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Homeland

by Mäkkelä

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1.
the year was still a young one when I heard the banshees howl been racing with the dead eyed dogs on the edge of the big void into the heart of darkness next to the big void been fed with love and beer and booze queer city angels took my blues downed it in one gulp made sure it never would appear never would appear while Europe's busy going bust and rock'n'roll still takes its toll while there's all that talk of gloom and doom them Tuesday lilies won't ever stop to bloom now who of you will come with me walk out on the ledge and gaze into the velvet April sky and please play "Port Of Amsterdam" for me you'll see a teardrop in my eye I'll feel light as feather, ready for to fly light as a feather I would fly row your surfboard up the bus lane on that Boulevard Vauban past the radio station that played Harbour Town they would change your name to "a droit" get you high on Picon Biere felt lost out on the highway now it feels as I've been found lost myself out there but I've been found now who of you will join me on my walk out on the ledge to gaze into the velvet April sky when they play "Port Of Amsterdam" for me and make me lose myself and cry I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fly light as feather I would fly
2.
mama rode the moonshine special mama drove it right into the wall mama said no sheriff will arrest me then mama went up in a fire ball mama never left without her shotgun kept that sawed-off little sweetheart 'neath her seat cigar between her teeth, when she sat behind the wheel mama always had the feds upon her heels me and Sue were parked in that dark side road my fingers almost made it in her pants when mom came shooting by as fast as lightning just a little bit too fast for that last bend mama crashed into the ten mile turnpike down there on the western county line when the feds stared at the few remains of ma' they said she was the best damn whiskey runner that we had mama rode the moonshine special mama drove it right into the wall there was no one who ever did arrest her yeah mama went up in a fire ball
3.
Black Water 04:24
this town's a grand old river that's what I've been told no one ever told me it's mean and it's cold they say if you make it you make it round here they didn't say there's a price to pay and that's trouble trouble on end this town's my big true lover that's what it always been I knew she would feed me with pleasure and sin they say if you get there well, you get there to win they didn't say when it comes to pay it'll shake you and break you and take you deep deep down you're that cheap Mia Farrow with a copper to your left and your right travelling business class on a ghost train, that's a one-way ticket to ride and you've seen the unspeakable, I can tell by the look in your eyes plunged head on into darkness this river's sheer blackness and this river's black waters still rise rise, rise, rise rise black waters rise, rise, rise rise black waters rise seems like business as usual for the plain-clothes police and the medics on this dull autumn day from across the canal from some open window some strangely sweet music would play and it's breaking my heart to see you glaring at someone or something somewhere far away away from the darkness this river's sheer blackness and the waters that always would rise rise, water, rise
4.
End Of Me 03:51
5.
Grief 03:17
checked the screen a thousand times but no text would appear if i gone out too far this time the waves would keep me there the gulls would sing my songs for you I wish i had some more to give but now grief is love without a home connection fails no wakeup call will reach me over here set the sails for candyland like many times before but now they just sell one-ways here i wish i'd known right from the start no bliss for a home without a heart
6.
we ran like headless chicken on a tightrope without net staked all we had on passion no it's never a safe bet drove endless miles to get here and each mile i do regret but made a tenner sold an album won a heart they put us up in junk yards they feed us gone-off beer the food's not on the menu cause they can not sell it here tonight it's free admission but we're free to pass the hat to make a tenner sell an album win a heart tonight we'll be invincible tonight we'll do alright trouble is the bar man says "forgot you're on tonight" where there's no crowd there ain't no pay but you can try to play to make a tenner sell an album win a heart
7.
Border Song 04:30
it's break or be broken a rule not outspoken for him who will dare devil may care rather give it a go than die around here without future or past and a shipload of fear word is there's a train to the north county campsites at the terminal station they feed you with bags full of hope and it's said you can stand in the queue wait for your lucky number be among the chosen few and they're throwing the dice and they'll soon let you know is it hell or paradise where you gotta go they pretend to be god but that's just a disguise something's gone off here, it just doesn't seem right I'm afraid we're all screwed for they close down the borders tonight if you run into my sister or my brother or my mom tell them no one can hurt me after all they have done and I'll be on that train and I'll make it big time and we'll soon meet again and there'll be no borderline and I'll be on that train and I'll make it big time and we'll soon meet again and there'll be no borderline and they're gambling with souls and they play their own rules and they treat us like fools and they say we'll be fine if we stay where we are if we don't cross that line something's gone off here, let's get this straight they don't give a fuck and they close down the borders tonight
8.
Fireworks 03:37
If you were a forest and I was a tree I bet god be the chainsaw to cut as both free If you were a goddess and a singer was I I'd pray for forgiveness and for liquor I'd cry we're not gonna make for the fireworks no we're not gonna make for the fireworks tonight we're not gonna make for the fireworks tonight we're not gonna make for the fireworks tonight we're not gonna make for the fireworks tonight
9.
you said I do confuse you and that you kinda like it and you want me to just carry on did I tell you I fell for this river not you as I fell for the lakes and the sea the people at work they're good people, but they don't sing your song and you know you will never, that you'll never ever sing theirs you'll never sing theirs and someone's appearing out of the shadow with a secret just meant for your ears your songs make me think about the sea and the past and what's coming and what's going to last and someone's appearing out of the darkness with a secret just for you to hear your songs make me think about the sea and they make me want to dance make me want to dance will they start a war while I'm asleep put some dirt on the white, the immaculate green will they chop of the heads of the queen and the king in this year that was lacking a spring I know I will blow it as I blown it before I'll be losing ground as I lost ground before don't take it personally, I still do regret I threw up on your living room floor I've got not much to offer but I'm happy to share a moment of bliss in these times of despair when it all seems to go wrong and someone's appearing out of the shadow with a secret just meant for your ears your songs make me think about the sea and the past and what's coming and what's going to last and someone's appearing out of the darkness with a secret just for you to hear your songs make me think about the sea and they make me want to dance make me want to dance into the light
10.
11.
Homeland 03:02
the hours keep a-crawling now the leaves they're a-falling can you tell me my dear where did this year disapear if i think long enough and i find the right line i might remember that homeland of mine the end of the summer feels worse every year will this struggle go on will we sing that old song will we freeze in disgust in a land that's gone bust will our hearts still be beating for that homeland we lost driftwood i am on the wide open sea in search of a harbour that's waiting for me steered my way clear of the rocks and the sand longing for some place I'd call my homeland and i keep singing prayers to the sky and the sea to retain what seems kind of homeland for me and i keep sending prayers to the heaven above to let me find someday some homeland to love

