SEPTEMBER 9, 2006

9.30 pm

News updated (Beacon St. Radiants, Kevin)

Again more things to look forward to:

New Pernice Brothers album Live a Little is soon out and sounds really good. There's a player on his website. Joe Pernice is a pop genius. During the past year or two, I've bought also his solo album, Scud Mountain Boys album and Chappaquiddick Skyline album and it's all great material. After hearing those I'm even a bigger fan then before.

Pernice Brothers Website
Pernice Brothers at myspace


New Pipas album Sorry Love is already out and available. Need to pick that up soon and keep hoping that we see them live soon. There's also a new music video available on their website.

Pipas Website
Pipas at myspace

Stupid flu. I don't seem to be able to completely shake this flu out of my body. The worst part is behind, but small fever (37.3-37.5) just stays on and on. Not bad but still kind of annoying.

That's it for today.

Take care



SEPTEMBER 9, 2006

4.30 am

Reviews updated (Ilona, Golden Smog, Tim O'Reagan, Gin Blossoms)

Spent a sick day listening to some of the latest additions to my record collection and writing some pointless reviews about them. I meant to update the news section as well, but it got too late again. I'll do that saturday evening probably.

More things to look forward to:

The Lemonheads. I haven't followed things very well. I did knew that there was a new Lemonheads album coming out before the end of the year, but hey it's already out in late september. Shame on me. You can hear new stuff on myspace or at their website.

The Lemonheads Website
The Lemonheads at myspace



That's all for now. At least some news tomorrow.

Take care


SEPTEMBER 8, 2006

2 am

No updates.

The Lucksmiths concert was wonderful and definitely worth going. It didn't even matter that in the end I needed to take the nightbus back home and go directly to work at 6 am. The freakin cold aussie bar was perhaps too much though, because on wednesday I got the flu and 38 C fever. Therefore it's been rather quiet here. Anyway, it was great night at semifinal. Ultrasport had some really wonderful new songs, Fred Astereo was really enjoyable and the song Sleepytown on his cd was a perfect soundtrack for the busdrive through several sleeping cities. And The Lucksmiths. Well perfect in every way. Guess how much I love them.. Huge thanks to Marsu on Paras for bringing them here.

Back to updating sometime during the weekend, if I stay healthy.

Take care


SEPTEMBER 2, 2006

3 am

News updated (Puny, Lucksmiths concert reminder)
Some gigs updates (a lot still missing, don't know does anyone read it anymore, because it's so badly up-to-date)

Some things I'm looking forward to.

The greatest new finding for me is definitely Anthony Atkinson. I ordered his debut after falling in love with his songs that were on myspace. His next album Loyalty Songs is coming out in October and there's now two songs from the album on his myspace. And the song She Let Him In is a perfect song. This guy is just marvellous. I'm already a fan.

Anthony Atkinson at myspace


From new favourites to old favourites. Sparklehorse is one of my all-time favourites. Finally a new album is coming out in late september. Two songs from the album Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain are on his myspace. Marvellous stuff again from Mark Linkous.

Sparklehorse Website
Sparklehorse at myspace


Anthony's labelmate Darren Hanlon has also finished his new album. Candle Records will release the album entitled Fingertips And Mountaintops in early october. The single Happiness is a Chemical is already out. You can listen to it on Candle's Website

Darren Hanlon Website
Darren Hanlon at myspace
Candle Records Website


The upcoming The Lucksmiths concert is probably part of the reason why I'm so excited about australian music at the moment. For example The Zebras, Bank Holidays and The Crayon Fields seems like the greatest bands there is. If these bands have more equally great tunes, I need to add them to my ridicilously long shopping list. Hopefully they don't because I have no idea what I will do after the two months I'm going to work at the cement factory. After that is new life in a new city. Probably as unemployed at first. Therefore I should just save the money that I then don't need to take the first shitty job and end into similar circle I've been for the last year and half. Anyway, these are great bands. Check them out.

The Crayon Fields Website
The Crayon Fields at myspace
The Zebras Website
The Zebras at myspace
Bank Holidays Website
Bank Holidays at myspace

That is all for now. Next updates sometime late next week.


Take care



SEPTEMBER 1, 2006

3.30 am

Nothing tonight, because I spent the night watching Gram Parsons DVD and following football transfers. Sorry about that. Well at least I didn't buy any records.

Maybe some stuff tomorrow night. After that I'll first go to Turku for the weekend and then to Helsinki on monday.

Take care



AUGUST 31, 2006

4 am

Reviews updated (Casey Dienel, Parks & Recreation, Shelley Short)

No I didn't get a promo packet from Hush records. I bought these few months ago and now finally quickly reviewed all of them. A great label.

