Captain Cougar – Åkerblomrörelsen (Pinetree Records, 2014)
Finnish band Captain Cougar, from Jyväskylä, uses contemporary folk music in the nicely-crafted album Åkerblomrörelsen to recount the story of the 20th century evangelical movement that became a sect in the Swedish speaking area of Ostrobothnia, in Finland. The group was led by the prophecies of Maria Åkerblom, who affirmed she received them directly from God. Maria delivered her sermons in trances and travelled throughout Finland spreading the word.
Even though Captain Cougar is a Finnish band, their style and arrangements are much closer to Americana, especially with the English-language vocals and the way the band uses the piano and electric guitar.
The lineup includes Captain Cougar is a folk rock band, Finland, made up of Laura Lehtola, on vocals; Juha Kujanpää, on piano, synthesizers and reed organ; Jussi Petäjä, on guitars and vocals; Juha-Matti Rautiainen on bass and vocals; and Janne Torvikoski, on drums and percussion.
The CD booklet reveals much more about the controversial life of Maria Åkerblom.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
