Mikael H.
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Mikael H. >> Born Jaan Mikael Hakkarainen on a summer day 1980 in the city of Helsinki, Finland. Have played in such bands as Fellow Bonelite, Fluff & Treeball. And recently formed So Lee with brothers H. Worked with quite many artists engineering/producing Contact: jaanmikael@hotmail.com Website: www.solee.com/mikaelh
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DISOGRAPHY
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PT038: Various Artists - Bulletholes 2: Let me take you hostage (Compilation Album) 2005 |
US: $13.95 NZ: 20.00 |
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KW011: Kaleidoscope World Series #10. Saturday 31st July 2004 at the King's Arms, Auckland, New Zealand. Track 5 - sometimes loneliness |
US: $7.95 NZ: $10.00 |
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PT011: Various Artists - Here Come The Bulletholes - Reload (Compilation Album) 2004 Track 10. We're so lost, we're in danger |
US $13.95 NZ $20.00 |
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PT007: Mikael H. - Sounds like Siberia (Album) 2004. 1.Take me 2.World is leaving 3.No sense 4.When I will 5.My old mind 6. What I see 7.Paindrops 8.Sunny day 9.Dying to rock 10.Missed 11.Sometimes loneliness 12.Usually loneliness |
US: $13.95 NZ: $20.00 |
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PT005: Here come the bulletholes (Compilation) 2003. Track 4. Missed
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US: $13.95 NZ: $20.00 |
ARTICLES AND REVIEWS
METRO MAGAZINE: Mikael H Sounds Like Siberia. Oddly, this album by folksy Finnish songwriter Mikael Hakkarainen is released by New Lynn record label Powertool. Undeniably a home recording, it benefits from the grainy, close up, slightly squalid ambience. It's an agreeably intimate project, and Hakkarainen has an easy way with bi-polar pop forms. Sounding like he slept a century, then got out of bed to render the composition he wrote in a deep dream state (complete with earthy orchestrations, country twinges and sundry sound effects), 'Sounds Like Siberia' is a slight but very gratifying delight. And as a bonus, we've got that cute Arctic accent. Gary Steele
VARSITY.CO.NZ: Mikael H.: Sounds Like Siberia This is the first release from Mikael H., a kid from Finland now residing in Auckland, and it’s pretty impressive. A very warm album despite its name, Sounds Like Siberia took up residency in my stereo for a while, and before long I was humming, whistling and, yes, singing along to some of the hooks. After Burd Early, it was a real breath of fresh inter-continental air. As there’s very little of this sort of thing climbing the charts in New Zealand we tend to forget it’s there at all; when musical patriotism is achieved through buying an Elemeno P album, the public seem to stop looking. Mikael H. has assembled a troupe of competent, playful musicians to back him (all with Scandinavian-sounding names, which makes me wonder where exactly this disc was recorded) and plays a large number of the instruments himself. Usually when singer-songwriters become their own backing band the resulting album is either sloppy (Ryan Adams' Rock N Roll) or sublime (Kristen Hersh's Sunny Border Blue). Sounds Like Siberia maintains a languid but disciplined hegemony through its dozen tracks without putting a musical foot wrong. All the elements are here, but calling it 'sublime' would be be going a bit far. He has the tendency to go a little bit Air Supply at times. Mikael H. seems to be following his own musical path, which may or may not have been pointed out to him by 70s mavericks like Loudon Wainwright, Shawn Phillips and Harry Nilsson. Perhaps Donovan and McCartney helped him pack. Hang on, Jackson Browne might have slipped him something too. With all that (possibly) going on, the result is always going to be good. And any album with a banjo, a marimba, a harmonium, a violin and a cello can’t be bad for you. The only real sticking point is the low production quality. While it can add a down-home modesty which echoes Mikael’s own, it can also inhibit the songs themselves. It’s nice to feel like you’re in the room with these guys, but the album as a whole may have worked better with a little light and dark added from the other side of the glass. That said, songs like World Is Leaving and Sometimes Loneliness couldn’t be better for all the money in the world. Mikael H. should tour with Goldenhorse immediately. He should also stop being so humble about his talents and give his songs everything they deserve. Jonny Potts
