One Chord To Another: Faves 2003

Again time to make those best of the year lists. Always fun and yet extremely difficult list to do. This year I had apparently bought more new full-length records (almost 40) than before so it was even more difficult. Thank God, I don't have enough money to buy more. Here we go: TOP 20 ALBUMS:
	1. Cosmic Rough Riders: Too Close To See Far During the past few years I've developed a strange love affair to sad and miserable music and I've drifted away from the traditional pop music which is the place where I come from (well my music obsession at least). Luckily from time to time comes an album that reminds me about the perfectness of simple and hummable pop music. "Too Close To See Far" is filled with great melodies and wonderful harmonies. 13 out of the 14 songs are pretty perfect pop songs (yeah, there indeed is one filler which I didn't even notice at first). All the songs are pretty similar though. So if you are not obsessed with the basic three-minute-pop-songs, you might not like this at all. I'm pretty stunned and it truly feels so good to listen to this. Thanks to Cosmic Rough Riders I've been listening to guitar pop / Power pop more than I have in quite some time. Highlights: Whole album. Impossible to choose the best ones cause there are 13 perfect pop songs.

	2. Evan Dando: Baby I'm Bored Dando came back and made an album that filled my skyhigh expections. Actually this might well be even better than most of The Lemonheads albums. Well other than "It's a Shame About Ray" which is in its own league. I do love these down-to-earth songs and Evan's voice sounds always so honest and perfect. Highlights: Hard Drive, All My Life, It Looks Like You

	3. Office Building: The Sun Hit The Water The first OB album that didn't make it to the number one on my list. Still the album is once again marvellous and this music truly goes deeper than where any doctor could reach. Highlights: Whole album except "All Unwinds"

	4. The Weakerthans: Reconstruction Site Weakerthans haven't changed a bit since the last one. Well I don't care a bit as long as they keep making music as marvellous as this. John K. Samson has once again been able to write some of the best lyrics I heard during all year. Highlights: Reconstruction Site, A Plea From A Cat Named Virtute, New Name For Everything

	5. Red Carpet: Halfway Everyone knew this was going to be great and it really is. Marvellous pop album. Both Petri and Veli created a bunch of great tunes and Samuli flavoured it with the excellent title track. Highlights: Model, Love Is, Halfway, Sick Of Dreaming, No One Else

	6. Grandaddy: Sumday Is this the most underrated album of the year. Everyone seems to think this as a disappointment. I beg to disagree. It ain't as artistic as 'Sophtware Slump', but instead it's a great pop album. Those vocals are stunning and I'm still pretty sure Janne Mummy is singing on track number 8. Highlights: I'm On Standby, Now It's On, Lost On Yer Merry Way

	7. Boomhauer: Wild Human Condition I was a bit worried, how this would work in an album length. Well it did work almost perfectly. Those pop songs in the middle gave it the little extra flavour that I needed. Highlights: Gone, Busted, Ball Union

	8. The Rollstons: Our Grain Could Fill Your Stadium Very balanced and a great album. Been listening to some of these songs for couple of years now, so I'm looking forward to hear the new stuff. Highlights: Flannel Blanket, Translate The Change, So Real

	9. The Thrills: So Much For The City Classy pop album. Definitely worth all the "hype" it got in the press. Even now when it's been snowing all day, it still feels warm because my mind is in california. Highlights: One Horse Town

	10. Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers Ok. Perhaps a bit too long, but the band is still in great form. 'Mexican Wine' starts the album with such perfectness that I was hooked immediately. Those country songs were cool too. Highlights: Mexican Wine, Hung Up On You, Hey Julie

	11. The Lucksmiths: Naturaliste Australian indie gods made a great down-to-earth indie album. Heartfelt and beatiful music and truly nice and soft backing vocals. Highlights: What You'll Miss, Stayaway Stars

	12. Calexico: Feast Of Wire I'm not only into pop and Calexico has became a favourite of mine with the last two albums. Highlights: Black Heart, Sunken Waltz, Across The Wire

