Various Artists, Riemu: 2000-2005

Band: Various Artists
Album: Riemu 2000-2005 collection (no official title)
Tracklist:

1. Kostajat: Jääkellarissa
2. Sylvi: Karhukerho (!)
3. Mana Mana: Liisa
4. Selfish Shellfish: Puutarhurin Pikku Apulainen (!)
5. Disgrace: Deal Martin
6. Psychoplasma: I've Been Here Before
7. Turun Romantiikka: Gonzo Kaunis
8. Aku Akkuli: Lootus
9. Mana Mana: Vaarallista (!)
10. The Insult That Made Man Out of Mac: Insecticide (!!)
11. Kuolleet Intiaanit: Asioita Toimittelin (!!)
12. Stigma: Tahto
13. Enter: (So Much) Harder
14. Kostajat: Hyvä Sun On
15. The Insult That Made Man Out of Mac: Panic (!!)
16. Paska: Banana Butt Plug (!)
17. Turun Romantiikka: Tervetuloa katsomaan köyhien jännittävää elämää
18. Silmienvaihtajat: Kesäaika

(The ! marks the best songs on the album, some might have more than one)

What is the height of perversion?

This collection of songs must be one of the most perverse experiences of my whole life. Except maybe that one time... Ahem, I mean... This is one fucking weird collection of songs! As anyone of moderate intelligence (as I am sure many of you are) can figure out, a label's collection of various songs and artists is never very cohesive as a whole. Indeed, that's the purpose of those albums. To showcase bands, possibly very different from each other.

However, I dare you to find a collection of songs more schizophrenic than this one.

Don't bother. It can't be done.

The gamut of music varies wildly from Children's Music to Industrial-Metal, along the way grabbing a few friends from Disco and their Art-Rock friends. To put it simply, I can't think of any sensible way to review this album. The Riemu label is a small label publishing independent music. This hardly comes as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention to what I am writing here.

After the initial confusion, one can start appreciating this album with a certain kind of perverse sense of glee. Some of the songs here make one wonder how it is possible for the band to have gotten a record deal in the first place?

Some other bands display genuine art-rock and garage/underground band tendencies that are honest enough to make me feel teary.

Some Carnal Delights...

I'll highlight some of the gems this collection contains.

(Actually, I do know which one it is, but that sentence sounded so much more better and dramatic. No, I am not going to tell you.)

And good music...

There are true gems of music, there too, not just something to think of while masturbating with the latest magazine that arrived in a brown envelope.

There are other good examples, but none are quite so glorious as these. But I'll pass along some of the other names that are worth a view, Stigma, Psychoplasma, Mana Mana, and also Enter. The rest are varying degrees of "amateurish" and "weird", occasionally venturing to the realm of "fuckin' weird" (Kostajat comes to my mind).

As a parting note, I must mention that this is an absolute classic record to listen to while drunk and stoned - preferably with a group of suitably twisted friends. However, it is not exactly easy to achieve since this album cannot be bought from stores.

I received it as an "extra" when ordering albums from riemu.com, and it certainly has given me enough (perverse) pleasure that I would have gladly paid for it - had I known what kind of gem this piece of schizophrenia is.