We hear from MATD every year or so and each time they amaze me with their variety. The first song of theirs that we discovered, ‘Me and My Dog’, was an outright novelty record singing the praises of ‘man’s best friend’, followed by ‘Driftwood of Love’, “dedicated to those who never took their chances and gripped someone they were in love with”.
Then ‘Read my lips’, a lighter version of which was rewritten from the original which took the line that dictators don’t have happy endings. Let’s hope that proves to be true in the next few weeks. Eventually it morphed into the more prosaic question “what would your lips say if you were cheated by your lover?”
All this from a couple of guys who spent five years trying to write a Eurovision song for Switzerland.
But you could have knocked me down with a feather when they came up with their most recent offering, ‘Aino’, which has been released with vocals and as an instrumental version, in both cases employing the talents of German producer Gaugolon, and the singer Erja Siljamo, who looks a little like Montserrat Caballé.
A classical piece wrapped up in an art-pop production.
The song is based on the story of Aino from the Kalevala, regarded as one of the most famous and touching stories in Finnish culture.
Aino does not want to be owned by Väinämöinen. Neither would I if I had to keep writing that name every time I sent an email.
She wants to ‘own herself’ – to be free and independent. A sister.
So ‘Aino’ is also a sad story about the objectification of women. Although decades of work have been done to promote equality, it is still questioned and undermined. The rights of women and minorities are not taken for granted. ‘Aino’ reminds us that the fight for an equal society continues.
So, the question arises – can Aino’s story be considered one of the earliest examples of women declaring their right to their bodies and lives? Was she a suffragette?
Aino is not only a figure of folklore but also a symbol. She is the modern-day Finnish maiden, representing a small but tenacious state that defends its identity, culture and values in an ever-changing world. Someone like our Boadicea. Or Margaret Thatcher. Or J K Rowling if you fancy starting an argument.
And a comely wench as well judging from the images of her rising from the lake to confront The Donald and Vlad the Impaler.
The orchestration of the song is by Gaugolon, who is an admirer of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, and he brought the Finnish national instrument – the kantele (a member of the zither family) – into the arrangement.
In its own little understated way it is, after a solemn opening that sounds like a requiem mass, quite a stirring piece, the equivalent of our ‘Rule Britannia’, ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ although nothing like as bombastic, and it rises to a mighty crescendo.
I strongly recommend it is lent to Ukraine so that Zelenskyy can play it through an earpiece on his way to Thursday’s meeting with Putin in Istanbul.
Job done.
MATD’s founding members are Marcos Kuusjärvi and Veli Eronen, previously Max and the Ducks, from where they get their acronymic name.
Find them on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matdband
X/Twitter: https://x.com/matd_band
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matdband/
