If You've Ever Lived Abroad Ortraveled For A Long Time, You Probably Know What These 17 Things Are All

A month ago did a day trip to Berlengas Islands, 10-15km off Portuguese Coast and the city of Peniche (90km from Lisboa). Only one of them big enough to have a harbor is habitable. The paradise for sun bathing, scuba diving, seagulls.. There were tourists but it wasn’t covered with them which was super nice. The island has a hostel in the old fort but not so many proper restaurants. A small boat trip about the caves was super interesting. Such a paradise!  Took like 1000 photos in one day, here come part of them.

One of the Unesco World Heritage Site Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra with a romantic palace and small church + a big garden filled with wells, fountains, lakes etc. Gotta make a second visit just for the garden when there are less tourists! 

ESC19 songs that I don’t love but which will probably do great

AUSTRALIA / Kate Miller-Heidke / Zero

The song has improved along the with the staging and even I have to admit that this is pretty cool. I'm pretty sure this goes to the final. 

CYPRUS / Tamta / Replay

As there was much hype around Cyprus last year Tamta's entry was highly appreciated. However I was disappointed with the song because I find it a bit overproduced and lacking personality. But I don't hate it and I have an open mind what comes to the live performance. 

PORTUGAL Conan Osiris / Telemóveis

I wasn't a fan. And still isn't but I give credit for uniqueness and individuality. These kinds of performances bring diversity and develop the contest which is why I hope Portugal will be in the final.  

CZECH REPUBLIC / Lake Malawi / Friend of a friend

I seem to have a problem with Czech entries since I didn't like last year's entry but everyoneo else did. However I see why people do love this. It's a perky, modern, colourful performance which is why this probably will go to the final. 

BELGIUM / Eliot / Wake up

This is such a great song but with a weak chorus. I'm not the only who thinks so however this entry also gets a lot of love. 

RUSSIA / Sergey Lazarev / Scream

Russia. Do I have to say anything else? Russian entries usually enjoy great popularity year after year and they do have massive production. There's nothing wrong with this song but for me something is lacking. VERY IMPRESSIVE staging! This will go far - no doubt. 

North Macedonia / Tamara Todevska / Proud

The song has grown for me but still this isn't the top 10 track for me. I'm interested to see this live though cause the staging looks cool! 

Spain / Miki / La venda

Everybody loves this. However I don't. It's too cheerful for my finnish taste. Fun track though. 

Slovenia / Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl / Sebi 

Another one everybody loves except me. I get it why. The atmosphere, the stars, the couple. However it's too repetitive and too bland what comes to the singing and her facial expressions (there's none). I'm not into the staring each other's face thing either. I'd like to see them interact with the audience but this can still happen.

I loved my mini break in Bologna! 

A month ago did a day trip to Berlengas Islands, 10-15km off Portuguese Coast and the city of Peniche (90km from Lisboa). Only one of them big enough to have a harbour is habitable. The paradise for sun bathing, scuba diving, seagulls.. There were tourists but it wasn’t covered with them which was super nice. The island has a hostel in the old fort but not so many proper restaurants. A small boat trip about the caves was super interesting. Such a paradise!  Took like 1000 photos in one day, here comes the first part. 

Random summer shots in #Helsinki!

Music is..

Not pictures this time :) But as a passionate music lover I’ve felt the urge for a quite a while actually to share a list of albums that have gone under my skin, given me chills or just simply lived with me during an important time of my life. These aren’t album reviews so please don’t read them as such. I can only talk about what’s been like to listen to them. These are albums where the pleasure to listen is complete from the first seconds ‘till the very end. No fear of the unnecessary songs. I have a tendency to prefer female singers over men and not many male artists have managed to impress me with their work. 

Some of them have been more successful commercially than others but that’s not the reason why I’m talking about them. Most of them are from recent years which you could also conclude that these are the times when I’ve grown the most emotionally. This is pure POP music! There might be hints of rock in them, sometimes theatrical even dramatical, electronic sounds but mainly this is pop music. So if you don’t enjoy it, this might not be your thing. Some of these albums are made by artists I adore and follow religiously, others not but I gotta give credit for an album well made. The ten albums appear in an alphabetical order. 

ARIA (2002) by Gianna Nannini

This is THE album that I discovered the queen of Italian rock music given to me by cousin. At first listen I was doubtful but was won over by her talent and extraordinariness. Respect that the woman has been doing proudly, loudly and openly her thing for almost 40 years in music business. Years go by, even decades but she always sounds good. So does this album.

