If my calculations are right, this is the second to last SpaceScan this year (yes, we think we deserve a quiet Christmas). This week we present two excellent near-debutants in Finnish 1960-70s retro-rock trio The Souls and Norwegian alternative pop solo artist Bellman aka Arne-Johan Rauan, both set to release their debut albums early 2009. Enjoy!

The Souls (SF) (Photo)
Everybody knows that music runs in circles. The retro waves washes ashore in regular intervals and the past years we’ve been blessed (or cursed) with a big 1980s revival along with several stabs at rock music from the 1960s and 1970s. The latter is Finnish trio The Souls – founded by brothers Jani (guitar) and Toni Orpana (drums) and completed with Antti Takalo (bass) – a prime example of. Due with their debut album ‘Grand Confusion’ in March 2009 they do everything as it was and they do it really well, especially in heavy truck rocker ‘Wounded Soul’ and must-have ballad ‘Everything Will Be Alright’.

Bellman (NO)
I was tipped about this Norwegian fellow a couple of weeks ago and finally I’ve come around to checking him out. I know now I’ve missed out, because this is splendid. In essence grandiose pop carried by Arne-Johan Rauan’s (as he’s named at birth) amazing vocal, but with perfectly dosed contrasts. As in ‘The Holy River’ where the music slowly builds to a delicate roar underneath Rauan’s fragile vocal and in the detailed soundscape of melancholic ballad ‘All That Is Beautiful’. And don’t forget to check out folkish pop gem ‘Celestine’, all to be found on Bellman’s debut album which is out January 19.

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WHO DO YOU THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD HEAR?
Although we spend a lot of time out there, we can’t claim to have heard every band on MySpace, so please feel free to recommend bands – Scandinavian, of course – you think everybody deserve to hear. We do reserve the right not to feature your band(s), but we guarantee to check them out. Drop links to: spacescan@allscandinavian.com