Tomorrow night some other small things. No clue what.

Take care


AUGUST 30, 2009

4 am

News updated (Uwssoc, White Town)

Sorry, that is all for now. Meant to do a review, but ended up doing some late night record shopping instead. A very bad decision. I've bought way way too many records lately. Tomorrow night something more. And I do mean reviews or other onechord stuff not record shopping.

Should I already continue praising Ilona. I got her cd today and it's like the most beautiful record ever. Finding her songs makes all those hours spent on myspace worthwhile. If you love Sibylle Baier or the new Rose Melberg album for example, you'll love Ilona too. She is marvellous. Extremely praising review coming up sometime during the upcoming weeks.

Ilona at myspace


Take care



AUGUST 29, 2006

4.15 am

Cats on Fire review (a very bad one though)

My favourite song tonight is Graffiti Girl by Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands. It's like Go-Betweens played by a country singer-songwriter. Actually It's so damn close to the Go-Betweens of the 80's that for some it might be even disturbing. I love it though. You'll find the song from his myspace

Mark Pickerel at myspace

That is all for tonight. Probably some tiny bits tomorrow around the same time of the night.

Take care


AUGUST 28, 2006

5.15 am

News updated (Royal Piss, Flavour of the Month)
Reviews updated (Laurila, Starflower, Lady & Bird, Midlake, Tidy Ups, Human Television)

I left that Cats on Fire review for tomorrow, because it got so late again. It's insane that bands that make something too good usually get punished here. Because when I care too much about the release, I get too much pressure and won't ever get the review written. Cats on Fire is the current victim of that. Well at least you know how many hearts it will get..

Luckily I was able to get two days off from work, so I will able to go to Helsinki to see The Lucksmiths. It would have been too cruel to miss that. See you there, because I guess that is almost like indiepoppareiden kokoontumisajot.

That is all for now. At least some news and reviews coming up during the week. I really should sunk into the band section updating again, but I probably don't have enough energy for that. But some news and other mumbo jumbo coming up during the nights because I work in the evening shift this week.

Now it's time to sleep.

Take care


AUGUST 23, 2006

8 pm

More things to be excited about:

Fargo Records is about to release J.Tillman's album Minor Works in september. I've already mentioned this folk / americana singer-songwriter before and I really love his songs. His previous albums are sold out, so it's nice to finally have a release that one can buy. Fargo describes that J.Tillman is somewhere between Jesse Sykes and Scud Mountain Boys.

J.Tillman Website
J.Tillman at myspace
Sound clips at Fargo Records

But let's not totally forget that this is supposed to be a pop website. Australian Goyouhuskies! has their debut EP out now on Popboomerang. The first song of the EP Waking Up Is Hard to Do is on their myspace and it sounds just marvellous to me. Great female vocals and a killer melody. Just add a bunch of handclaps and we have a winner. Goyouhuskies make me smile. Wonderful pop music.

Goyouhuskies! Website
Goyouhuskies! at myspace


Another australian group The Crayon Fields also seems to be very interesting. Their new album Autumn Bells was just released on Trifecta/Chapter. That one song from the album at myspace is a wonderful one. Maybe reminds me a bit of excellent canadian Heavy Blinkers.

The Crayon Fields Website
The Crayon Fields at myspace

Another aussie Anthony Atkinson is still the biggest crush for me today. I've been listening to his myspace songs for an hour. I should really look more into Candle Records catalog. After all two of their artists Darren Hanlon and The Lucksmiths are big favourites of mine, but I don't know that much about the rest. Anthony Atkinson falls quite close to those two and is equally great. Just listen to that song Half an Hour in the Afternoon. I've done it over ten times today. I definitely need to buy Anthony's solo album that was already released in 2003.

Anthony Atkinson at myspace
Candle Records Website

That's it for now. Later this week at least reviews of Cats on Fire and Laurila EPs and Starflower album. Might go until sunday night though. I have an evening shift week so at least during that night I should have time.

Take care



AUGUST 21, 2006

9 pm

New M. Ward album will be released 29th of august. You can watch the marvellous music video Chinese Translation for example here. It's amazing song again. I'm really looking forward to the album. It should be stunning.

And that is certainly not the only great album coming out. For example new Jason Molina, Pajo and Lambchop albums are out now.

