Snowclone

Snowclone is a Finnish duo that produces pop music with a strong Nordic flavor. The band has been active for seven years. It consists of Anna Sipilä, a vocalist with a unique voice that grants Snowclone its signature sound, and Tero Aalto, who takes care of all the rest.

What does "Snowclone" mean?

Even though we're in Finland, no, it's not about cloning snow. This is what Wikipedia has to say:

A snowclone is a type of formula-based cliché that uses an old idiom in a new context. It is a special case of phrasal templates. It was originally defined as "a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different jokey variants by lazy journalists and writers."

The idea behind the name is that just like snowclones, also pop music consists of recognizable, occasionally even clichéd elements that are put together in new ways. At the same time, the parts of the name have a Finnish spirit - cool climate and advanced technology.

What about "Blunder of the First Water"?

It means roughly a 'first-class mistake'. It would be more common to say "of the first order", but the name also includes the notion of the expression "diamond of the first water" used to refer to the best (brightest) diamonds.

In addition to sounding interesting and not too commonplace, the choice was motivated by sheer self-irony. At the same time, it's also rather suitable for a band's first release.

Please also explain "Radical Simplified Yellow"...

Our second album was named after a Chinese symbol, or to be more exact, its name in the Unicode standard. It is a radical character of the simplified Chinese writing with the meaning "yellow".

The logic behind the name is that the goal was to somewhat simplify Snowclone's music. Compared to the first album, the songs on RSY are at least structurally easier and have fewer different parts.

In the beginning...

Snowclone was founded in August 2007 on a certain fateful trip north from Lieksa but the roots of the band lie much deeper.

The artistic foundation was laid in Kajaani in 1996 when Tero started to compose the kind of music he'd like to listen to himself, which later would evolve into Snowclone's distinctive classic pop style. Throughout the years, he accumulated experience and influences in various domestic and international projects. New compositions sprang up, old ones were refined and little by little, the direction became clear. The path was paved with the instrumental solo releases Waiting for Life (2001) and Red Light Stop Sign (2006). Eventually, everything was set and the time was right to find a suitable vocalist.

Anna has dreamed of singing already for a quarter century and also fulfilled that dream for five years. After she grabbed the microphone in a restaurants jam night, she's been unable to lay it down. Experience in singing and performing has worked as a vocalist for many different bands and a backing singer all around Northern Finland. Anna has also been involved in making records of various styles (folk, pop, electro, progressive rock). Melodic music that allows her unique voice to stand out is what she likes best.

Love of music, show and dance is what brought Anna and Tero together. Snowclone is logical continuation to both member's previous projects and it's led with great ambition.