:Nalle ''is also a Finnish nickname for persons named

Björn Bjorn (English, Dutch), Björn (Swedish, Icelandic, Dutch, and German), Bjørn (Danish, Faroese and Norwegian), Beorn (Old English) or, rarely, Bjôrn, Biorn, or Latinized Biornus, Brum (Portuguese), is a Scandinavian male given name, or less oft ...

; notables include

Björn Wahlroos Björn Arne Christer Wahlroos (born 10 October 1952 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Swedish-speaking Finn, best known as a banker, investor and the chairman of the Board in Sampo Group and UPM-Kymmene. Before switching to banking Wahlroos worked as a ...

and

Björn Westerlund Björn Georg Wilhelm Westerlund, titled ''Vuorineuvos'' (27 January 1912 in Hanover, Germany – 11 March 2009 in Helsinki, Finland), was a Finnish businessman and a short-time minister in the government of Finland. He was the former and first Pr ...

.'' Nalle (

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

for a small bear, generally a

teddy bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy b ...

, and named after a childhood toy of vocalist

Hanna Tuulikki Hanna Tuulikki is a Finnish-English vocalist, musician and artist, born in Sussex, who is involved in the Nalle (Finnish for "teddy bear") and Scatter musical projects, and has also contributed to the One Ensemble of Daniel Padden.Cooper, NeilEm ...

) are a

psychedelic folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music, psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of contemporary folk music, folk, but adds musical el ...

trio, based in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, who were formed in the summer of 2004. They comprise

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

vocalist Hanna Tuulikki (vocals,

kantele A kantele () or kannel () is a traditional Finnish and Karelian plucked string instrument (chordophone) belonging to the south east Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery along with Estonian kannel, Latvian kokles, Lithuania ...

, flute), Aby Vulliamy (

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

) and Chris Hladowski (

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

, clarinet) from Bradford. Nalle combine

improvisational Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

song structures with unusual instrumentation, sometimes with a decidedly

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

influence. Tuulikki's vocals have been compared to those of Joanna Newsom and Björk. Nalle have released music on

Pickled Egg Records Pickled Egg Records is a UK independent record label founded in Leicester in 1998 by Nigel Turner. Distribution is through Cargo. Artists on Pickled Egg * a.P.A.t.T. * Bablicon * Big Eyes * Butchy Fuego * Chandeliers * The Doozer * The Ev ...

, Locust Music and have also released a track on Singing Knives Records. Their debut album, ''By Chance Upon Waking'' has received favourable reviews thus far from publications such as

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

and

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

Discography

*'' By Chance Upon Waking'' (

, 2006) *''The Siren’s Wave'' (

Locust Locusts (derived from the Vulgar Latin ''locusta'', meaning grasshopper) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstanc ...

, 2008)The Siren’s Wave
Pitchfork.com *''Wilder Shores of Love'' (Alt.vinyl, 2010)

Artwork

All cover illustrations so far have been produced by Hanna Tuulikki, who is also a

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

. They incorporate many influences from nature, such as ''"winged polar bears, bees, birds, and plants on a snow-white background"''

Collaborations and other projects

All three band members have also been involved with Scatter. Additionally, Aby Vulliamy and Chris Hladowski are members of The One Ensemble Of Daniel Padden, which also shares members with

Volcano The Bear Volcano the Bear are an improvisational/experimental English band formed in Leicester in 1995. The group's members are Aaron Moore (drums, trumpet, vocals), Nick Mott (saxophone, guitar, vocals), Clarence Manuelo ( tapes, electronics) and Dani ...

Downloadable songs

Sunne SongIron's OathNew Roots

References

External links

losingtoday.com Article on Pickled Egg Records and Nalle
Scottish folk music groups Psychedelic folk groups Musical groups established in 2004 Locust Music artists {{UK-band-stub