In 2008, my old friend last.fm introduced me to Regina, a group I discovered whilst tumbling down another of its rabbit holes.
The first songs I heard from them came from their second album 'Oi Miten Suuria Voimia!'. I fell in love instantly and set about picking up a copy. Being totally in Finnish, I couldn't understand any of the lyrics, but I didn't care. I just loved their warm electropop sound and gorgeous melodies. With nowhere else to go, I worked backwards and picked up their debut 'Katso Maisemaa', which I also liked. Then, sometime around 2009 I heard they had a new album in the pipeline, and grabbed it as soon as it was released.
'Puutarhatrilogia' was an earnest continuation of the band's melodic, whimsical pop stylings, but moving further towards melding their electronics with "live" and acoustic instruments, which started with 'Oi Miten'. Puutarhatrilogia' is a truly beautiful record, dripping with sunshine and wonderful tunes - and sometimes, that's all you need.
I played the album a lot during the summer of 2009, which was particularly memorable as it was the same year I met my fiance, so 'Puutarhatrilogia' also reminds me of that summer and also her. In turn, my attachment to this album is partly sentimental.
Whilst I don't speak any Finnish (though I do like the way it sounds), I have, for the most part, avoided translations of their lyrics. I prefer not knowing as it makes the music more mysterious and interesting and the few lyrics I have thrown into Google Translate have belied my imaginings. Despite coming from a notoriously cold climate, Regina's music is unexpectedly sunny to my ears, yet the lyrics I've seen don't really reflect that. So, to preserve my own perceptions, I prefer not to know. Ignorance being bliss, after all.
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