Update: The new Rockhopper playlist update has been released. Stiletti-Mikko’s Love Is a dog from hell playlist has been archived here.
Our latest update to the Rockhopper playlist on Spotify features rare rock and a bit of pop music as well. We had the pleasure of collaborating with a special guest curator, Mikko Jokela from Radio Stiletti and Stiletti magazine, who created an exceptionally intriguing playlist.
The theme of the songs in Mikko’s playlist is love in its various forms. Everything from infatuation to fall in love and last but not least, breaking up. The main thing is that love touches deeply – and ultimately cuts like a stiletto. The title of the list has been chosen as ”Love is a Dog from Hell,” as famously phrased by the legendary Charles Bukowski.
”I find the lyrics of these songs very personal. It usually happens that whenever I do something or write, there’s a personal aspect to it.”, Mikko tells.
Mikko also wrote his own thoughts about each song. Below is the playlist along with Mikko’s comments. So, hit play on Spotify and get to know the songs through Mikko’s perspective.
When Radio Stiletti is on a break now, Mikko’s playlist is also a great treat for the program’s listeners.
Be sure to follow Presshopper playlists so you can easily find its music updates in the future. More interesting guest curators and themes for the playlists are on the way!
Links to our playlists can be found at the end of the article.
You can subscribe to Stiletti magazine at Record Store X.
Dion: I Was Born To Cry
Let’s make it clear right from the start. Everything ends in tears, and at fifty, it has ended so many times that you could say I was born to cry. Or at least that’s what a much younger Dion DiMucci says in this hit from 1962 by Dion & The Belmonts, which has also been covered by Johnny Thunders, among others.
Dictators: Stay With Me
And we continue with the New York theme. The song comes from the NY punk cornerstone, The Dictators, specifically their ”Bloodbrothers” album. I first heard it back in the early ’90s when Tomi Wahlroos’s band The (?) Nygrens performed it as a cover at their gig in Nummela. Now, 30 years later, I interviewed Tomi for the new Stiletti magazine, and we’re still enjoying the same songs. So, we haven’t moved on that much. But “ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma heart is calling / won’t you stay with me” is just so perfectly done that where else can you go from here? From the core of things?
Johnny Thunders: She´s So Untouchable
Let’s stay in New York, even though this was recorded in London. In the background, we have folks from The Only Ones and Eddie & The Hot Rods, along with John Earle’s incredible saxophone. The rhythm sways, and from the very beginning, it feels like it’s falling apart, but the package is delivered to your doorstep completely intact. It’s an unbelievably beautiful song, and so true. Some people are just like that.
Florence + The Machine: Kiss With A Fist
I actually don’t know if this has been a big hit, but it definitely SHOULD have been. Florence’s first single, which, according to the artist herself, does NOT tell a story about domestic violence, but rather about people who are drawn to each other like a crazy magnet, even though it always ends up on a collision course. And the song sounds just like that. Missing Florence’s concert still bothers me whenever I think about it.
Smithereens: Behind The Wall of Sleep
And then this… Oh my god. This is such an incredibly beautiful and longing-filled song in all its rock glory that… well, I don’t know what to say. This was an indie hit back when news was read from text TV, but people, don’t forget this one. I wonder who plays those short but essential piano parts in the chorus? I don’t know, but they definitely deserve a medal. I guess people are still going to bed hoping/fearing they’ll dream of the heart’s desire? As long as that happens, this is an urgent song.
Shilpa Ray- Lawsuits and Suicide
And then we have some full-on blast from New York. Shilpa Ray’s latest album, Portrait of A Lady, is such an astonishingly diamond-like package that you shouldn’t miss checking it out. It’s a concept album about a violent relationship and breaking free from it, and in ”Lawsuits and Suicides,” Shilpa takes aim at a violent jerk who alternates between threatening legal action and suicide, all with the attitude of, “Can’t you do better?” This is empowering stuff, and Shilpa’s voice is truly something else. Like, REALLY something else. I’m not at all surprised that Nick Cave hired her to sing backing vocals for the Bad Seeds’ tours and as a supporting act as well. And to duet for the Kurt Weill tribute and release that single. By the way, Shilpa’s interview will in the second issue of Stiletti, which is set to be released in early 2025.
Only Ones: The Whole of The Law
Ah, the opening track of The Only Ones’ debut album. A long time ago, I had a dream that I came home with a wonderful person and played this song. “I used to have the notion / I could swim the length of the ocean / If I knew you were waiting for me.” A beautiful dream that I remember every time I play this song, and often otherwise, too. Maybe it will come true someday? One mustn’t lose hope.
Ali: Aseman kello
Ali’s killer. This music is so stylish, it’s unbelievable. It’s almost embarrassing to listen to in sweatpants on the couch… Well, I actually listened to it just today, and that part of the song still hits deep where the narrator waits for his love one to come home after a fight, hears footsteps in the hallway and the door opening—next door. Love can be truly terrible sometimes. (By the way, Ali’s interview will also be in the second issue of Stiletti).
