We Have Met The Alien and They are Punks!!! Finland's Hundred Million Martians--Martian Arts

I bought this little album a while back by Hundred Million Martians, a punk pop group from Turku, Finland.

I forgot how enjoyable this disc was. Choppy guitar, huge hooks and harmonies, a lot of adrenaline here on Martian Arts, their 1997 debut full length album on Hiljaiset Levyt. Kind of like Green Day/Ramones meets The Jam, with some Buzzcocks and Undertones thrown in. If I had to do a blind guess, I would probably say that this was a punk group from California.

No profound statements on this album, just great music to rock to from a rocking country. It isn't accidental that the World Capital of Air Guitar is Oulu, Finland in the land of my ancestors (at least some of them).(August 24-27, 2011) And that is a part of the world that takes its Air Guitar seriously, before they started hooking up fake guitars to TVs.

I was in Stockholm in an ice cold November a while back, with my friend, the real world's most interesting man. He talked me into seeing an old stomping boogie band The Status Quo that was playing at some arena near the water. We were up in the nosebleed seats and it was simply amazing. There were these two drunken knuckleheads in our general jumping around like maniacs playing air guitar, jumping in the air, tongues out, falling on the floor, throwing Townshend-like windmills all over the place. They were having the time of their lives playing along with the band--taking pictures of each other with the band in the distant background. They even had us take pictures of them rocking out. It was ridiculous and great at the same time. They weren't bothering anyone, these guys were just enjoying the moment. Of course with all the alcohol they might not remember any of it. At least they have the photos as evidence.

Albums like Martian Arts never fail to amaze me. You would think someone would put this music out beyond Finland. It's not a question of language barrier, as the songs are sung in English. The songs are as good as any in the genre and they aren't particularly political or crude. The themes are girls, boredom, being a tortured artist, universal themes that would appeal to the broad base of music fans. If you don't enjoy this music, check yourself into a nursing home now, or maybe a funeral home.

Jyrki Makela: Vocals
Seppo Lehdonkivi: Guitars
Tuomas Pelttari: Guitars and Vocals
Pasi Hjerppe: Bass and Vocals
Jarkko Lehti: Drums

Mikko Kangasjarvi: Accordian cameo on Track 13.

Misery for Misery's Sake is the first track, which gives you a strong indication of the band's style and also how good their songs are. After the first tune it's a continuous bombardment of great pop punk. The next two tunes, A Perfect Pop Song and Difference are equally excellent. One of the highlights here is the quick pop burst of Brighter Days, 2.5 minutes that deserves a place of honor in the Punk-Pop Hall of Fame.

As befitting Martians, there are the marginally space-themed Buzz Aldrin and Beam Me Up. But stylistically they sound 100% terrestrial. Other decent songs are I Wanna Hate You and Dreams To Happen. And these guys are still out there rocking. Their 4th album Marseille came out in 2008 on the Plastic Passion label. So if you are into tuneful punk rock I would recommend giving these guys a listen. You won't regret it.