Album Review: Invisible Sightseeing by Puola (2001)
Alright, so let’s talk about Invisible Sightseeing by Puola. This Finnish electronic gem from 2001 is like that weird but cool friend you didn’t know you needed in your life. It’s abstract, experimental, and kinda all over the place—but in a good way. Produced and engineered by Janne Kaipainen with Puola doing the writing, this album feels like someone let loose on a synth playground while sipping coffee in some snowy Helsinki studio. Released under Rikos Records, it's one of those albums that makes you go "huh?" at first listen but then sneaks up on you later.
The tracklist? Wild. Tracks like Puupyörre, Näkymätön Nähtävyys, and Stoned On Monkey Island 2000 stand out—not just because their names are quirky as hell, but because they actually stick with you. Let me zoom in on two tracks that I can’t stop thinking about.
First off, there’s Puupyörre. Man, this thing hits different. It starts off kinda chaotic, like a toddler got into the soundboard, but then it finds its groove. There’s this pulsing rhythm that builds and drops in ways that make your brain tingle. You’re not sure if it’s music or some kind of alien transmission, but damn does it work. Every time I hear it, I imagine myself wandering through an empty city at night, feeling both lost and found at the same time. Weird vibe, right? But that’s what makes it unforgettable.
Then there’s Sähköpoliisin Valssi. What even IS this title? Like, “Electric Police Waltz”? Sounds like something out of a dystopian video game. And honestly, the track lives up to the name. It’s got this hypnotic beat that loops around and around until you’re convinced you’ve been cursed by some sort of techno witch. The layers keep shifting—just when you think you’ve figured it out, BAM, another layer comes in and throws you off again. Love it.
What’s wild about this album is how unpredictable it feels. Nothing here is super polished or trying too hard to impress anyone. Instead, it’s raw and messy in the best possible way. Listening to Invisible Sightseeing feels like being handed a box of random objects and told to make sense of them—it’s frustrating, sure, but also kinda fun.
So yeah, props to Puola for creating something so unapologetically weird and wonderful. Honestly, after listening to this, I started wondering what Finland puts in its water supply. Maybe it’s just the cold weather inspiring people to experiment indoors. Either way, Invisible Sightseeing is proof that sometimes the most memorable art comes from letting go of expectations entirely. Oh, and shoutout to whoever named these tracks—they deserve an award for creativity alone.
Random thought to leave you with: If aliens ever visited Earth and asked us to explain human music, I’d hand them this album. They’d probably beam me aboard just to figure out WTH we’re doing down here.
