Janne Westerlund proves that singer-songwriter pop doesn't have to be boring. His roots in the Finnish underground stretch from the jagged '90s noise rock of Sweetheart to the tragically short-lived electroclash of Chainsmoker to his current gig as Circle's guitarist and occasional lead vocalist. While his new band Plain Ride features old friends Pekka Jaaskelainen (Sweetheart; Chainsmoker) and Julius J??skel?inen (Sweetheart), Oh the Flow discards harshness in favor of lush, melancholy alterna-rock ballads with a hint of country. Westerlund's emotional vocals still show some eccentricity, but his tunes now shine with enough accessibility to enchant devotees of Wilco, Robyn Hitchcock, or 22-Pistepirkko.
