Finnish rock music may well conjure up images of faux-goth wannabes, such as The Rasmus, or uber-metal overlords like Children of Bodom but there is a middle ground. This release is a worthy verification of this. Only picked up by hep local indie, Fullsteam Records, in 2003, _First Aid Kit _is Disco Ensemble’s second album.

Radiating the kind of melodic modern punk rock that has been so prevalent in recent years, the quartet follow all the trends with a hugely explosive and an extensively extolled live show. All the belligerence and attitude that induces such fierce response from their crowd is found on their record in abundance.

Disco Ensemble have just finished touring Europe with Hell is for Heroes and the similarities between the bands are plain to be seen. The punk rock ethos and high esteem held for intricate musicianship and dangerous melodies flying through Miikka Koivisto’s grand lyrics clearly came from the same school of alternative rock. The sheer dancability of the tracks simultaneously brings At The Drive-In and Refused to mind and somewhat explains the crap name of Disco Ensemble.

There is nothing mind-blowingly original about this but the sheer quality of songs here, coupled with the outstanding performance and production lends to a quite brilliant record. Let’s just hope that Disco Ensemble venture over to these fair shores sooner, rather than later.