Kansanturvamusiikkikomissio: 666 12"

Kansanturvamusiikkikomissio: 666 12" (Svart Records) This month Svart Records has reissued two relatively little-known gems from the fringes of the 80s Finnish hardcore scene by Oulu band Kansanturvamusiikkikomissio (if their name is intimidating, KTMK is an acceptable alternative). You might know KTMK if you’ve gone deep with Finnish hardcore, but you won’t often find them mentioned alongside landmark bands like Terveet Kadet, Kaaos, Riistetyt and Lama. While they’re not as good as those bands (who is?), there’s so much great Finnish punk that there’s a big, meaty tier of bands below those all-time classics that’s still well worth hearing. So, as you’re checking out Aivoproteesi, Sekaannus, Äpärät, and Vaurio, don’t skip over KTMK. I’d make a point to check them out if you’re into the kind of arty, progressive end of 80s hardcore… think of American bands like the Crucifucks, Spike in Vain, and Die Kreuzen. The first album, 666, has a lot of the gnarly, nasty sound of first-gen Finnish hardcore (particularly in the vocals, which are quite abrasive), but there’s a willingness to cross genre lines that makes KTMK unique. The first track, “Pääni,” kind of sounds like you’re playing a GBH album on 45rpm, while the second song, “Valaistu Risti” sounds like playing Public Image Limited’s first album on 45rpm, and it just kind of goes on from there in a bunch different directions. It’s not all fast, but it’s all pretty rough and ready. While I was familiar with 666, Svart has also reissued KTMK’s second album, Seitsemäs Pasuuna, for the very first time, and that record is totally new to me. While I haven’t had much time to let it sink in, my early impression is that it might be even better than 666. While it’s not as gnarly sounding, the band has grown far tighter and more confident. The genre-bending is still there, but KTMK having come into their own makes everything sound a bit more cohesive. Dead Kennedys’ Plastic Surgery Disasters occupies a similar space, I think. While KTMK might be too left of center for some, if you have a particular interest in 80s Finnish hardcore and/or the arty strain of hardcore I mentioned above, I’d check out both of these. I think they’re real under-appreciated gems.