Alin killeri. Tää on kyllä niin tyylikästä musaa, ettei mitään järkeä. Melkein hävettää kuunnella oloasuhousut jalassa sohvalla… No joo, kuuntelin tän itse asiassa just tänään ja EDELLEEN kouraisee syvältä kohta, jossa kertoja odottaa riidan jälkeen rakastaan kotiin, kuulee viimein askeleet rappukäytävästä ja oven avautuvan – naapurissa. Rakkaus voi olla joskus ihan kamalaa. (Alinkin haastattelu on muuten kakkos-Stiletissä).
Rowland S. Howard & Lydia Lunch: Some Velvet Morning
Here’s a couple. This is, of course, the classic by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra, but the original version is so psychedelic with its Greek mythology that Rowland & Lydia are definitely the best duo for this. If Lee’s line “some velvet morning when I’m straight / I’m gonna open up your gate” sounded like a promise, sung by Rowland it might also come across as a threat.
Fine Young Cannibals: She Drives Me Crazy
As a young punk, I became infatuated with Fine Young Cannibals’ Elvis cover ”Suspicious Minds” and lead singer Roland Gift’s voice so passionately that I watched the band’s Provinssi gig—broadcast without sound due to technical issues—completely on a summer night in 1986. I think I caught it with sound the next day, though. The song ”She Drives Me Crazy,” from their second album, perfectly captures the idea of this entire list with its chorus: “she drives me crazy / like no one else / and I can’t help myself.” That’s what it’s all about.
Royal Cream: Darling Darling
Well, if Fine Young Cannibals captured the of this list, Swedish band Royal Cream does it too. “Darling darling darling can’t you see / darling darling what you mean to me.” Simplicity is a virtue. This song became familiar to me from Hellacopters’ Head Off cover album, and my buddy Paappanen managed to find the contact information for someone from Royal Cream and, as I understand it, ordered all the remaining copies of the ”Darling Darling” single to Finland. So if you have it on your shelf, that’s probably where it’s from. It’s a seriously great song.
Office Building: Crystal Clear
I get chills every time this song comes on. What a melody, Janne Laurila’s voice, and what a song. Why did they have to stop? Well, I get the reason, but it still stings. You should check out Office Building’s other albums, but this song… it’s unbelievably beautiful. Crystal clear—definitely their best.
Todd Rundgren: I Saw The Light
For a long time, Todd was mainly known to me as the producer of the New York Dolls’ first album, someone many called a genius. But when I only found Todd’s prog band Utopia albums at the library, kind of albums that made me fall asleep, and while I was sleeping, a sweater grew on me and a beard, so that genius didn’t really come through. Then I heard this song somewhere, and after that, many others, but honestly, just this one would be enough to consider him a pop genius. A beautiful story told in a beautiful form. About those finest moments in life, when you catch a glimpse in someone’s eyes, your knees weaken, and then there’s goodbye and BANG!
The Replacements: Bent Out of Shape
… and then a sudden shift to somewhere completely different. “Popcorn for dinner / last night it was cheesecake.” Paul Westerberg paints a vivid picture of what it feels like to sit alone on the couch, where someone else just was. “I smell your hair / in the clothes I wear / I miss your face / Can’t you see I’m bent all out of shape.” The drummer’s hits at just the right moments and Westerberg’s fragile voice at the end of the song convey so much more than those lines. It’s heartbreaking.
Thåström: Smaken Av Dig
Thåström’s Beväpna Dig Med Vingar album is one of the most magnificent works I’ve come across in this life. In ”Smaken Av Dig,” Thåström sings, “Din siluett i spegeln på Hotel du Nord / Trodde du jag skulle kunna glömma nånting sånt,” and I can definitely remember my own Hotel du Nord moment very clearly. “Det finns ingenting bättre / än Sankt Klara nätter / med dig.” I believe you, Thåström.
Hybrid Children: Once Upon A Darkness
How deep we’re now diving. Ghost Town Carnival was surely Hybrid Children’s darkest album, with many songs exploring deep themes, but in this track, Jasse has found beauty within that horror. The kind that may flicker for a moment and then fade away again. This could be one of the best songs by The 69 Eyes if they had recorded it—the guitar riff really brings Eyes to mind, and we’re definitely in gothic territory. “Things start crashing down on me all at once / overstaying my welcome / ignoring I ever had one.” The story of my life. There’s something empowering in this, nonetheless. The distant chanting in the background of the chorus is really cool.
Kauko Röyhkä & Narttu: Kanerva (live)
Back in the ’80s, before Kauko Röyhkä became an old and annoying guy, Narttu was an absolutely killer band. To emphasize that, I had to choose this live performance. At 2:20, there’s a storm that’s just unbelievable. The reason this song made it onto the playlist is that Röyhkä brings out the essential point in the story of Kanerva by singing about the spark. That’s the core, the center, and the function of it all. It’s what keeps love alive and what needs to be nurtured to maintain that love. Whether the object of that love is another person, a hobby, or anything else. If there’s no spark, sure, you can keep going through the motions, but still… Protect that spark, people! This story is truly a terrible tale about the assholery of people. They just don’t get it.
