2025 > 2026: music especially
I was just looking at one of those music lists, best albums of the year and so on, on the BBC web site. They'd viewed the year via aggregation of lists from all over, including entities like Rolling Stone magazine in the US. To their credit, also a French and probably other non-Anglosphere sources. So, some interesting artists mentioned, some I'd heard of, some I hadn't. But no one I spent any time listening to in 2025.
I'm generally decades out of date. Of course, nothing dates you more like your taste in music. New music I do like - which I'm going to mention here - isn't of any consequence in current music media. Sometimes because it's Finnish, often because it's by the sort of rock band who do their very exciting thing live, but isn't much liked by image orientated tv. Though Die Spitz ought to be, as attractive young women. This (right) is the first full album, just out this September, Something to Consume. I love it, especially how heavy it sounds. I guess I feared in album form, some of the rough edges would be smoothed out, but no. I first noticed them a year ago, thanks to YouTube's algorithm (for once working usefully) and my repeated watching of L7 videos. (Die Spitz's proper music videos are very entertaining by the way) But there are plenty of live gigs available, and they deliver hard rock with great energy. 'Hard Rock'? Commenters are obliged to saddle them with a label don't they, and it's usually punk or grunge. Neither quite fit. It's mostly hard rock with lots of feedback and growling/smoking fashioned indecipherable lyrics. But at least three of them sing, and it isn't all like that. Two guitarists, bass and drums. Lots of personality. In fact, the one funny thing which got my attention wasn't exactly the music - which I automatically liked, but there are a lot of bands like this - but in a certain gig video, in some grungy venue on the toilet circuit, the bassist was playing with her leg up on a chair. She'd broken it apparently. Still smiling, with the delight of someone who couldn't believe how great it was to be playing in a rock band. I'd love to see one of their gigs but at my age I'd suck the cool out of the room. As you may imagine they mainly play student venues. Never mind, I'm very glad they exist and are producing, er, product for me to consume. Favourite song at the moment? Red 40. It's not their best song, but it's simple direct and punchy and now I know what Red 40 is, I love the attitude. I should have made this a separate post in itself, shouldn't I?
Not the only music I bought this year. I had a minor splurge in Helsinki while on an ice hockey visit. Highlight was Jenni Vartiainen's latest album Origo. It's excellent. Great voice, great songs, characteristic lush production, I've been playing it all year. As ever, she'll be barely noticed outside Finland, but I was curious to read that some of the work took place in New York. Does it even register there, when an artist from the outside world does this? Buys studio time in the US? Do any US music journalists ever wonder what it's all about, other people's music? Not if it's not in English, I guess.
Right: Nerve End at Ilovaarirock 2025. New to me, but now I have their t-shirt. Sadly their retirement gig.
My main event in music this year was at an actual proper rock festival in Joensuu, Ilovaarirock. This wasn't the bigger and better known Ilosaarirock, but a more low key two day happening, at the latter's original site on an island in the middle of the city, featuring artists mostly with some connection with the city. It's a little retro, and many of the artists are loved names from the past. One such I knew and appreciated seeing, was Eppu Normaali. But maybe more popular, in Finland as a whole and often mentioned with a smile by Finns I've met elsewhere, were Eläkeläiset ('Pensioners'). They're a humppa band, huge fun, and their humour comes across even if you don't speak Finnish. Elsewhere, all kinds of music, all good value, many of them Finnish legends. Several flavours of metal, from way back right through to recent; glam rock, punk, rockabilly, avant garde feminist, balladeers and more. All very enjoyable, and if anyone wanted to get away from whatever was on at any particular time, they could take a walk around the water park to Paskan musiikin baari ('the bar of s**t music').
Films
I think I went to the cinema twice. First, in Finland, to see The Summer Book, a film of Tove Jansson's glancingly autobiographical book. I wanted to say 'adult', given that she's more known for the Moomin books, but it's about relationships between all generations, especially in childhood. I haven't actually read it yet, but happened to be able to see the adaptation while it's on release, so I did. Worth seeing if you know anything about Jansson, it was made with great love and care. Secondly, back home, I went to see The Phoenician Scheme. I've liked all of Wes Anderson's films. This one was good, though maybe one can get a little too used to his distinctive style. Also, he did attract rather a lot of famous faces for cameos, even more than usual. It can be distracting. At least the central character was unfamiliar.
Books
I kept up a decent basic reading rate, twenty-odd again this year. I'm pleased that I'm still managing a fair number of books by writers new to me, eg William Boyd (Armadillo). He's highly regarded critically, but I'm most likely to search out more books by Oliver Harris, who has a couple of live series ongoing (one crime, the other spy), both very grimy and inhabiting entirely grey areas of morality. Some of the new authors weren't as impressive but I didn't consider any of my reading time was wasted. Anyway, my most enjoyable reading this year was of books by authors who have become cosily familiar to me - Mick Herron, Iain M Banks, Kate Atkinson and Tove Jansson.
...And Christmas Cards
Silly, I know, but it's become a habit to comment on what I perceive as trends in Christmas cards. It means nothing, especially when the sample size is diminishing a little each year. It's inevitable really; on the one hand, it's so easy to send e-cards now - they're often animated and fun - while on the other, the price of postage has risen to levels you want to budget carefully for. Especially to other countries. It's true that people aren't often sending written communications at all these days. There are only one or two friends of mine who ever write with actual pens, on paper. Personally I like writing, and want to keep my rack of Rotring fountain pens in use. But you can quite reasonably regard writing letters as quaint and indulgent. With an annoying drawback that, unlike emails, you can't check back later for what you wrote.
Oh, the 'trends': up to a few years ago, plenty of different animals and characters featured on Christmas cards, and every year some were noticeably more numerous. 'Trending', ha ha. This year, it's hard to pick out any particular theme. Looking at them, one thing stands out; simply the Christmas tree, either as the most prominent item in a scene, or the sole subject. As for creatures, well, there are a few robins and reindeer in various backgrounds, but the only one which struck my eye were owls. Are they harbingers of anything? Am I looking forward to 2026? Are you?
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