Aria was her 17th album to date, filled with electronical twists and sounds which make it stand out from the rest of her production. Don’t let the calmness of the title track ‘Aria’ fool you, there’s a lot aggression, pain (Meravigliosamente crudele) and speed (Volo, Immortale) on this album. Even haunting tunes (Crimine d’amore) can be heard but also lighter, catchier beats and rhythms (Mio, Battiti e respiri) when ‘Sveglia’ is wonderfully awakening.

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D’EUX (1995) by Céline Dion

This one is a timeless classic. Forget the artistic and musical image that the name Céline Dion holds. In my opinion Dion has always been better in French. Just simply because there’s more thought in her production in her native than in her English albums. The songs are written especially for her and her voice is used in a much more diverse way. D’eux is the finest example of this. Almost the entire album is made by Jean-Jacques Goldman who before writing music to the French-Canadian star got to know her through interviews, earlier production and meetings so that he’d know what kind of music to write for Dion.

Everyone should listen to this. It’s by far the most diverse album of these ten I’m listing but also among Dion’s production. Discover her singing jazz (Le ballet), catchy guitar pop (Destin), rock (J’irai oú tu iras) but also more fragile, personal, delicate performances (Vole). D’eux refers to male persons and it means ‘from them’. It can be understood to indicate the male songwriters with or without Dion. In 2007 a female version was made in the form of D’elles (from them) which refers to the album’s female songwriters with or without Dion. A beautiful experience also!

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FLAMINGO (2010) by Brandon Flowers

Never been a fan of The Killers, the famous rock band that Brandon Flowers is known for originally. That might be the reason why I love him as a solo artist cause his musical style by himself is far deeper than the rock band production. For me, this is pop music at its best. The music is often light (Only the young, Swallow it) so you can easily get lost in its sounds without paying attention to the fact that many of them carry somewhat heavy theme. There’s something 80’s kind of style also involved (Crossfire). It’s ridiculously real somehow (Jilted lovers & broken hearts). There are moments when I find Flowers as a playful and careless as a little boy but then as serious as an only grown man can be. He has also an exceptional song writing skills in lyrics. He reaches the essence of loss, love and life with small words and gestures in his singing. Personally, I find ‘Playing with fire’ as one of the greatest songs ever written. The intro, for over one minute long prepares you for the words that will sweep off your feet.

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INEDITO (2011) by Laura Pausini

I assume everybody knows how big LP fan I am and it was seriously hard work to choose only one album that has made an impact. Because for me they’ve all made an impact, some more than others and in different ways. Instrumentally I think this is one of the most diverse album from her..I could listen just the instrumental versions of these songs and still be blown away. The use of flute and harmonica are like fresh winds among the orchestras and pop/rock tunes.

Inedito was the first LP album which it took me some time to understand. Back in 2011 I was in crossroads, lost and confused. To reach the things Pausini is singing about on this album I had to travel far and come back (Non ho mai smesso). It took me years to reach the soaring happiness of being alive like in ‘Benvenuto’ or ‘Le cose che non mi aspetto’ and be as grown as the woman in ‘Mi tengo’ who’s lost but also loved or truly see where the line goes (Bastava). I needed to feel the pain, hit the rock bottom and climb back up for these songs (Troppo tempo, Ognuno ha la sua mattita, Come vivi senza me). ‘Celeste’ dedicated to all the women trying to have a baby without success, is probably her most profound songs ever and the hope touches also those who don’t want any children. This is the album that comes after the storm, after you’ve struggled and realized that you’ve survived.

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LE SECRET (2013) by Lara Fabian

I have some Lara Fabian albums in English and in French. I’m not a super fan but the voice does stop me. This album is a masterpiece. Piece of an art, from the beginning ‘till the last second. I find it brave to make such an album considering how the music industry works in these days. The gay community embraced the album since her performance of ‘Deux ils, deux elles’ in favour of equal rights of getting married. 

These songs are stories and Fabian has been writing all of them. I cannot name any of my favourites cause I refuse to ruin the pleasure of this album by cutting into pieces. It’s at its best when taken the time to be listened entirely from the start ‘till the end eyes closed. All the 17 tracks coming to one combination of music that’s pure perfection nevertheless it’s dramatic, theatrical, simple, fragile or almost silent. Just as an instrumental version this album would take your breath away and Fabian’s divine singing, voice and the French language are jewels in the crown.

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LOVE SAVE THE EMPTY (2009) by Erin Mccarley

She’s one of the smaller artists I like since she hasn’t been truly discovered by the world even thou there’s something very Sara Bareilles or/and Sheryl Crow-kind of in her sound. Great discovery suggested by a great friend around 2010-2011. I remember listening to this album, which is her debut btw, while I was doing an Erasmus exchange in Spain. The playful, light melodies (Love save the empty, Sticky-sweet, Blue suitcase) accompanied my new exciting experience abroad, everything that was going on outside but the serious lyrics were telling what was happening in my head what was waiting for me at home (Gotta figure this out, Hello/goodbye, It’s not that easy). She is definitely worth following for.. Great things might happen.

