Ville Valo

[Pisces]

ROCK GOD.

[Pisces]

Love this, had to post it on Youtube. ;D



What I love about this is that he's not taking himself too seriously, he's not afraid to get silly up there, yet he's still incredibly sexy. Love his clothes, the way he smokes, the way he plays the crowd with his voice. GAH. Always has 'em all in the palm of his hand.

[Alisa]

I've always liked that song. Not the lyrics so much, but instrumentally, and the vocal melodies. In general, HIM's lyrics are a bit too "teen goth" for me. But if you don't concentrate on the lyrics or don't take them too seriously, it's quite good music at times. Not all of it is good, but you can find some pearls. Ville Valo is quite a good songwriter, and has a personal singing style. Their latest albums are outrageously over-produced, though(IMO) Their music has lost it's nuances. I'm not their fan(to the extent I'm a fan of Cillian and Perttu Kivilaakso, or Apocalyptica in general), but I really like some individual songs and Ville as a public person, 'cause he kind of breaks the pattern of rockstars being brainless drug addicts, and he's not afraid to express his opinions. He's well-behaved and articulate, but occasionally says something funny or dirty. I've seen HIM live twice, and met Ville very briefly in a bar. There's nothing to mention in that, the conversation was focused on an ashtray.

Anyway... I'm just waffling. I'm posting to this thread to ask if you've read HIM - The Book? I won't do much travelling on my winter vacation, so I'd be interested in reading some 'on the road'-type of band biography to compensate for not moving around myself. I'm definitely not interested in these 'crackheads on the loose' type of things, so junkie bands are not interesting to me. That's why I'd be interested in the one I'm speaking of. I've read the first HIM-book Synnin Viemää/Gone With The Sin, but not the two others. Judging by the descriptions, The Book sounds more interesting to me. If you've read it, what did you think of it?

These are my favorite songs from HIM:







In this one he's performing with my musical obsession, but I f*****g hate Lauri's voice... That's why I prefer the instrumental version of this, as much as I like Ville.



I'm interested in knowing what are your favorites from HIM or Ville's solo or featuring performances? I don't know how many of the latter he's had with foreign bands, though...

Edit: Oh, and I assume you've seen them live? If you have, did they live up to your expectations?

[Pisces]

Alisa - I completely agree about Ville being a unique person in the rock scene. I've even used him as an example on these boards of someone who can give fantastic, engaging interviews. As you said, he never shrinks from sharing an opinion.

You're right about HIM's later albums being overproduced; Screamworks in particular went too far in that direction. But I still found a couple good songs on that one despite that. Ville's voice is much like Cillian's to me, in that I find it absolutely mesmerizing, whether he's singing or just talking. It's one gorgeous instrument.

My favorite HIM song by far is Salt in Our Wounds, Thulsa Doom version. Even though it might be THE most overproduced song they've done, it's so very dramatic and is truly EPIC in every sense. To me, it always seemed like something that belonged in a movie.

These are another couple favorites:



I love The Sacrament, because it is such a perfect blend of the delicate and the fierce (something I think HIM does better than anyone):



I have seen HIM live - in 2010. I had mixed feelings about the performance. On the one hand, they sounded fantastic, but on the other hand, they interacted very little with the audience and seemed in a hurry to play and get it over with. But it was the tail end of the tour, so it's understandable. LOL. Hearing Ville's voice in person though... that's one I had on my "bucket list" and it's now happily fulfilled. ;D

That night, another band opened for them that blew my socks off. Dommin. What an odd mix of modern goth and i-don't-know-what. This band should be MUCH bigger than they are. The song Dark Holiday is one of my favorite songs ever - they don't have an official music vid for it so all I can attach here is a live version that doesn't do it justice. This song is something ELSE when it's cranked to 150 decibels.



Song they opened with:

[Alisa]

OT: I liked that Dommin's Dark Holiday enough to play it on a dj-gig. Two people came to me asking "What is this?" So I don't know if I got them new buyers, but at least I got them royalties. About the other song you posted... It's decent, but sounds as if it has got way too much TON influences. So if they have made that one to a single?/video, I don't wonder the fact they aren't bigger. It just doesn't make them seem original. In Finland there's only one album available. How many others are there?

