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1001 Other AlbumsSumé – Sumut (1973, Greenland)Our next spotlight is on number 383 on The List, submitted by myself. Sumé was the first Greenlandic rock band in Greenland, making this, their debut, the first rock album released in the Greenlandic language. This language choice and the lyrics sung in that language were a revolutionary political statement. Released just 6 years before a referendum that would gain Greenland home rule and therefore greater autonomy from Denmark, the album would become a key part in Greenland’s fight for independence from Danish rule.Want to read more? See the full spotlight: <a href="https://1001otheralbums.com/2025/03/16/sume-sumut-1973-greenland/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://1001otheralbums.com/2025/03/16/sume-sumut-1973-greenland/</a>Want to skip straight to the music? Here's a Songlink: <a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1777802287" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://album.link/ca/i/1777802287</a>Happy listening.<a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/Sum%C3%A9" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Sumé</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/FolkRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FolkRock</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/ProgRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ProgRock</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/PsychedelicRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#PsychedelicRock</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/PoliticalMusic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#PoliticalMusic</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/Greenland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Greenland</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/Greenlandic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Greenlandic</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/IndigenousMusic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IndigenousMusic</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/music" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#music</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/1970s" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#1970s</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/1001OtherAlbums" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#1001OtherAlbums</a>

1001 Other AlbumsSumé – Sumut (1973, Greenland)Our next spotlight is on number 383 on <a href="https://1001otheralbums.com/the-list/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The List</a>, submitted by myself (buffyleigh).As with our last spotlight, I came across this one while specifically searching for cool albums to include in The List. A year later, it remains one of my favourite finds for both the project and, well, ever.Sumé was the first Greenlandic rock band in Greenland, making Sumut, their debut, to be the first rock album released in the Greenlandic language, i.e., their own language rather than the language of the Danish colonizers. Even without looking into what the lyrics mean, that language choice plus the intense artwork – a reproduction of a 19th century woodcutting by Aron of Kangeq that depicts an Inuit person standing over a Norseman they had just killed – clues the listener into the fact that this album was making a political statement.In fact the album – released just 6 years before a referendum that would gain Greenland home rule and therefore greater autonomy from Denmark (who had ruled the island since 1814) – would become a key part in Greenland’s fight for independence from Danish rule. The lyrics were revolutionary, presenting the political concerns of the Greenlandic people as well as simply using their own voice and not the skewed (i.e., racist) voice of white colonizers to depict the day-to-day lives of Inuit people. Check out some snippets below:[1]Track 1 – “Pivfît Nutât” (“New Times”)<blockquote>I wake up – I’ve been sleeping for a long time They tell me two and half days have gone by for two and half centuries I realise that they’re still here They are here to get rich and to oppress us Greenland, “The Lands of the People” You can’t keep sheltering your children from harm New times have begun The old days we have left behind</blockquote>Track 4 – “Tamorassâriat” (“The First Bite of the Seal”)<blockquote>My father is a great hunter He arrives with a big catch Those who want the first bite of the seal rush down to the beach To get a good treat The first bite of the seal</blockquote>Track 7 – “Erĸasûteĸarneĸ” (“Worry”)<blockquote>Always a colony Always oppressed Leadership missing Makes you blind Never turn your back and be silent</blockquote>Track 10 – “Ukiaĸ” (“Spring”)<blockquote>The Earth, because it’s always spinning The great day darkens Nature is transforming My love is putting on her warm coat … The flower is already getting brown And I learn that’s the way it is Like my friend Without hiding, it becomes the soil … That poor kayak, it loses its skin Deteriorated by time Naked, it becomes a skeleton Its time has come</blockquote>Track 11 – “Nalunaerasuartaut Toĸuvoĸ” (“The Telegraph is Dead”)<blockquote>The telegraph is dead Connection failed What is happening in the world? Is there peace out there?</blockquote>Apparently 20%(!) of Greenland’s entire population bought Sumut. And it’s not that surprising as, apart from the lyrics that inspired the Greenlandic people to take political action, the album sounds damn good. Sumé’s style, fusing psychedelic/prog rock with some traditional Inuit sounds (particularly from drum dances), would have a great impact on future Greenlandic rock, which remains a huge genre in the country. The band would release two more albums soon after Sumut (<a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1777802008" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Inuit Nunaat</a> in 1974 and a <a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1777812964" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">s/t</a> in 1976), and then reunited in 1994 for one last album, <a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1777812775" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Persersume</a>. Twenty years later, following the first reissue of Sumut, <a href="https://www.thesoundofarevolution.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sumé – Mumisitsinerup Nipaa</a> (“Sumé – The Sound of a Revolution“) was released, a 2014 Greenlandic documentary from director Inuk Silis Høegh that celebrates the band, the album, and their impact on Greenlandic history. Methinks, given *all of this*, it’s a good time to give this album a spin.<ul><li><a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1777802287" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Songlink: Sumé – Sumut</a></li><li><a href="https://www.discogs.com/master/770230-Sume-Sumut" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Discogs: Sumé – Sumut</a></li></ul><ol><li>English translations aren’t in the liner notes, so these are from <a href="https://genius.com/albums/Sume/Sumut" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Genius</a>. Hopefully they’re correct. ↩︎</li></ol><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/1970s/" target="_blank">#1970s</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/folk-rock/" target="_blank">#folkRock</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/greenland/" target="_blank">#Greenland</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/greenlandic/" target="_blank">#Greenlandic</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/indigenous-music/" target="_blank">#IndigenousMusic</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/music-discovery/" target="_blank">#musicDiscovery</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/political-music/" target="_blank">#politicalMusic</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/prog-rock/" target="_blank">#progRock</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/psychedelic-rock/" target="_blank">#psychedelicRock</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/sume/" target="_blank">#Sumé</a>

Buffy Leigh (she/they)Spoiler alert for upcoming blog spotlight, but I just listened to the entire discography of Greenland's first Greenlandic rock band, and so should you.Sumé - Sumut (1973) <a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1777802287" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://album.link/ca/i/1777802287</a>Sumé - Inuit Nunaat (1974) <a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1777802008" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://album.link/ca/i/1777802008</a>Sumé - s/t (1976) <a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1777812964" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://album.link/ca/i/1777812964</a>Sumé - Persersume (1994) <a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1777812775" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://album.link/ca/i/1777812775</a><a href="https://mas.to/tags/Sume" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Sume</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/Greenlandic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Greenlandic</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/Greenland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Greenland</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/music" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#music</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/FolkRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FolkRock</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/PsychedelicRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#PsychedelicRock</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/ProgRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ProgRock</a>

Buffy Leigh (she/they)Was on the hunt for some great music from <a href="https://mas.to/tags/Greenland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Greenland</a> for our <a href="https://mas.to/tags/1001OtherAlbums" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#1001OtherAlbums</a> project, and I just found some tasty jams for y'all. Apparently this is THE first rock album in Greenlandic, released in 1973. <a href="https://youtu.be/BMlDJF44P9o" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/BMlDJF44P9o</a><a href="https://mas.to/tags/PsychedelicRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#PsychedelicRock</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/FolkRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FolkRock</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/Sume" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Sume</a>

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