Tuuli - Here We Go

  by Geraint Jones

published: 6 / 1 / 2003

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Review

Despite Tuuli’s punk-rock credentials including a previous release on Sympathy For The Record Industry, the packaging for their debut album 'Here We Go' is more the kind of thing you would expect from 'Rock Stars: The Rivals' – tragically it’s probably only a matter of time assuming TV executives read the NME, which sadly they probably do as no one else does – do they? Hailing from Toronto, the band have been around since 1997, although the line-up has fluctuated a little since then – in fact, the band only recently lost two of its four members, guitarist Dawn Mandarino and drummer Jen Foster. Although they’ve since been replaced by Jen Blackwood and Naomi Longworthy, it’s the old line-up on the album's cover – a little confusing with the band about to arrive for their first U.K tour. Although the band’s material isn’t written by any one member alone, lead vocalist/guitarist Jenny McIsaac being the only common contributor, Dawn Mandarino co-wrote four of the album’s tracks including one of its few standout tracks, ‘Rockstar Boyfriends’, so I’m sure her input will be missed. Name-checking bands in your bio can be a dangerous game and so it is here – there’s no way Tuuli ought to be mentioned in the same breath as the Runaways, the Ramones, the Clash or even the Go-Gos. And as for supporting the Donnas, it would be a travesty if that role were ever reversed although such is the shameless overtly slick and polished approach to Tuuli’s concept of punk rock that worryingly it might happen. Despite my reservations, 'Here We Go' isn’t all bad – the aforementioned ‘Rockstar Boyfriends’ manages to genuinely rock whilst also retaining its commercial appeal. The staccato “yeah yeah yeahs” on ‘Summer Song’ are fun too as are the harmonies – it would make a good single. Elsewhere it is probably the album's title track which rises above the quagmire of awful eighties keyboard-fills, programmed drums and blandly slick production. As for the bonus pop remix of ‘It’s Over’ – well any band that would have that on its album can’t possibly have their hearts in rock and roll. There’s a perfectly good EP here but overall as for 'Here We Go' I’d suggest going elsewhere. Footnote: Tuuli incidentally is Finnish for wind. Rather than blowing a storm though, on this evidence they are little more than a light breeze.

Track Listing:-

1 Wake Up
2 It's Over
3 Where Are You Now
4 Thousand Stars
5 Rockstar Boyfriends
6 Summer Song
7 Whipped
8 10 Miles To Go
9 Who's The Fool Now
10 Heartbreaker
11 Denial
12 Here We Go
13 It's Over (Pop Remix)