	13. Pernice Brothers: Yours, Mine & Ours Sweet pop music. Highlights: Baby In Two, How To Live Alone

	14. Latebird: S/T Why wasn't I able to squeeze this into a higher position. I really love this. Perfect singer-songwriter stuff from Markus Nordenstreng. Highlights: Like A Film, Comes As Surprise, Lacking Love

	15. Mummypowder: V.Strange A bit inconsistent for my taste, but still a marvellous album. Janny Mummy is an excellent songwriter and the next album will most likely be even more perfect. Highlights: I Will Wait, December, Trying To Ride A Donkey

	16. Lemonator: Grandpop Grandpop indeed. I'm not as excited about this as I was when it was released, but it's still a damn good album. Highlights: We'll Be The Flowers On Our Grave, Is It You?

	17. Camera Obscura: Underachievers Please Try Harder The prettiest album of the year. I needed some indiepop and this filled that need and easily floated in to my heart. Highlights: Books Written For Girls, Before You Cry

	18. Songs:Ohia: Magnolia Electric Co Not my favorite album as a whole, but 'Old Black Hen' and 'I've Been Riding With The Ghost' are some of the best songs of the year. Songs:Ohia's earlier album "Axxess & Ace" is probably the best album I heard all year, but this new one just doesn't reach the same heights. A great album from a great band nevertheless. Highlights: Old Black Hen, I've Been Riding With The Ghost

	19. Ben's Diapers: Laughter Tracks Eventhough there weren't any totally mindblowing pop songs, this was still excellent second album from Ben's Diapers. Highlights: Skylight, Under The Surface

	20. Club 8: Strangely Beautiful Swedish Club 8 charmed again with their indiepop. In overall Labrador Records became one of my favourite labels in the world and Club 8 is one their crown jewels. Highlights: Cold Heart, This Is The Morning

These were very close and on another day might have ended up on the list. In alphaphetical order: Belle & Sebastian, Clientele, Gorky's Zycotic Mynci and Mojave 3 TOP 5 -The Little Ones (ep, single etc): 1. Jon Auer / Ken Stringfellow: Private Sides -ep 2. Harry Hunks: 20 Miles An Hour 7" 3. Big White Monkees: cdr 4. Ultrasport: Mieto -ep 5. Joe Algeri / The Sugarrush: Hey Motherfucker 7" TOP 10 SONGS (Finnish): 1. Boomhauer: Gone 2. The Sugarrush: Bootycall 3. Harry Hunks: Bambi Eyes 4. Big White Monkees: Stockholm 5. Office Building: Defy The Laws Of Reasoning 6. Ultrasport: The Boy That Never Lied 7. Ville Leinonen & Valumo: Valumo 8. Red Carpet: Halfway 9. Treeball: Missed 10. Viola: Summermoon TOP 10 (Rest of the world) 1. Songs:Ohia: Old Black Hen 2. Evan Dando: All My Life 3. The Thrills: One Horse Town 4. Fountains Of Wayne: Mexican Wine 5. Jon Auer: When The Lights Go Up 6. Tindersticks: Until The Morning Comes 7. Ken Stringfellow: Prequel 8. Weakerthans: A Plea From A Cat Named Virtute 9. Gorky's Zygotic Mynci: Happiness 10. Pernice Brothers: Baby In Two Best pre-2003 (that I finally bought): 1. Songs: Ohia: Axxess & Ace 2. Red House Painters: Ocean Beach 3. Airliner: The Last Days Of August Other Faves 2003 1. Labrador Records 2. Andrei Tarkovsky (director) 3. Asian Cinema Asian Cinema (seen in 2003) 1. Lee Chang-Dong: Peppermint Candy 2.Takeshi Kitano: Dolls 3. Shinji Aoyama: Eureka 4. Kwak Jae-Young: The Classic 5. Lee Chang-Dong: Oasis 6. Hirokazu Kore-Eda: Distance 7. Hyung-Seung Lee: Il Mare 8. Shunji Iwai: All About Lily Chou-Chou 9. Anh Hung Tran: Cyclo 10. Tsai Ming-Liang: Vive L'Amour