But nothing more at this point. Holiday is over and I'm back at Jyväskylä. The last two weeks of my holiday were wonderful and I really enjoyed my life during that time. Maybe even too much, because during my first work night yesterday I was mostly thinking about what a **** am I doing here again. Well the plan is to stay at this job for no more than 2-3 months anymore, but still it feels like it's too much. And if someone offered me a decent job from Turku area, I would probably hand in my resignation instantly. But I guess I will get used to it again. It's not that hard after all.

That is all for now. Some minor updates coming later this week. Meanwhile watch that M.Ward video at least around ten times. It's so great.

Take care




AUGUST 5, 2006

0.30 am

Few gigs added
Some bands added with really short describtions and without discographies. These were Tolbiac, Captain Cougar, Jolly Jumpers, Kim Curly Band, Velvert, Michael McDonald, Snow Coloured Kid, Drowsy, Magenta Skycode, Sidelines, Bananaskin, Blanco Nino, Kytäjä.

The layout is ready also for The Conquistadors, The Royal Piss, Matador Jose, Esa Linna, Valley Below, Icons of Elegance, Everglades, Streetcar, Underdogs, Brightboy, Risto, Aksu, Portrait of John...etc

But I ran out of time. And won't promise that all those bands will end up there in the future. Obviously I still need to go through most of the old ones as well. So basicly something like 10% of the job is done. The longtime future of the band section is still very uncertain. I'm maybe going towards a blog kind of thing. Where I would just write about these bands when something new is happening. The band section could obviously remain as a database and if the bands wanted some text / information there, they could just send it to me. I believe this is the only way it could ever stay even in decent shape. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like a good thing because noone has ever said anything positive about it. It's most likely that I will continue to work with the band section during the fall, but because of work (& my laziness) the progress will be slow.

That is all. I will spend some holiday now. I haven't deserved it because of onechord.net, but have definitely deserved it because I had been working 1 year and 3 months at the cement factory without a holiday. So there won't be any updates during the next 1-2 weeks.

Take care


AUGUST 4, 2006

1 am

News updated (Lucksmiths, Starflower, Monsters of pop festival)
Gigs added (just a few, 99.5% of the great gigs are still missing)

The band section updates come sometime tomorrow. But I'm afraid it won't be a very big one. There seem to some bigger powers trying to make this updating harder than just my laziness (which still remains as #1 reason). Because a few hours after I wrote that entry below, I woke up because of bad stomach-ache and spent the rest of the night and the following day throwing up. Needless to say that I was therefore able to do absolutely nothing on tuesday and just a few hours during wednesday. Now thursday I've been doing this a lot, but haven't gotten very far. I'll continue some tonight and tomorrow, because I won't be going to Turku before saturday. So late on friday there will be something new here. But don't expect too much. What I can say is that at least Tolbiac, Captain Cougar, Jolly Jumpers, Kim Curly Band, Velvert, Michael McDonald, Snow Coloured Kid, Drowsy, Magenta Skycode and Sidelines will be in the bands section then. Most likely 5-10 more if I have the time and energy.

It was just too damn cruel to get sick right now for two reasons. 1. I knew this was probably the last week in ages when I would really have been able to focus on this 2. Football. I had just played for the first time in 4 months and was really eager to start playing again. Now I missed both of this week's games and because I will be in Turku the whole next week, there will another 2 week football break for me. This was obviously the thing that hurted me even more than onechord.net.

Anyway. Sorry that there won't be much updates coming up, but I guess you are used to it already. But I continue now with the band section for another hour or two. Back sometime tomorrow.

Take care


AUGUST 1, 2006

0.30 am

Nothing new yet, but I've done a few things. It's now time for the loppukiri. I'm not sure how far I'm able to go. I've done the groundwork for the band section, but now it would be time to finish it all. It might turn out to be ridicilously large, because If I'm able to get all done what I've started the total number of artists/bands would rise to over 100. It does not make much sense, because even if I'm able to finish them all, I might never have the energy to update the band section again. I think it will be quite obvious that it won't be ready on 4th of august, but I'll do what I can. The plan now is to spend three full 8 hour "workdays" on this. From 9am to 5 pm on tuesday, wednesday and thursday. After that I will quit for a while and just spend holiday. First to Turku for a week. Maybe going to see Magenta Skycode and Montevideo at klubi. I haven't seen them live yet. And I guess there might be something else worth seeing at Uuden musiikin festivaali too, eventhough I don't really know much about that type of music.

Anyway, it's probably quiet here until thursday. Until then..