About HIM: You didn't answer my question about the book, but I don't mind... Found something else to read. I like the Thulsa Doom version of Salt In Our Wounds too. I would have so many things for you. Meaning live performances from their early days and interviews, but I don't know how to transfer those to computer or how to put them online... I asked my boyfriend, but he doesn't know either. He could translate if we knew how to transfer/upload. Don't know if you would care for those anyway... To take this thread back to it's topic:

[Pisces]

So happy you liked Dark Holiday, Alisa! I've shared that song with quite a few people, and every single one has really enjoyed it. Yeah, My Heart, Your Hands is nowhere near as original, but I still like it. They have only released one album so far (there was also an EP but it's just four songs that are also on the album), but I think they're in studio for the next one now. Another good song from them is Awake... I looked on Youtube for it and it's there, but the sound quality is horrible. Check Amazon and see if you can listen to a sample; it's probably the next-best song on the album after DH.

Sorry I missed your question about the book - no, I haven't read that one, and haven't heard of it, either. I do have HIM: His Infernal Majesty, though. Lots of pics of a very photogenic Valo, so it's a nice one to have around.

Speaking of Finnish bands... I heard a song called In My Heaven by a band called Negative... is there anything else good from them?

[Cait]

Feb 27, 2012 16:50:17 GMT -5 Pisces said:

Speaking of Finnish bands... I heard a song called In My Heaven by a band called Negative... is there anything else good from them?

OMG Pisces, I love that song! Haven't heard it in ages, think I'll give it a listen. ;D I like a few of Negative's songs, one that stands out is "Angels Won't Lie", his voice and accent kills me in that song.

I know this is Ville's thread (unf, he's sexy!), but since we're on the topic, I'm another one who loves Finnish bands. Besides HIM, I also love The Rasmus (was obsessed with them when I was a teenager), Apocalyptica, Apulanta, and Poets of the Fall are all really good.

Actually, I don't know if you've heard it Pisces, but Apocalyptica, Ville Valo, and Lauri Ylönen (lead singer of The Rasmus) all did a song together called "Bittersweet". I love that song!

[Pisces]

Haven't heard of that one, Cait! I'm going to look for it on Youtube now. Ville's voice is so mesmerizing to me... I will listen to it in ANYTHING.

Two more interesting collaborations from Ville...

In this one, he is doing the backup vocals for the band Anathema, and it gives the song such depth. Incredibly haunting and dramatic.



And this one is another personal fave of mine as well. His version of Summer Wine with Natalia Avelon. His voice again... gah. And it doesn't hurt that he looks kind of like Johnny Depp in the video.

[Alisa]

OT: I meant to reply to this a long time ago, but had to do some searching/listening first to be able to answer that question about Negative. Now I finally had time, since Red Lights premiere-buzz is over. Fangirling can be very time consuming when things are in Spanish...

Feb 27, 2012 16:50:17 GMT -5 Pisces said:

They have only released one album so far (there was also an EP but it's just four songs that are also on the album), but I think they're in studio for the next one now.

It never crossed my mind that the reason there's only one album available here might be because it actually is their only/first one. I might not have complained so much about the influences if I had taken that into consideration. Many bands I like have started as very typical to their genre, and later refined their sound into more distinctive.

I'm quite critical when it comes to music... Me and my friends think it's a very annoying feature in me. About Negative... It's not on my list of favorite bands, but I don't hate it either. Jonne has a nice voice. The main problem for me is that their choruses are often boring. They have quite good vocal melodies, riffs and drum patterns elsewhere in their songs, but when the pre-chorus promises a lot though the actual chorus doesn't deliver, I feel a little disappointed. To me they seem to be at their best in slow songs. To those Jonne's underscoredly emotional singing style fits. I found two pieces that pleased me quite a lot(the chorus too). Hope you like them. If you were looking for up-beat rock songs, you might not.

1. Embracing Past. The dvd has apparently been shot in Finland, so here's what Jonne says in the beginning, if you want to know: "That was older material. This is a new song and goes by the name Embracing Past. And this is for all autumn-loving people."



2. Until You're Mine



Cait: It warms my heart that you like Apocalyptica. ;D For me... I don't know how to describe it. The word 'love' would just scratch the surface of how I feel about the band...

Speaking of Finnish singers... Does anyone like J-P Leppäluoto? The bands he has been in may not be amongst the best of this country, but his voice is one of the best, if not the best Finland has to offer(IMO). And he's technically very good too. Sample below.