here in the cold

I was abducted today. Drawn into a vast winter woodland. It was comfortably silent and daringly beautiful. Zen.



Please meet the directors of the video Karni and Saul (here in co-operation with Aardman).

white winter trees
covered in snow 
(...) heavy of heart
weary of soul
(...) you didn't understand
that my heart was in your hands

counting | wisely and slow

Well, it's official. There is nothing more soothing than the harmonies of The Staves. After almost a year from my discovery and seeing them life during my London visit, their debut album is finally available today. And just for the record: they don't live in a log cabin :)




brother, you will never know
all the things I did for you
many years ago

(...) tell me all you need to tell
why is it you whisper when you really need to yell
troubles in tow
go wisely and slow

going from A to B | going home

Sweet stink of the hookah, couscous, kebab, exhaust fumes of a bus deadlock. 98, 16, 32, standing room only - quicker to walk! Escapees from St Mary's, Paddington: expectant father smoking, old lady wheeling herself in a wheelchair smoking, die-hard holding urine sack, blood sack, smoking. Everybody loves fags. Everybody. Polish paper, Turkish paper, Arabic, Irish, French, Russian, Spanish, News of the World. Unlock your (stolen) phone, buy a battery pack, a lighter pack, a perfume pack, sunglasses, three for a fiver, a life-size porcelain tiger, gold taps. Casino! Everybody believes in destiny. Everybody. It was meant to be. It was just not meant to be. Deal or no deal? (...) Leaflets, call abroad 4 less, learn English, eyebrow wax, Falun Gong, have you accepted Jesus as your personal plan? Everybody loves fried chicken. Everybody. Zadie Smith, N-W

honey tears

The reminiscences of my recent trip to London are still echoing vibrantly in my player. Christof, who gave a wonderful performance before the concert of The Staves, gives me something I can hold on tight to for now and sets the rhythm to my steps as I walk in the city during these days.



Video was directed by Martijn Kuijten and Jeroen van de Nieuwenhof.

charlie chaplin rang me last night (...)
oh yes, he is the greatest actor
and yes he said I'll die of laughter 

see the colours of another sky

I actually went to London to see another sky even though it does not differ much from the one I am used to. I went to detach myself and to make a new place mine. On my first day in London last Tuesday I embraced the city wholeheartedly. Or so the city embraced me in that way at once. It was this strangely familiar feeling of being home in a place that I haven't been to before. I strolled lazily through many places heading in the evening to Nothing Hill to see The Staves, a band I discovered in January this year. There was a bit of drama at the beginning as the show was sold out and I didn't know weather or not I will get a ticket. I was luckily advised by a lovely staff of Tabernacle (a fantastic place where the concert was held) to wait as there would surely be someone who would not pick up their ticket. There was. One ticket left. And I got it! :) And so the London gig of The Staves started. It was superb. Warm, full of harmony and witty, supported by a charming set delivered by Christof (he deserves a separate post later on :)). I couldn't have imagined better start of my first trip to England. It was a bit chilly on my way back from Nothing Hill. Well, "it is never really very cold in England (...), but still a decent jumper and a waxen jacket lined with wool is sufficient for every weather England's got to give." as Zadie Smith writes in her book On Beauty that accompanied me during this trip. A decent jumper I left in Finland. But it really didn't matter that evening.



Meet the director of the video Myles O'Reilly.

counting the winters | numb to the cold

a good (night) song from The Staves