Take care



JULY 30, 2006

2.30 am

Reviews updated (Jon Auer, Sibylle Baier, Camera Obscura, Amandine, Essex Green, Band of Horses, Broken Family Band)

I'm kind of sad because of that Jon Auer piece, because it would have deserved a much better review. I should have written it earlier. It was the last thing I wrote tonight and somehow I was too tired and just couldn't find the right words. Therefore I didn't even try Cats on Fire review eventhough I first thought I'm able to get that done tonight as well. There is still plenty of great stuff left to review like Midlake, Lady & Bird etc, but I just don't have the time. At least the reviewing pile is now slightly shorter (but still contains over 15 items).

Tomorrow maybe a review or two, but mostly I start to work with the band section. I probably won't put that stuff into the net before I've gotten it into a decent shape. So it could be until 3rd or 4th of august until the band section updates are available for you. And because there are million things to do, I'm sure it won't be entirely ready then. I would be happy if it was even halfway done then. Sorry about that. It's just that eventhough I enjoy this, spending some holiday with my lovely girlfriend is still much more important than this will ever be.

Take care


JULY 29, 2006

3.30 am

Reviews updated (Justin Rutledge, Tyde, Tom Brosseau, Stuart A. Staples)

No, I haven't forgotten that this website is mostly dedicated to finnish pop music. Starting from sunday I will focus on finnish pop music. Saturday will be mostly spent like today I think. Listening to what I've bought during the last few months and writing reviews about them. It has been kind of fun. Obviously these reviews aren't very informative and don't give much to the readers, but at least it has been good thing for me to make them. I'm kind of a selfish bastard you know. It's just lovely to really have the time to listen to records. Listen them through from start to finish and write a short review after that.

So more similar reviews coming up tomorrow. Sorry 'bout that.

Take care


JULY 28, 2006

8 pm

Reviews updated (Jill Barber, Karl Blau, Mojave 3)

There's a few short reviews. More to come during the night. But now it is time for a little break.

Take care


JULY 28, 2006

4 am

Reviews updated (Johan, Rhett Miller, Cosmic Rough Riders)

Just listened some of the recent guitar pop buyings and wrote quick reviews of them. Plenty of more reviews to come during the next two days. A few are already half written. After that I'll probably focus on the band section. That would obviously be much more important than writing pointless reviews, but this way I get to really listen to the records that I've bought. There just hasn't been enough time lately. Only about 25-30 to go and then I've done most of this year's releases. Well I won't do all. But if I would do 10-12, I would be happy. However, most of the reviews will be short ones just like these tonight.

Football went fine. It will take a long time before I completely trust that knee, but at least it seems that I'm able to play again. And how I need that badly. It has been a nightmare not being able to play football for 4 months.

But tomorrow at least 3-4 reviews. Someday soon I will also update that gigs section.

Take care


JULY 27, 2006

2.30 am

No updates yet

Arrived back to Jyväskylä one day later than I first assumed. Therefore I won't start updating before thursday. But now from 27th of july until 4th of august I will spend a lot of time doing this. It won't be the only thing I do, but I try to spend several hours each day in here. Probably doing some reviews and other updates for the first few days and then try to get the band section into a decent shape after that.

...unless my knee lets me down again. Because the plan is to try and start playing football again. I will see how it goes tomorrow. If there is another hospital trip ahead, it might delay things around here. But I've been running for weeks and it has been perfectly fine. And shooting ball and running with ball doesn't seem to be problem either. So I guess it's time to try. Summer without football is nightmare. If the kneecap gets dislocated again then so be it (and actually everyone who's had the same problem seem to think that it will definitely get dislocated again).

But if the football goes ok, you can expect some updates tomorrow night.

Take care

JULY 22, 2006

11 pm

News (Michael McDonald)

Take care


JULY 22, 2006

4 am

Holiday. Finally. Should I celebrate it with something sad & beautiful? Sounds like me so therefore I've recently listened to Lady & Bird. It's beautiful, sad, haunting, captivating. It's just amazing. It's Keren Ann and Bardi Johannsson. Keren's solo albums are beautiful as well, but this gives me even more. More shelter, more comfort, more love. Roger?

Lady & Bird at myspace

Ilona's music does the same. She's amazing. Occasionally spending a lot of time at myspace feels extremely stupid, but finding Ilona's music justifies all the hours I've spent there. Her music is maybe the biggest treasure I've found there and I absolutely love all her songs. If you like female artists such as Hope Sandoval, Keren Ann, Rose Melberg you simply need to go and listen to her songs, because she seem to be equally wonderful.

Ilona at myspace

Another female folk artist that I've adored for a long time already is canadian Jill Barber. However it had been a while since I last listened to her. Tonight I did listen to her and the magic is still around when her unique voice flies in the air.

