I just heard about this choir yesterday, and I am now completely mesmerized by their existence (This one is courtesy of Benjamin): Mieskuoro Huutajat.
Consisting of 30 Finnish men, this choir covers everything from traditional Finnish songs to national anthems of several countries. What makes them unique though, is that they scream everything at the top of their lungs, all the while dressed in suits with black rubber ties.
The rhythmic choices and nuances are really interesting, and it is clear that each shout/scream is a practiced, orchestrated choice (In other words, it doesn't just sound like a karaoke booth full of drunk men). It's definitely intense, and I can understand why it would be a neat experience to see them live. Speaking of seeing them live, because of the ambiguity regarding the genre of their music, they have played in venues ranging from rock clubs, to chamber halls, to the MoMa!
That being all said, I wonder how hilarious they find their success. They've played in concert halls in Japan, all over Europe, and the Americas.... yet they confess that they only started this choir because they had nothing else better to do. Sounds like there's an element of tongue in cheek here, and I find that refreshing! For example, take their trip to the ice floes in the frozen Baltic, where they stood on the ice floes to shout (at? to?) the crew of an ice-breaker ship. ...and because of their attire, they kind of resembled penguins, which I am sure they were keenly aware of. To sum up their expedition, one member said:
"It is always something the choir has wanted to do, because such antics create a form of absurdity which we find works the best."
Awesome. To learn more about them, go to their website. To get a taste of their performance, watch the video below:
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