After three records in a row of decreasing popular interest, Eppu Normaali were furiously attempting to hold on to their remaining fan base with this release. The preceding Tie Vie (The Road Takes) had unsuccessfully switched the band's guitar sound mostly to keyboards. However, Aku ja Köyhät Pojat (Aku and the Poor Boys, in homage to Creedence Clearwater Revival) returns to the band's tried and true rock formula. The album includes elements of both their past and future, with songs like "Balladi Kaiken Turhuudesta" (Ballad of the Futility of It All), the tale of two young gunfighters dueling over a girl -- and killing each other in the process -- foreshadowing the near perfection of their next album, Kahdeksas Ihme. This and other tracks feature full-bodied production and sharp guitar riffs, while the raw edge of "Toivomuskirjeita Jumalille" (Wish Lists to the Gods) and "Mopolla Tähtiin" (Moped to the Stars), for example, remind the listener of the group's rural punk past. Some of the material is average at best, both musically and lyrically, but the band elevates even middling songs with efficiency and verve. The sometimes complex guitar parts are executed with a nonchalant ease and eagerness -- perhaps because they'd mostly abandoned this trademark instrument on their previous album -- so that even filler songs like "Kiistän Kaiken" (I Deny Everything) are improved as a result. As with their preceding albums, the public ignored the LP's release, and it sank without a trace. When the popularity of the band hit the roof with succeeding albums, however, Aku ja Köyhät Pojat was re-released. It was promoted with a single release in 1989, and the recording would then go on to sell enough to warrant a gold album in 1995.
© JT Lindroos /TiVo