This review originally appeared in Noise For Heroes

POJAT: Irti (Poko Rekords, 1992)

Pojat are from Finland (so you can almost assume they're gonna be great) and they started as a Boys covers band of all things. You may not know of the Boys...they were a British punk/power pop band from 1977-80 who specialized in Ramones type buzzsaw pop songs. They put out three lps that are all pretty great and then became the Yobs, Britain's best Christmas act. (It may not make sense, but it's true.) They're an unlikely but a worthy band to choose to cover exclusively as they had lots of great songs. Pojat actually means "the Boys" in Finnish. Supposedly they've already done one record of all Boys covers, but this CD has them sticking mostly to their own material...20 tracks worth of irresistible bubblegum punk tunes all sung in Finnish (including the two Boys, one Radio Stars and one Ramones cover they sneak in). The results are every bit as fantastic as their countrymen Ne Luumaet (see elsewhere in the reviews)...the record careens from strength to strength. Despite the similarities the two bands are complimentary; where Ne Luumaet go for more of a straight 3 chord buzz approach that instantly reminds of the Ramones, Pojat have a guitar sound that lays out lots of Johnny Thunders style bent licks. Also, it's clear that Pojat look to the Boys for their vocal style while Ne Luumaet look to Joey Ramone. I can't pick between 'em; both are great and the Boys ought to be ecstatic that they were able to influence a band as great as Pojat, because it wouldn't take a lot to get me to say that this Pojat record is better than anything the Boys ever did, as much as I love 'em. If my word isn't enough for you, take the advice of Hiljaiset Records boss Jukka Juntilla who says that Pojat are the best band he has EVER seen live bar none, and he's been around long enough to have seen shows by the Jam and half of the other great punk bands of the late 70s, and also a pile of Ramones shows. (Unitor Oy, PO Box 483, SF-33101, Finland)