about

Maybe first of all: this is not a folk album. Not even half a folk album. A first idea for the title was actually “’This Is Not A Folk Song’” but that seemed to be too much PIL. It took me decades, really, to realise I've never been a folk musician or singer and most certainly never will be. It's simply not going to happen.
Having accepted this it seemed kind of odd to be nominated for a European Folk Award in 2017. I do highly appreciate that they did it, but honestly - I take this rather as a compliment or an acknowledgement of my work as a songwriter. Not a folk musician. It's just not what I am.

To gain this insight I had to see a show of Hańba! and Sutari on an off-day at the Alchemia in Krakow touring in 2017. Among the best shows I've seen that year and an epiphany too. Two bands taking their inspiration and musical substance from a century old tradition the musicians have grown up with and taking that whole thing into a contemporary context.
It's both a curse and a blessing not having this. Be it Polish, Finnish, German, Canadian. Tradition. Heritage. I do envy this as it makes it so much easier to know your identity, where you belong and how to name what you're doing. Pretending to write folk music or folk songs will always be wishful thinking without that kind of background, at least for me. It's just not in my genes or my blood or my history. The more I think about this, the stranger it seems there have been reviews of my previous releases that would label them somewhat as indie-folk. Inappropriate wording. Lacking a more accurate genre it sounded mostly sort of OK for me then but honestly I don't know if I've ever seen myself there. Identity crisis all over the place. That's the downside of it.

The upside is: without that kind of background or roots you can just freely do whatever you want to. Build your own universe out of all the bits and pieces you'd pick up somewhere along the line. So all in all I suppose a way more formative thing, at least in terms of approach and attitude, has been punk rock. A safe and welcoming haven for all of us disconcerted and confused youth. Long time ago.
So I assume this album is first and foremost a collection of tiny stories, mental snaps or some sort of diary kept over a period of a good three years of touring, all cast into songs. An extract of thoughts, moments and observations hastily scribbled down on parking tickets, envelopes, petrol receipts, or in my note book.
In retrospect, it seems like a miracle it worked out to record most of the material as home demos first, write arrangements, work on the words and, later, convince people to join me in the studio to contribute their bits. Wouldn't have worked without the patience and skills of the ever brilliant Frank Molleno at Lone Star in Nuremberg, let alone the enthusiasm and musicianship of all involved artists. Great characters, the whole lot. Can't value this high enough. I can't imagine this will work another time the way it did or if I'd want to go through this again, so enjoy what you've got.

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released October 12, 2018

To buy physical copy of this album please visit maekkelae.com

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Mäkkelä Germany

Finnish-German, Papua-born singer-songwriter performing solo and in numerous collaborations. Mäkkelä, Folk's Worst Nightmare Collective, Maekkelae & Orkesteri, Church Of The Blue Nun, Maekkelae & Grae J. Wall, The Anglo German Low Stars, The Très Biens, The Goho Hobos... ... more

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