Regina

Key tracks:

Saanko jäädä yöksi?
Totuus minusta
Terveiset päiväntasaajalta
Sinun tässä salissa
Musta musta puutarha

Label: Friendly Fire Recordings

Read Description:

Elegant, upbeat Finnish dance pop

If you live in the western hemisphere, chances are you won't understand a single word Regina sings, and that's okay. The Helsinki-based three-piece band sing in their native language of Finnish, lending a surreal, otherworldy quality to their distinguished blend of electronic beats, folk and world music, wild percussion, and slightly-hazy melodies.

"Puutarhatrilogia" ["Garden Trilogy"], the band's first album to be released in the states, is a delightfully trippy and subtly sexy record even if song titles like "Terveiset päiväntasaajalta" (only the first word capitalized, as is the Finnish convention) might sound strange to English speakers. Put simply, singer Iisa Pykäri's voice would be beautiful in any language, and Regina's music possesses a similarly universal appeal.

Regina have deeply absorbed the tenets of modern dance, ancient folk, and high-art styles alike, affording them all the same creative and emotional weight.