I
Mika Rättö
(Kuusumun Profeetta  / Eleanoora Rosenholm)

About:

5 April 1973

Born in Pori (Finland) multi-instrumentalist Rättö acquired his education at Satakunta vocational school and Kankaanpää Art School. During his education he started the band Kuusumun Profeetta in 1994, or Moon Fog Project in English (later the Moon Fog Prophet). Inspired by psychedelic progressive folk and krautrock and with Rättö’s mystical lyrics and unique vocal style the band started performing the local circuit. After school in 1996 he became an electrician. In between the band works on their debut album ‘Dim Dum Sing the Sun’ released in 1998.  After three albums in English the band switches to singing in Suomi in 2001 with an album called ‘Kukin kaappiaan selässään kantaa’. The switch to the native tongue suddenly lifts the band from underground scene to a broader audience. In 2006 their fourth album even reached the Finnish album charts. In 2007 starts a more pop-orientated side project with Pasi Salmi and singer Noora Tommila called Eleanoora Rosenholm build around a fictive character of a serial killing housewife. The album ‘Vainajan muotokuva’ (Portraits of the deceased) is recorded in the SS-Palace studio and released at the end of the year. It immediatelly makes an impact. A year later part two of the story is released under the title ‘Älä kysy kuolleilta, he sanoivat’. The band is by then extended to seven bandmembers with Rättö just present in the studio but not in the live-shows. This gives Rättö  the opportunity to undertake other musical coöperations simultaniously with Circle and the reborn Kuusumun Profeetta whose far more rock orientated album 'Lyhtykuja' is released late 2008. ER - Single ‘Ambulanssikuskitar’ received an award for Best video at Oulu Music Video Festival in 2009. In 2011 the final chapter in the story about Eleanoora is announced with album ‘Hyväile minua pimeä tähti’. It is unclear if the trio will continue their coöperation. A new album by Kuusumun Profeetta is announced for 2012, working title 'Huutoja hiljaisesta huoneesta'.

On the web:

- Kuusumun Profeetta's official website: http://www.moonfogprophet.com/
- Eleanoora Rosenholm's official website: http://www.eleanoora.com/

What do we think:

DB: People who see Europop as cheesy housemusic will definitely leave the building in terror with Mika Rättö's artistic definition of music. Exciting, difficult, haunting, mysterious and quirky are words that identify Mika's definition of music. He takes elements folk, jazz, rock and moviesoundtrack and makes something completely original with it. I actually have no idea what to compare this with, maybe as something that comes close to a recent musical score for a Finnish thriller written by Scott Walker. Kuusumun Profeetta is the male side of the catalogue, Eleanoora the female. Experimental but not unaccesable, avant-garde pop/rock without becoming artyfarty. Unique in Europopmusic-land. If in doubt start with the Eleanoora albums, then move on to the more difficult stuff.

If you like this, you probably like.. / european counterparts:

 

Albums:

Kuusumun Profeetta:

- Kukin kaappiaan selässään kantaa - 2001

♪♪♪ - Jatkuvasti maailmaa pelastamaan kyllästynyt supersankari - 2002

- Sanansaattaja oraakkeli salamurha hyökkäysvaunu - 2004

♪♪♪ - Hymyilevien laivojen satama - 2006

♪♪♪♪ - Lyhtykuja - 2008

Eleanoora Rosenholm:

♪♪♪♪ - Vainajan muotokuva - 2007

♪♪♪♪♪ - Älä kysy kuolleilta, he sanoivat - 2008

♪♪♪♪ - Hyväile minua pimeä tähti - 2011

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided