Poets of the Fall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Poets of the Fall | |
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from the left: Jani Snellman, Jari Salminen, Olli Tukiainen, Jaska Mäkinen, Markus Kaarlonen, Marko Saaresto
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Background information | |
Origin | Helsinki, Finland[1] |
Genre(s) | Rock Alternative Rock[1] |
Years active | 2003 – present[1] |
Label(s) | Insomniac Rough Trade |
Website | www.poetsofthefall.com |
Members | |
Marko Saaresto Olli Tukiainen Markus Kaarlonen |
Poets of the Fall (POTF) are a rock band from Helsinki, Finland that was founded by Marko Saaresto and Olli Tukiainen in 2003.[1] The members are Marko "Mark" Saaresto, (lead vocals & guitar), Olli Tukiainen (guitar), and Markus "Captain" Kaarlonen (keyboards & production); during concerts, they are accompanied by Jani Snellman (bass guitar), Jaska Mäkinen (guitar) and Jari Salminen (drums & percussion).
The Poets released the singles Late Goodbye and Lift before releasing their full-length debut album Signs of Life in Finland. The album was certified gold in May 2005[2] and platinum in April 2006.[3] It topped the Finnish Top 40 chart in weeks 4[4] and 7[5] of 2005, and stayed on the list for 56 weeks.[6]
The song Late Goodbye marked the beginning of the band's popularity since it is featured in Max Payne 2 as the game's ending song, as well as a recurring theme in the game.[7] The second single, Lift, is featured in the computer benchmarking program 3DMark 05 by Futuremark[8] which has close ties with Remedy Entertainment, the developers of Max Payne 2.
The band has won several awards which include the 2004 Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Award in the "Best Original Vocal Song – Pop" category for Late Goodbye,[9] "Best Finnish Newcomer" in YleX's "Best of 2004",[10] "Newcomer of '05" during Musiikki & Media Events,[11] and two Emma Awards for "Best Newcomer of the Year" and "Best Debut Album of the Year"[12]. They also won the "Best Finnish Act"-award at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards.[13]
Poets of the Fall performed live for the first time ever outside Finland in Berlin during Popkomm 2005 and released Signs of Life in selected countries. The second album, Carnival of Rust, was released in Sweden in September 2006,[14] in Australia, Russia and Ukraine in October 2006[15] and in Germany on April 20, 2007.[16]
The band's third album, Revolution Roulette, was released in Finland on March 26, 2008.[17] Their latest single, Diamonds for Tears, was released in Finland on 21 May 2008.[18]
Contents |
[edit] Band history
[edit] 2003
Poets of the Fall were founded in 2003 with the collaboration of Mark and Olli. After a small amount of time, Captain came aboard. This brought three different worlds together to form POTF: a rock singer, a jazz guitarist, and an "industrial-machine-trance-man".
Marko was forced to move into his parents' basement when he couldn't keep a place of his own any longer. The Poets built a studio of their own in Captain's living room and kept an office in Olli's old car.[1]
In 2003, Sami Järvi, a scriptwriter of Remedy Entertainment asked Mark to write a song for their upcoming game, Max Payne 2. When the game was released, interest in Poets skyrocketed all around the world. Shortly after, Late Goodbye won first place at the annual G.A.N.G. awards in San Jose, California.[9] The ceremony was televised on MTV International and G4TV, but the Poets were unable to attend due to arrangements elsewhere.[citation needed]
Since then, Late Goodbye has spread worldwide on over two million sold copies of Max Payne 2.[citation needed]
[edit] 2004
On 30 June 2004, the Late Goodbye single was released in Finland.[19] It contained different variations of the title track (including the radio edit, album edition, unplugged edition, and piano instrumental), along with a bonus track called Everything Fades which can also be found on the band's debut album Signs of Life.[20]
On 9 September 2004, Poets' second single Lift was released,[21] continuing to stay true to the band's style. Just like Late Goodbye, Lift too got a considerable amount of exposure as it appeared with Futuremark's computer benchmarking program, 3DMark05.[8] The software spread Lift around the world in over eleven million downloads.[citation needed]
The additional track that was included with the Lift single, The Beautiful Ones[20] kept the band's poetic style. In all of their work, they have presented a sense of style that carries over into their albums.
POTF was voted as the fresh newcomer of the year 2004 in Finland. Lift won second place in the best song of the year category, Late Goodbye reached rank 7.[10]
The Poets started their Signs of Life-tour on October 22, 2004 with a concert in Tampere, Finland.[22]
On 18 December 2004, the Poets released a net download single entitled Maybe Tomorrow is a Better Day for about three weeks. After the song's release, the number of visitors of their website was over 20 times higher than on average days.[23] It is still available for download at POTFmedia.com.
"Maybe Tomorrow is a Better Day..."
“ | ...is all about hope. Hope, now, is a tricky thing. A real double edged sword. It is the sole power that keeps mankind on its feet. Heads up and at it. Even in time of crisis. An invaluable force of nature. But as hope can be true... it can also be false. We choose the way to go, but will the road set us free? I wrote the lyrics to 'Maybe tomorrow is a better day' in context with this duality. In other words, where there is hope there must be doubt. There is no one without the other. And so, devilishly, parts of the lyric can be experienced either as doubting or as giving true hope... it is up to you to give it meaning. | ” |
— Marko Saaresto[23] |
[edit] 2005
Signs of Life, the Poets' first album, had been sought after, receiving more preorders than what was expected.[citation needed] On January 17, 2005, it was announced that the album had been selected as the "Album of the Week" on the Finnish national radio channel YleX.[24] After being released on 19 January 2005,[25] it went up to number one in its first week on the official Finnish TOP 40album chart.[26] It was certified gold on May 24, 2005,[2] platinum on 26 April 2006[3] and has spent 56 weeks on the list.[6] This makes Signs of Life one of the most successful albums in Finland released in 2005.
Also included with the album is a link to a password-protected secret page on the website. On the page, a remixed version of Lift (entitled Dramadance Remix) can be found along with several wallpapers from the album book artwork.
The album was awarded the Emma Award for the "Best Debut Album of the Year 2005" and the band was awarded in the "Best Newcomer of the Year" category.[12] An Emma Award is Finland's equivalent to a Grammy. Signs of Life has also been released in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Ukraine and South Africa.[citation needed]
On 13 August 2005, POTF's second music video Lift[27] was released for Finnish television airing. From this point forward, Signs of Life has been released on iTunes in the countries of Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.[28] It went straight to number one in the Finnish iTunes-charts.[29] On 1 October 2005, the Lift-video was made available for online-viewing at the Poets' official website.[30]
On 9 November 2005 the Poets ended their Signs of Life-tour with a concert in Stockholm, Sweden.[22]
[edit] 2006
On 19 January 2006, POTF won at the NRJ radio awards, they were selected by voters as the "Best Finnish Breakthrough".[31] On 9 February 2006, POTF made an announcement of their upcoming single to be released on 22 March 2006. Carnival of Rust included two versions of the title track (a radio edit and album edition), along with an exclusive live recording of Don't Mess With Me.[32] The live recording took place at Rockperry Festival, Vaasa, Finland on 15 July 2005.[citation needed] The single was released in Germany on 1 December 2006.[33]
On 12 March 2006, the Poets' announced their tour dates of the "Carnival of Rust" tour. It was also brought to the fans' attention that their drummer, Tapio left the band to pursue his career in photography. Taking his place is Jari. They remain close friends with their former drummer and wish him the best of luck in his chosen career.[34]
On 30 March 2006, the Carnival of Rust music video was released for viewing on The Voice and MTV Finland.The director from Lift, Tuomas "Stobe" Harju, continued to work with them for this project.[35]
The Poets' second album Carnival of Rust was released in Finland on 12 April 2006,[36] after being delayed from its original release date, April 5.[citation needed] It includes 11 new songs, a remastered version of Maybe Tomorrow is a Better Day, as well as the music video to the title track .[20]
The album went straight to the top on Finnish radio channel YleX due to fan votes[37] and was recognized as "Album of the Week"[38] after remaining number one for three weeks straight.[citation needed]
Carnival of Rust followed in its predecessor's footsteps on 19 April 2006 when the Top40 show announced that the Poets would have two albums on their list. After a week on store shelves, the album went straight to number one on the Finnish charts.[39][40]
On 10 May 2006, Signs of Life was dropped from the Top40 list, where Carnival of Rust continued to reside on the higher end of the list. It was certified gold only three weeks after being released[41] and platinum on 11 December 2006.[42] The album has been released in Sweden on 12 September 2006.[14] It was selected as one of the best albums 2006 by Finland's largest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat.[43]
[edit] 2007
In 2007 the Poets continued their Carnival of Rust-tour, playing 55 gigs in 7 countries. The tour ended on 27 October 2007 with the band's first concert in Asia at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur.[44]
On 20 January 2007 they were awarded the "Best Finnish Band"-Award at the 2007 NRJ Radio Awards.[45]
On 7 March 2007 the band's official webshop opened. It ships merchandise as well as singles and albums worldwide.[46]
On 20 April 2007 the Carnival of Rust-album was released in Germany.[16]
On 5 May 2007 it was announced that the Poets' Carnival of Rust-video had won the "Bronze Muuvi Award", as well as the "Muuvi People's Choice Award", having received 71 percent of all votes.[47]
[edit] 2008
On 9 January 2008 the Poets accounted a new single called The Ultimate Fling which was released in Finland on 6 February 2008.[48] The single features three versions of the title track as well as a live recording of Fire, the opening track of the band's second album Carnival of Rust.[20] The live version was recorded during the Poets' performance at the Ankkarock Festival 2007 on 5 August.[44] The single charted at #2 in the Finnish singles charts. [49]
The Poets' third album Revolution Roulette was released in Finland on 26 March 2008[20] and, just like its two predecessors, went straight to the top of the Finnish charts.[50] It was cerified gold two weeks after being released.[51]
Their third tour started with a gig in Jyväskylä, Finland on 18 April 2008. The band is also going to perform in Germany, India, Japan, Russia and Sweden. They played their first show in the United States in Los Angeles, California during Musexpo 2008 on 29 April 2008. [52]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
Album | Release dates | Charts | Certifications |
---|---|---|---|
Signs of Life | 19 January 2005 [25] August 2005 [28] |
#1 [26] | IFPI certification: Platinum[3] |
Carnival of Rust | 12 April 2006 [36] 12 September 2006 [14] October 2006 [15] 20 April 2007 [16] |
#1 [39] | IFPI certification: Platinum[42] |
Revolution Roulette | 26 March 2008 [17] | #1 [50] | IFPI certification: Gold[51] |
[edit] Singles
Single | Release dates | Charts |
---|---|---|
Late Goodbye* | 30 June 2004[19] | #14 [54] |
Lift* | 9 September 2004 [21] | #8 [55] |
Carnival of Rust* | 22 March 2006 [56] | #2 [58] |
Sorry Go 'Round | 16 August 2006 [59] | #7 [60] |
Locking Up the Sun* | 29 November 2006 [61] | #3 [62] |
The Ultimate Fling* | 6 February 2008 [48] | #2 [49] |
Diamonds for Tears* | 21 May 2008 [18] | #13 [63] |
"*"= a full version of the song can be found on the band's official MySpace-website
Other tracks
- Maybe Tomorrow is a Better Day
(Free download is available at POTFmedia.com)
[edit] Videography
[edit] Tours
Years | Tour | Countries | Concerts |
---|---|---|---|
2004-2005 | Signs of Life-Tour | 5 ( )[22] | 62[22] |
2006-2007 | Carnival of Rust-Tour | 8 ( )[64][44] | 126 [64][44] |
2008 | Revolution Roulette-Tour | 7*( )[65] | 42* [52] |
"*"= number can change as more gigs are announced.
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] Awards
Year | Award | Title |
---|---|---|
2004 | Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards | Best Original Vocal Song – Pop (Late Goodbye)[9] |
2004 | YleX's "Best of 2004" | Best Finnish Newcomer[10] |
2005 | IFPI Finland | Gold Record (Signs of Life)[2] |
2005 | Musiikki & Media Events | Newcomer of '05[11] |
2006 | NRJ Radio Awards | Best Finnish Breakthrough 2005[31] |
2006 | Emma Awards | Best Newcomer of the year[12] |
2006 | Emma Awards | Best Debut Album of the year (Signs of Life)[12] |
2006 | IFPI Finland | Platinum Record (Signs of Life)[3] |
2006 | IFPI Finland | Gold Record (Carnival of Rust)[41] |
2006 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Finnish Band[13] |
2006 | IFPI Finland | Platinum Record (Carnival of Rust)[42] |
2006 | The Voice | Best Music Video 2006 (Carnival of Rust)[66] |
2006 | TV2's Musiikki-TV | Best Finnish Music Video of All Times (Carnival of Rust)[67] |
2007 | NRJ Radio Awards | Best Finnish Band[45] |
2007 | Muuvi Awards | Bronze Muuvi Award (Carnival of Rust)[47] |
2007 | Muuvi Awards | Muuvi People's Choice Award (Carnival of Rust)[47] |
2008 | IFPI Finland | Gold Record (Revolution Roulette) |
[edit] Nominations
Year | Award | Title | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | YleX's "Best of 2004" | Best Finnish Song (Lift) | 2nd[10] |
2004 | YleX's "Best of 2004" | Best Finnish Song (Late Goodbye) | 7th[10] |
2005 | Radio City | Album of the Year (Signs of Life) | 7th[68] |
2005 | The Voice | Top 105 (Lift) | 10th[69] |
2006 | The Voice | Best Music Video 2006 (Locking Up the Sun) | 12th[66] |
2007 | NRJ Radio Awards | Best Finnish Album (Carnival of Rust) | -[70] |
2007 | NRJ Radio Awards | Best Nordic Band | -[70] |
2007 | Emma Awards | Best Rock Album (Carnival of Rust) | - [71] |
2007 | Helsingin Sanomat | Most Beloved Finnish Rock Song (Late Goodbye) | - [72] |
[edit] External links
- Official website (available in English, Finnish and German)
- Official webshop (available in English and Finnish)
- Official MySpace (contains six complete POTF-songs to listen to)
- MySpace of the American Poets of the Fall-Street Team
- MySpace of the Finnish Poets of the Fall-Street Team
- MySpace of the Spanish Poets of the Fall-Street Team
- German Poets of the Fall-Street Team
- Russian / English fansite
- Italian fansite
- Polish fansite
- Spanish fansite
- Poets of the Fall Media
- Italian fansite
- Poets on Last.fm
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e About Poets http://www.poetsofthefall.com/aboutpoets
- ^ a b c Signs of Life sells gold in Finland Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 24 May 2005
- ^ a b c d Signs of Life sells platinum Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 26 April 2006
- ^ Finnish Charts: Albums – 04/2005
- ^ Finnish Charts: Albums – 07/2005
- ^ a b www.finnishcharts.com – Poets of the Fall – Signs of Life (album)
- ^ Poets song "Late Goodbye" appears in Max Payne 2 "Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, October 23,2003
- ^ a b POTF's music featured in 3DMark05 Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, September 29, 2004
- ^ a b c Poets Of The Fall wins at G.A.N.G. Awards Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, March 29, 2004
- ^ a b c d e POTF is the Best Newcomer of 2004 Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, January 1, 2005
- ^ a b POTF wins the Newcomer of '05 Award Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, October 25, 2005
- ^ a b c d POTF wins two Emma Awards Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, March 4, 2006
- ^ a b Poets of the Fall win at MTV Europe Music Awards Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, November 2, 2006
- ^ a b c Carnival of Rust out now in Sweden http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news,12 September 2006
- ^ a b Carnival of Rust released in Australia, Russia and Ukraine Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 6 October 2006
- ^ a b c "Carnival of Rust"-album: German Amazon article
- ^ a b Poets of the Fall : The Ultimate Fling - www.stara.fi - January 29, 2008 (Finnish)
- ^ a b c Diamonds for Tears single out May 21st Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, May 6, 2008
- ^ a b Late Goodbye single OUT NOW! Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, June 30, 2004
- ^ a b c d e Poets of the Fall – Discography
- ^ a b "Lift" single OUT NOW! "Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, September 9, 2004
- ^ a b c d http://www.poetsofthefall.com - 2005 Tour
- ^ a b A new free POTF released Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, December 18, 2004
- ^ SOL is the Album of the Week on YleXHttp://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, January 17, 2005
- ^ a b Signs of Life OUT NOW! Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 19 January 2005
- ^ a b Signs of Life straight to #1 Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 29 January 2005
- ^ Lift video released Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, August 13, 2005
- ^ a b Signs of Life released on iTunes Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, August 30, 2005
- ^ Signs of Life #1 on iTunes Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, September 2, 2005
- ^ Watch Lift online Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, October 1, 2005
- ^ a b POTF wins @ NRJ Radio Awards Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, January 19, 2006
- ^ New single in stores soon Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 9 February 2006
- ^ Carnival of Rust single out now in Germany Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 1 December 2006
- ^ First Carnival of Rust Tour dates announced Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 12 March 2006
- ^ Carnival of Rust video released Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 3 April 2006
- ^ a b Carnival of Rust album OUT NOW Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 12 April 2006
- ^ Carnival of Rust straight to #1 on YleX's Most Wanted Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 18 March 2006
- ^ Carnival of Rust is Album of the Week on YleX Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 3 April 2006
- ^ a b Carnival of Rust straight to #1 Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 19 April 2006
- ^ Finnish Charts: Albums – 16/2006
- ^ a b Carnival of Rust sells gold Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 24 May 2006
- ^ a b c Carnival of Rust sells platinum Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 11 December 2006
- ^ Carnival of Rust in HS's best albums of the year Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 17 December 2006
- ^ a b c d http://www.poetsofthefall.com - 2007 Tour
- ^ a b Poets of the Fall are the Best Finnish Band at NRJ Radio Awards 2007 Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, January 20, 2007
- ^ Official POTF Webshop is open http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 7 March 2007
- ^ a b c Poets of the Fall win two Muuvi awards Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, May 5, 2007
- ^ a b Brave new Poets single out soon Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 9 January 2008
- ^ a b www.finnishcharts.com – POETS OF THE FALL - THE ULTIMATE FLING (SONG)
- ^ a b Revolution Roulette straight to #1 Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 2 April 2008
- ^ a b Revolution Roulette sells gold http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news 21 May, 2008
- ^ a b http://www.poetsofthefall.com - 2008 Tour
- ^ a b c Poets of the Fall now on iTunes worldwide http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news 12 April, 2008
- ^ www.finnishcharts.com – POETS OF THE FALL - LATE GOODBYE (SONG)
- ^ www.finnishcharts.com - POETS OF THE FALL - LIFT (SONG)
- ^ Carnival of Rust single out now Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 22 March 2006
- ^ Carnival of Rust single out now in Germany Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 1 December 2006
- ^ www.finnishcharts.com - POETS OF THE FALL - CARNIVAL OF RUST (SONG)
- ^ Sorry Go 'Round single out now! Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 16 August 2006
- ^ www.finnishcharts.com - POETS OF THE FALL - SORRY GO 'ROUND (SONG)
- ^ Locking Up the Sun single out now Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, 29 November 2006
- ^ www.finnishcharts.com – POETS OF THE FALL - LOCKING UP THE SUN (SONG)
- ^ www.finnishcharts.com – POETS OF THE FALL - DIAMONDS FOR TEARS (SONG)
- ^ a b http://www.poetsofthefall.com - Tour 2006
- ^ Poets Of The Fallin ”The Ultimate Fling” syntyi riidasta http://www.voice.fi, February 14, 2008
- ^ a b Carnival of Rust is the best video of the year on The Voice Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, December 31, 2006
- ^ Carnival of Rust is the best Finnish music video of all time Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, December 30, 2006
- ^ Vote for SoL as the Album of the Year Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, November 14, 2005
- ^ Vote for Poets in The Voice's Top 105 Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, December 11, 2005
- ^ a b Vote for Poets in NRJ Radio Awards 2007 Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, December 16,2006
- ^ Emma Awards 2007 - Best Rock Album - Nominees
- ^ Vote to make a difference Http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news, June 28, 2007