Bone Voyage Recording Company

 

The Beginning

Goodnight Monsters’ musical career begun in the spring of year 2004. For an unknown reason Valtteri Virtanen and Matti Jasu, having met each other for a couple times, started to make music together. In the summer they had enough songs to fill an album and they started to record immediately. The result is called “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die”.

Their debut album was actually supposed to be a some kind of demo and a nice giveaway to their friends. Matti and Valtteri didn’t have any other plans for it. But in 2005 the record was released by Bone Voyage Recording Company. One song, “Bubblegum Crisis”, was dropped out, it was carefully mastered and the cover art had changed a bit but otherwise it was the very same record they did in 2004.

“The Brain That Wouldn’t Die” is sketch art from start to finish. Matti and Valtteri started to record before they had ever played the songs through. In Matti’s living room with one microphone and a computer as their studio the duo recorded whatever popped into their minds. It was all about capturing the moment - any recording took rarely more than a one take. Without knowing the album would be released they were even less interested in correcting the mistakes.

The Gigs

In the summer of ’05 GM received an invitation to play a live show in their hometown. After a short meeting they decided to take the chance and make Goodnight Monsters a live band. The drummer Kece and the bass player Markus Jalonen joined the group.

The first gig was fun and promising and week later they did another one. Couple months later they found themselves in a plane going abroad to their third and fourth gigs - as a support act for 22-Pistepirkko. The drummer had already changed to Jussi Rantanen due Kece’s studies in a South America.

The Debut

The November ’05 came and Goodnight Monsters’ debut album was officially released. It’s packed with melodic and catchy songs and contains lots of musical styles varying from country to garage while the poppy sounds keep it together. The lyrics - dealing subjects like paranoia, girls, music business and war - are worth of deeper look.

The album got encouraging feedback in more than one country. Among the reviews Q magazine called it "a summery gem", allmusic.com said it’s "pure sugar rush from start to finish", Germany's Musikexpress featured Goodnight Monsters as "newcomer of the month" and it got four stars out of five in Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. Way cool!

The Touring

In the year 2006 GM started to play gigs big time. They played a few shows in Finland and then headed to UK and Germany to gain some valuable experience about the life on the road. Before going to Germany their drummer changed again, now to Juha Kiskonen. After their first tour they joined The Others and The Micragirls on a mini-tour in Denmark and Germany again.

GM guys didn’t rest for long after they returned - the recording of the new album started. During the summer they hung around at the Hi-5 studio and recorded plenty of stuff to their next record. Some kind of artistic goal was to make a real band record with a super hi-fi sound. They also did their 4th drummer change as the second drummer Jussi returned to fill the time-keeping job.

The Challenge

The year 2006 ended and the new Goodnight Monsters album was half done. But it took almost 8 months until they started to record again. One reason for the delay was the decision (made with their label chiefs) that they’d finish the album in Bone Voyage’s own studio (called Altai) which was built in the spring and summer 2007. While waiting the summer GM did some gigs including a nice mini-tour in Estonia with a local super group Ans. Andur.

In August the recordings started again with a producer Petteri Rajanti. They spent a few weekends at Altai studio and the album was finally ready. The new record - titled "Summer Challenge" - was released in early June 2008 and GM’s adventures will continue...this included more live playing here and there, on the Bone 3 package tour with 22pp and Joensuu 1685 throughout Finland, or dates with their Turku fellows of Cats On Fire in Germany and a first Duo Tour - just Matti and Valtteri in France.

Read more - www.goodnightmonsters.com

Dinosaur JR. vs. Simon & Garfunkel - GM talking about Summer Challenge and stuff at Komakino

 

And now something for our japanese friends. props to Star Sign Records, JP

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Goodnight Monstersアルバム『Summer Challenge』8月16日発売決定!
Star Sign Recordsよりリリースの期待のフィンランド・バンド、Goodnight Monstersの日本デビュー・アルバム『Summer Challenge』。発売が遅れご迷惑をおかけしておりましたが、当初の8月9日より一週間遅れの、8月16日（土）にて発売が決定しました。よろしくお願いします！

森と湖とムーミンの国、北欧はフィンランドから、4人組のギター・ポップバンド、グッドナイト・モンスターズ。セカンド・アルバム『Summer Challenge』で、日本初デビューが決定しました！

「グッドナイト・モンスターズの音楽を聞くと、まるで20歳も若返ったような気分になるんだ。空には太陽が輝いていて、世界のすべてを信じられるようなね。もしなにかを信じられなくなっていたら、目を閉じて彼らの音楽を聞いてごらん。彼らのパーフェクトなポップ・サウンドでそんな気分も吹き飛ぶよ！」ダグラス・スチュワート（BMX Bandits）

2004年に中心メンバーのヴァルテリ・バータネンとマッティ・ヤスによって結成されたバンドは、2005年にドイツのBone Voyage Recordingから『The Brain That Wouldn’t Die』で、アルバムデビュー。メンバーのリビングルームでレコーディングされたというD.I.Yな作品ながらも、そのメロディアスでキャッチーなサウンドが、英Q magazineで「宝石のよう」とレビューされ、またメンバーの敬愛するスコットランドはグラスゴーのティーンエイジ・ファンクラブやBMXバンディッツもバンドをお気に入りに挙げるなどし、ここ日本でも耳の早い洋楽ファンの間で話題となっていたバンド、グッドナイト・モンスターズ。当初2人のユニットだったバンドも、現在は、正式メンバーとしてベースとドラムを迎え入れ、フルバンドとして活動。すでに、地元だけでなくドイツやオランダ、エストニアといった国でツアーも経験し、国内外で評価の高まる中、今回、そのデビューから3年、バンドが満を持して完成させたセカンド・アルバム『Summer Challenge』で日本デビューが決定！

そのアルバムは、彼らが影響を受けてきたビーチボーイズやビートルズなどのポップ・クラッシックから、90年代のギターポップ、そしてカーディガンズやトーレ・ヨハンソンなどの北欧サウンドまで多彩なエッセンスを詰め込んだ、フレッシュでメロディアス、オーガニックでソウルフル、そしてタイムレスな極上のサウンド！夏の朝の一瞬のきらめきを切り取って、そのままパッケージングしたような、全13曲のアルバムは、甘酸っぱい夏の想い出の1枚になること間違いなし！

Star Sign Records、第4弾リリース！
『Summer Challenge』/ Goodnight Monsters
1.Black Labrador
2.Hanging On To A Bad Dream
3.Interflora Overdrive
4.Keep Me As A Secret
5.First One On The Beach
6.Mockingbird
7.April Fooling
8.Drifting
9.Le Beat De Jacques Lapin
10.Tomorrow's Girl
11.Being Cool
12.Better Times Comin' Up
13.Milk Club
（※輸入盤に解説を付けた仕様となります。アナログ盤、7インチ・シングル“Drifting”同時発売。）

→Goodnight Monstersマイスペースへ