RIP IT UP: 4-6-2004 Mikael H. *** Hailing from Finland, Mikael H's debut is a pleasant slice of lo-fi folk pop. These sweet, mellow, laidback songs make for perfect fireside listening, especially if you find yourself holed up in a wood cabin in the snow. While at times reminiscent of Beck (circa 'Mutations'), Mikael H delivers with more optimism. With the strong opener 'Take Me' the talent of this songwriter is immediately exposed. Overall, the quietly understated 'Sounds Like Siberia' is a treat. Offering a pleasurable listen, this album will keep you going through winter, and hopefully won't be forgotten when summer rolls around. - Emily Mazza
TEARAWAY MAGAZINE: 4-6-2004.. **** As starkly beautiful as a clear frosty morning, these perfectly formed songs also course with an intimate, human warmth. Mikael H has a radiant voice; 'Sounds Like Siberia' is folksy and whimsical, but urgent in its own way too. Distributed by excellent Auckland-based label, Powertool Records (home also of The Shrugs, among other great local acts). An absolute gem. - BIFF
CANTA MAGZINE 4-6-2004: Sounds Like Siberia. Allow me to introduce Mikael Hakkarainen, a music student at Auckland University who has produced this fantastic album that would be a great addition to anybody's music collection. Not music to rock all night to, this album would, however, be a great road=tripping soundtrack, good for laxing back for a few quiets with mates, and a great background for studying. Random instruments, such as the one referred to as 'weird noise' on the CD, bring a new feel to the folk-song, Bob Dylan type genre. This is a very relaxing and easy to listen to album, with a great vocal performance by Mikael himself.
CRITIC MAGAZINE: Sounds Like Siberia - Mikael H. Mikael Hakkareainen is a singer-songwriter/folkie type who hails from the heaving Scandinavian hub of Finland. Now based in Auckland, he has released his debut album Sounds Like Siberia, which in equal parts evokes the bleak, wintry landscape of his homeland, and shows a debt to lo-fi luminaries Yo La Tengo and Pavement. The presiding mood of the album is one of loneliness and heartache, illustrated in such titles as 'World is Leaving', 'Paindrops', 'Missed', and 'Usually Loneliness'. Yet, the songs are so well crafted, in terms of both melody and production, that the listener is too distractewd to feel overly depressed. Mikael H. employs a variety of sounds, from acoustic/slide guitars and lush strings courtesy of violins and mandolins, to bongos, and even a piece of wood (credited to Eva Leventer - shot!). This kind of sonic implementation is reminiscent of Brian Wilson's ventures during the Pet Sounds sessions, and though it may seem lofty to compare a new artist on a burgeoning local label to a music legend, the point is that the use of planks of wood and "weird noise" (seriously, that's how it's credited) shows enterprise on the part of Hakkarainen, and augments the album's DIY indie charm. The opening track 'Take Me', with its now famous piece of wood, is a superlative example of Hakkarainen's brand of "lo-folk." His softly-spoken croon is suggestive of Paul Simon circa Graceland, but with no South Africans within earshot. Instead, woozy guitar, maracas, and dense percussion (aided by a cardboard box - that's my boy) come to the fore. The backing vocals, courtesy of Astrid Swan and Eva Leventer (aka, plank girl) render the mood of the track ffragile yet upbeat, setting the tone for the album proper. The sombre 'Paindrops' opens with a lively marimba flourish, which sits uneasily alongside the mood of the lyrics. For this reason, the track is bound to draw the listener in, as is 'Dying To Rock', whose walls of banjo and hillbilly hee-haw arrests the attention. Despite ending the album on a morose note with the vague, stumbling, 'Usually Londeliness',Sounds Like Siberia retians its "flea-market" feel (and subsequent charm), and is a delightful lo-fi experience. If Siberia sounds like this, it may not be so desolate after all. Grade: A- John Hayden.
HAWKES BAY TODAY 13/5/2004: Finland's Mikael H, (Jaan Mikael Hakkarainen), studied music in Auckland in 2002 and his debut album "Sounds like Siberia", is a heady mix of organic sounds. Possessing a multitude of talent, Mikael sings, plays guitar, banjo, bass, drums, mandolin, keyboards and has mixing and recording savy to boot. The album offers up many emotions for the cold dissolute reaches of the far north. with simple songs he is able to breath life into such desolation. His use of the porch-swing nanjo as the primary instrument, mixed with guitar, is an innovative idea. Also add the emphasis on minimal, compressed vocals and you have a stark album of heartache and love. My favorite from the album is "no sense" with its swinging rhythm and almost bluesy guitar riff mix, with a simple fuzz box interlude. One to watch out for. Reviewed by Dave Pope.