Big Star: Thirteen
So innocent, beautiful, burning, and wonderful. If you can listen to this without a tear in your eye, then you must be a hardened soul who probably listens to something like Sabaton or other lifeless, Winter War-themed radio rock heaviness instead of these kinds of lists.
Therapy?: Lonely Cryin’ Only
For many years, my answering machine message was a line taken from this: “Leave a message or leave me alone.” A touching song in all its poppy simplicity. “If you’re lonely and you’re cryin’ all the time / Heaven help me ’cos your heart’s as dead as mine.” It’s Northern Irish cheerfulness, but the essence of the matter is clear. By the way, I saw Therapy? on this album’s tour at Tavastia in Helsinki while wearing leather pants. Oh my god!
Elina Sarvi: Puhelinleikki
I came across Elina Sarve in Soundi’s Tarkkailuluokka column, and I immediately fell in love with the songs available on Spotify. A really refreshing sound, great melodies, and absolutely stunning lyrics that drop amazing surprise bombs just when you think you’ve figured out how the next line will go. Those lyrics actually inspired me to ask Elina Sarve to write something for Stiletti long before the magazine even had a name. Maybe one day.
“Puhelinleikki” fit this list best among the songs, but it’s worth checking them all out. ”Heität lisää paskaa niskaan / pidät minusta ihmisenä” (“You throw more shit on me / you think of me as a person”) is perhaps the most refreshing thing I’ve come across in a song about relationships in a long time.
Patti Smith: Frederick
Patti & Frederick, aaaaa… this was probably written during the infatuation phase, but Patti has always spoken about Fred so beautifully regardless. The melody, the way Patti says Fred’s name… THIS should be in those memes where a dog looks at some food, hoping everyone finds someone who looks at them the same way. May everyone find their own Fred (and may everyone’s Fred live longer than Patti’s Fred, of course). Heart
Sydänpuu & Mustat Maijat: Liekehtivät kadut
In E. Sydänpuu & Mustat Maijat’s songs, the streets aren’t the only thing that’s ablaze; hearts are too. With great emotion, the flame burns and consumes the candle at both ends. The big feelings of ’80s post-punk, love and death, blend with ’90s Finnish rock influences, making the band one of the greatest promises of Finnish rock in the 2020s. Einooooo!
AC/DC: Ride On
When recording Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Bon Scott was 30 years old, but in ”Ride On,” he sounds like an old blues man who has seen it all. Momentarily struck by love, the journey continues, and his voice suggests this isn’t the first time. And probably not the last, either. “And I ain’t too old to hurry / ’Cause I ain’t too old to die / But I sure am hard to beat.”
Me too, Bon. Me too.
Zandi Holup: Gas Station Flowers
Zandi is an artist who has released two singles, and I probably first came across him when a 30-second TikTok video popped up in my IG feed. And bam, it hit me right away. The song is incredibly catchy, and the melody is brilliant, but it was the opening lyrics that caught my attention first: ”I’ll take you drunk, I’ll take you stoned, I’ll take you back long as you come home / I’d rather go through hell than let you go / ’Cause those gas station flowers are better than being alone.” Sometimes life puts you in a situation like that.
Weeping Willows: While I’m Still Strong
This is one of those albums I bought because it was playing in the record store while I was there, and I just had to get it without knowing anything more about the band. I didn’t know, but I thought Weeping Willows was some annoyingly generic American band, probably confusing them with someone else. But I left Tunnelin Levystä with Endless Night in my bag, and I’ve been listening to it for the past 25 years. The show I saw in July ’99 at a half-empty Tavastia was fantastic. ”While I’m Still Strong” gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes every single time. Absolutely every time. If I hadn’t known before what dynamics in songs meant, I would have learned it from this one at the latest.
Rudi: Taivas saa odottaa
The evening is coming to an end, once again. At this point, nights aren’t counted in weeks but in years. ”Auton valot sokaisee silmät/ poissa ovat iloiset illat/ joita vietin kanssa hyvien frendien” (“The car lights blind my eyes / Gone are the joyful evenings / I spent with good friends”). The bright lights have long since faded into dimmer lighting, where the lines on faces aren’t as sharply defined. ”Pitää päästä, jalat ei jaksa/ rahaa ei oo taksia maksaa/ oi äiti kun näkisit, mä putoan” (“I need to go, my legs can’t take it / I don’t have money to pay for a taxi / Oh mother, if you could see me, I’m falling”). The highlight of my band career was in Vaasa sometime in the ’90s, when I got to sing this song at Rudin’s (who was also the former bassist of Ratsia) request while he performed with his then-band at the same gig. The single version is a hundred times better, but it’s not available on Spotify.
Lovin’ Spoonful: Do You Believe In Magic
The only possibility for the last song. Not the last of the evening, but the first of the morning. The losses experienced in the fields of love weigh on the mind for a while, but as long as you take care of the spark, you can join Lovin’ Spoonful’s hopeful song in the morning again. This song popped up from a playlist during my early fall commute, and I had to stop and look around, sending it to someone important. This exists too! Light! Magic! Love!
Update: The new Rockhopper playlist update has been released. Stiletti-Mikko’s Love Is a dog from hell playlist has been archived here.
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