"Pathways was not released until October 2000, because its mixing process took forever, the covers were undone and G_d only knows what else. At the same time, the next record Walking Down The Pathvvays was under construction. It all had begun in the Spring of 1999 under the working title ArHeaves, and between the months of June and September the band enjoyed another hardworking season in the good old barn. Actually, after this we never returned there. Part of the lyrics changed in a dramatic way. Four songs out of seven were rehearsed in July, and only three songs would come during the next eight months. There would eventually be two different, opposed forces in the poem / the record. Despite of these polarities the grounding atmosphere of the work would be calm and filled with (inspired if somewhat melancholic) confidence, after its final version called A Good Friday Spell had been written down on Good Friday 2000.
The Spell was heav(il)y influenced, by King Crimson and other legends of progressive rock. The music was recorded in July - August 2000. While we were in the studio I was still writing and designing covers for Pathvvays. Before we got the album finished, a whole lot of things would happen. Matikainen wanted to have a name for the band, I didn't. But he wanted it so much that I finally gave up and offered him a song title called The Beautiful Thin Young Men. The word beautiful was dropped out because even without it the name sounded so......well, back then we thought it was a fine piece of provocation united with a false turbonegrospiritual feel to it. Then I was called in to do the vocals for Omnium Gatherum's demo, later known as Wastrel." From a note originally written in 2006
The Cafeteria Hard Rain Fell in 2002.
The photos taken by Antti Filppu,
and the ideal coffee creations were
X.X.X.X.ed with Matti Rautaniemi,
who designed the pages for the band.
"The Spell was sung in August 2001 in a few days. That Summer we lost our main headquarters, The Bomb Shelter, as Pekkola and Matikainen both moved out of town. Now the band existed mainly in our dreams, occasionally training in Tampere or Jyväskylä. It was around the Winter Solstice when Matikainen brought us a pre-hear version of the Spell, and we sat listening to it while enjoying our Christmas cakes and coffee. The Spell was ready, with no Mastering, on our 8th Anniversary in February 2002. The overall atmosphere is quite dark and lovely, just like Barry White, with a Spring's teen Human Touch and sincere weakness of hope giving it a little bit of pus....clarity and even some aesthetic force. Those days we defined our musical style using two opposed words: Art and Rock. In other words, it would be an imp_______ union. The lyrical side was nothing less. I guess I'll have to say we have set our goals on a different level lately. Instead of trying to be Art and Rock at the same time we are approaching the limits of both, thus creating something new. The same goes for lyrics. Instead of being Otherworldly Poetry, I consider my efforts as otherWORDly poetry nowadays." From a note originally written in 2006
THE THIN YOUNG MEN:
The Thin Young Men:
Tomi Pekkola
Guitars, Vocals, Bass, Keys
Jussi Matikainen
Drums and Percussion
Antti Filppu
Spells, Vocals, Occasional Guitar
The Black and Thirsty Summer of '99,
three young men at the Bomb Shelter.
Band Photos taken by Panu Huikko,
Matti Rautaniemi brownished them.
ART ROCK & OTHERWORLDLY POETRY
Recorded in July-August 2000 (music) and August 2001 (vocals) at Vehkalahtisali Studio by Matikainen / who also mastered the mixing with fine delay and echo / The songs were composed between March 1999 - April 2000 / All music and arrangements by Pekkola & TYM / although an invisible hand did help with the last minutes of Somnolence Out / and some other things, too / like the writing of this little spell / as it was all coming and going (ever since March-July 1999) / until Good Friday 2000 finally brought the spirit and the word together / And the axis worked well with the wheel of this millennium / A part of The Red Wine was recorded in March 1995 / Back then it was called Blackened Roses On My Grave, and bass was played by Mikko Nenonen / Cover art by Filppu and Matikainen, with Nenonen kindly assisting / Dedicated to all the poetasters in this world (“those who write inferior poetry”)!
Hamina in 2001 (from left to right):
Filppu, Pekkola and Matikainen
The young men are having a cup of
coffee with some very delicious
Christmas cakes and star pastry.
Photo was taken by Mikko Nenonen.
