow
4. Ville Ahonen – Kuudes linja
5. Nick Cave & Colin Greenwood – Musiikkitalo
6. PJ Harvey – Flow
7. Current 93 – Espoon Kulttuurikeskus
8. PMMP – Olympiastadion
9. IDLES – Flow
10. Slowdive – Kesärauha
11. Liturgy – Kuudes Linja
12. Eight – Valorinne Emo Fest
13. Ocelot – Siltanen
14. Good Boys – Mascot
15. Lau Nau – Flow
16. Lempi Elo – Korjaamon Vintti
17. Richard Dawson – Kuudes Linja
18. Rebekka Holi – Korjaamon Kulmasali
19. Mono – Kulttuuritalo
20. Mikko Joensuu – Musiikkitalo
Emilia Pennanen (Ocelot)
Top 5
Favourite music related thing of the year was to see Lana Del Rey live at Primavera Porto, especially songs from the album Did you know there is a tunnel under Ocean Blvd were sounding beautiful. And of course releasing Ocelot’s album Siskoni on noita. 🙂
Other things I enjoyed (in no particular order)
- Clairo – Charm (album)
- Katie Gavin ft. Mitski – As Good As It Gets (song)
- Fontaines D.C. – Favourite, In The Modern World, Bug, Romance, Death Kink (songs)
- Caroline Polacheck – Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In Their Mouth (song)
- MJ Lenderman — Wristwatch (song)
And some old music
- Jon & Vangelis — I’ll Find My Way Home (song)
- Joan Baez — It Ain’t Me Babe (song)
- The The — This Is The Day (song)
- Molly Drake — A Sound (song)
- Linda Perhacs — Call of the River (song)
Nick Triani (Head chef at Soliti Recordings).
Highs
My family who keep me on the right path.
All the wonderful artists from Soliti. It’s been a vintage year.
Tottenham Hotspur when they are good.
The Maestro (Secret Morricone) by Ennio Morricone.
UNTITLED (God) by Sault.
Cowboy Carter by Beyonce.
Three Bells by Ty Segall.
Cautionary Tales: Jukebox Classiques by Pavement
G stands for Go-Beetweens Vol, 3 by The Go-Betweens
SOS- Sza.
Opus by Ryuichi Sakamoto
Bright Future by Adrianne Lenker
Hey Panda by The High Llamas
Night Reign by Arooj Aftab
Spell Blanket – Collected Demos 2006 – 2009 by Broadcast
TRANSA from Red Hot Org
Alex Izenberg & The Exiles by Alex Izenberg
Jazz Anthology by Dorothy Ashby
Diamond Jubilee by Cindy Lee
Metal Box by PIL
I listened to lots more music than this – but these are the one’s I recall now.
Really did listen to and buy a lot of music in 2024 – so probably have missed out a great deal (need to check those shelves!)
Some books I managed to get too:
Providence by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows.
Loaded: The Life (and Afterlife) of the Velvet Underground by Dylan Jones.
White by Brett Easton Ellis.
Munichs by David Peace.
Still the best magazine around is Sight & Sound.
Watched a lot of comfort tv – enjoyed The English mini series espeically and lots more.
Watched some classic movies and the Alien series just gets better (especially the first two).
Rewatched Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid (Peckinpah) – and it blew everything else away.
Barely went to a cinema this year – but really did enjoy Smile 2 when I did go
Lows
Losing such personal heroes in Françoise Hardy and Kris Kristofferson really hit hard.
Not handling going to gigs as well as I’d like (anxiety issues).
The British govt. The Finnish govt.
A big fucking no to Netanyahu and his open genocide supported by Western allies and media.
2024 felt like the year that the ‘conventional’ world order lost its humility and morality.
See you in 2025 xoxo