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MANA (2012) by Anna Eriksson

For many years my musical taste included only foreign music or music never sung in Finnish. Don’t know if it’s been the experiences abroad or have I grown to appreciate the artists/ songwriters in Finland and especially those who do it in Finnish. In these days, I gotta admit that songs sung in my native go deeper than in any other language. Anyroad…

Anna Eriksson is one of the most succesful female artists in the country since the 1990’s but it wasn’t until her 9th album called Mana caught my attention. She’s been mostly known as an ‘old peoples’ favourite if I may say so. Entirely produced and written by Eriksson herself, Mana is an impressive and big leap from the stuff she used to make before. It runs in deep (Kulje ohi, Orjantappuran ruusut) and dark waters (Jos mulla olisi sydän, Paha mies). It’s about staying alive (Sanokoot ne mitä vaan, Maailma palelee) and came out in the time when this was just what I needed. Musically it’s quite dramatic at times, accompanied by brilliantly her developed singing. A true break up-album if someone is in a need of one. Several videoclips of almost all the songs were published which I highly recommend also!

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THE SEA (2011) by Melanie C

This might be the album that I’m most eager to talk about but I’m also the saddest for the too little success it has received. Again forget the name and image this artist has. Despite of the ups and downs Melanie C has experienced during her solo artist-career, by 2011 she had proved to be a gifted vocalist and songwriter. The Sea was her fifth solo effort nevertheless and perhaps the most ambitious one also. Big names worked with her on this album but also some long time collaborations.

Again released in 2011 when I was living an emotionally rich or poor, depends how you look at it, life. This was the music that was with me before and after my big turning point in life and managed to fill my emotional needs in both times. If it had been possible to worn out a music file in these days, I could have just done that with this record. These songs have travelled a long way with me. There are rockier, dancier tunes (Rock me, Think about it, Stupid game) but then more sensitive melodies (One by one) and then dramatic ballads that got even electronical (Enemy, Drown) and latin sounds (Weak). ‘All about you’ and ‘Get out of here’ represent the heavier side of the album. Another break up album… A great one and it’s such a shame that the wider audience didn’t find it.

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UN ALUMNO MÀS (2014) by Melendi

Melendi is a rock artist from Spain whom I discovered roughly a year ago. And also his latest album Un alumno más.. love at first listen. He reminds me of Juanes but more rockier and jagged I guess, if you can say that. Don’t like his previous material thou he’s got some more special and rockier stuff if someone finds this too commercial.

There’s a lot of passion and drama on this album. In the music he’s chosen and the way he sings them. An artist that has a strong voice also in songwriting, I find a lot personality and humour in his texts but also an emotional and serious side. There are powerful ballads (La promesa, La saraluna), acoustic tunes (El amor es un arte, Posdata), playful melodies and beats (El gordo y el narco) 80′s kind of sounds (Septiembre, Cenizas en la eternidad) and more upbeat tracks (Tú de Elvis yo de Marilyn). Different instruments of guitars and relaxed, latin based rhythms are constantly present and of course that charm that only a Spanish man can have.

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VAPAA JA YKSIN (2009) by Chisu

The last one! Chisu is a brilliantly talented Finnish artist who produces and writes her music mostly by herself. She’s just released her fourth album which was also an amazing piece of work and it was a really tight struggle to choose between these two. This is her second album and perhaps the most successful one also. She is unique in songwriting and she handles Finnish language in the way I’ve never seen anyone doing. She can be broken to pieces, as fragile as a fine glass or hitting back fiercely or have a wisdom of an old lady who’s seen it all. So are her songs and everybody has an opinion about her. You either love or hate her. There’s no between.

Vapaa ja yksin handles heartbreak, leaving and coming back... the uncertainty whether the choices you’ve made are right ones. The songs may start quietly, calmly, being very acoustic, stripped of everything unnecessary and then rise into this big storm with dramatic, electronic sounds (Lähtö, Etsijät). Or they may be ridiculously goofy and playful (Baden baden, Kerrasta poikki, Saaliit), deadly serious (Sama nainen), fragile acoustic performances (Yksinäisen keijun tarina) or theatrical drama (Miehistä viis, Muusa). As an artist and as a singer super-diverse, she is! I cannot praise enough of her singing and interpretation. It cannot get any deeper than that. Even the language barrier won’t stop the listener noticing the great talent, she is.

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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy listening, in case some of these artists or albums caught your interest :)

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