A GOOD FRIDAY SPELL: there'll be no burdens to darken the green / a place of living brought an ordeal / here's the coffin you know / where are we going tonight, who'll ask /hey, branches are trying to get out of there / and i'm fond of the weather / yes, baby, what a truth it was / you'd never seen me that silent / the wet evening street, vanity clear and stretching away / to work upon it coherent / remember that line of old-fashioned lamps / i couldn't tell you anything, with a broken habit / and the grey wall followed in the left / i let it all rain down of course / and how long it took / just a spell to get myself in order / i was right in that it works and wrong in a few other things / the bleached and our resentment / think it as a kind of secret / i've tried so much, and are you going to watch these steps hoping that i'll grieve
(POET)ASTER / THE RED WINE: burning and velleity the sad part / cleansing dives without a reason / three quarters of an hour / it was the same image / idle along when dreaming, then want a palace in the garden and a heart ages old / what heals all now / adhere to the word / it would have been fine if something real had happened / psyche / where are your selves laid / nineteen for the chronicle / those things on my grave were not alone / it was deepened that autumn / let the florescence turn brighter / with a peace and chrysanthemums found / venetian blinds did cut the sight on the horizon of march / dear, i was still in a feverish realm / looking at its brim / but i've come to hold your hand / the need again graciously / the time is different, don't transcend in the bus / for the hotbed and the wine now bottled / i'm so damn glad i'm here and sane
UNDER AUTUMNAL RAIN DISTINCT.: the crippled man is speaking / "i have suffered enough for not following you, have i not?" / listen to the narrowing sound / the lower waves there, and hollow thorns / i'll walk a little under that light / in salvat (give it a thought or two) / give a thought or two to compulsion / wonderful's not the same in those liquids / near the spirit's edge / to say something wise about loneliness, or something wise about the human mind / honey will end the loss of routine / waltzing with a girl whose name is white flower / thank god all are reminding each other / but hearts do come out of chests / "yes, we were in the park under an almost autumnal rain, i tried to act like a gentleman with the umbrella; offering my soul to set" / "the old language isn't enough, i finally managed to lit my heart with the ageless flame" / if you're willing to stay make sure it isn't hard to breathe / it'll be just fine, verily
THE SHAPE: to bliss whenever quiet / it's a slow move, lying on the bed / but many have done it before / with heavens of archaic fathers towards a terrible spire / that's why i'm still eager to have cream and jewelry in tongues, using violet / when harmless orchids are tied together / and a frame of something / pour everything down your throat / for the only love and the life / i admit you're a beauty / though only a picture / the word nature means "that which is born" / the memory begun to live / let's go somewhere else, to have a new glassful / it's an old wine / i saw the crippled man and he had bitter-looking company / "now you have all the time in the world to spend with me"
SOMNOLENCE OUT: muse in clasping arms / for a city that is lonely / who's gonna take a walk around the corner / here i slept and my wishes at home didn't work so well / crave highly for languish, more and more tired / "no sorrow's forever with me, though sometimes i still go over the edge" / leaves may have withered / the floor of the dance for an illhearted / as december went away / and i had written to you, but not like a poet / the crippled to fall for your rose / there's a holy wine / i used to have a broken chalice / a coffin in the middle of the room / dark blue walls / there were pieces on the floor / a theatre i could say / until the trees of cherbourg seduced me into a different kind of romanticism
BEAUREPAIRE: dressed in carmine / we met again on a bridge / stared the water beneath and the lilies floating there / oh the fate in my hands with every coincidence on the streets / whether it's good luck or not, my loving adèle / who'll be there this spring / to hope it's built above cliches / and read me through these eyes / how could i show / the wounded and wandering knight, with golden numbers on the chestplate / riding the horse of a dead knight to a chapel / yes, for an accident to take place on a bridge / the crippled will pour it down gleaming and send forth / "i have a trembling body, thrown deeper after this; its pieces glimmer for me" / with a violin the end of love / these lines brought emptiness, no grass here greener / we are watching a black-and-white movie / and your violin is heard, it's moving the innocent / in pure songs the water's cold
Photograph was taken by Filppu,
walking down the evening streets
of Helsinki in October 2000.
Lyrics, references and more photos at
All records are available at