Helmed by late vocalist and bandleader Gösta Sundqvist, erstwhile Finnish
four-piece Leevi and the Leavings presided over the country's indie pop-rock
scene throughout the 1980s and 1990s. With a whimsical approach to songwriting
that explored social realism and was often tragicomic in character, the band –
Risto Paananen (bass, guitar, backing vocals), Juha Karastie (guitar) and Niklas
Nylund (drums) – released their first and landmark single in 1978, "Mitä kuuluu,
Marja-Leena?.” Their quirky debut album, Suuteleminen Kielletty, arrived two
years later. Leevi and the Leavings, w...