Jill Barber Website
Jill Barber at myspace

What else. Stuart A Staples' second solo album Leaving Songs is a really good record. He is getting close to the level of Curtains again. And that makes me happy because Curtains is one of my favourite albums ever.

One of my new crushes is The Broken Family Band. It's so 100% my kind of music. Country ballads, jangly pop, americana, indie rock. And the voice of Steven Adams is perfect. I first bought their latest album Balls and a week later their earlier album Welcome Home Loser. Neither is perfect from start to finish, but both contain a lot of fantastic songs. "A Place You Deserve" might be just a nice little song for some, but it's still my favourite song right now.

Broken Family Band Website

Not entirely sure about the new Cosmic Rough Riders disc. Sure it does have 5-6 great songs, but several weaker ones as well. Worth buying because of those great songs, but it looks like it falls way behind their previous masterpiece. It will be Interesting to see what ex-cosmicroughrider Daniel Wylie has done this time. I didn't love his first album (maybe I should pick it up from the shelf and try again), but his new songs seem wonderful to me. The new album High Cost of Happiness is out late july and I need to pick it up as soon as it arrives. You can hear three songs from it at myspace.

Daniel Wylie at myspace

Of course there are several other interesting releases out there. For example new albums from Golden Smog, Sufjan Stevens, Pipettes, Guillemots and BMX Bandits are out there now.

But despite all this. For me, the most important new release is obviously Cats on Fire's new ep Draw in the Reins...

This was just fairly pointless craptalk that probably wasn't interesting. Now I'll spend some holiday. I'll go to Keuruu tomorrow to rest and do nothing. I'll get back to Jyväskylä on tuesday probably and the plan is to start updating on wednesday. So late next week something should start happening. Until that. I love you all. All who still visits this website eventhough not much has happened lately. It means a lot to me that some people still care about this.

Take care.



JULY 17, 2006

2 am

Some news to break the silence (The Phonies, Starflower)

Things look fine now. Only one week of work left before my summer holiday arrives. It sure feels great after a year and 3 months of continuos working. The current plan is to do absolutely nothing for the first few days and then make hopefully a huge onechord update during the end of july and early august. 4th of august could be some kind deadline for the update and after that it would be time to spend some well-earned holiday. I'm really not sure what I am going to do. I would need a couple of months to do everything that I want to do. In a way it would be nice to make this larger than ever before, but that may not be wise because I'm not able to keep it up-to-date even now. We'll see how it goes. But at least I'm certainly going to spend a lot of time of doing this. And probably I will be enjoying it too. Because when I have enough time, I love doing this. Unfortunately after 8 hours of working it often feels like a struggle. Therefore it might be that the future of onechord.net isn't the brightest even if I can make lot of things happen during this summer break. One good update every summer isn't exactly enough. But let's not worry about that now.

I finally saw Cats on Fire live last weekend. They were just as great as I had expected. It was just what I needed and the new EP Draw in the Reins is also truly wonderful and it will definitely get all the possible hearts when I will review it (btw, you can buy this EP from Stupido for 5€). Hurray for Cats on Fire. A great band and it just feels good to finally hold in my hand an official release that contains those songs that I've really loved for a long time. Therefore I'm forever grateful to Fraction Discs as well. And yeah, the new song Draw in The Reins is magnificent.

That is all for now. I have an evening shift week so I might do some quick reviews during the nights, but don't count on it. The next week you can start hitting that refresh button and pour some nasty insults to my direction if nothing seems to happen. Until that listen to..

Cats On Fire: Draw In The Reins -EP
The Broken Family Band: Balls
Mojave 3: Puzzles Like You

Take care

JUNE 29, 2006

2 am

News (Cats on fire)

No other updates. That is a bad thing, because I haven't even yet mentioned that The Lucksmith will play in Finland on 4th of September. Now that is big news and I will be miserable for months if I'm not able to get that monday off from work. I really need to see them live.

Currently loving (not in any order)

Mojave 3: Puzzles Like You
Johan: THX JHN
Camera Obscura: Let's Get Out of this Country
Guillemots: From the Cliffs
Rhett Miller: Believer
Portastatic: Bright Ideas
Essex Green: Cannibal Sea (except that the disc has been lost for some days. Who stole it. Well It's probably in some wrong jewel case (a really bad habit of mine), but I can't figure out where)

Eagerly waiting Stuart A. Staples cd to arrive and today realised that Cosmic Rough Riders disc has been out for a while now. Why haven't anyone told me. I don't seem to be aware of anything at all. I need that one now. And is the album by The Feeling wonderful? I didn't pay attention to it at all, but then red the review from a recent Apu magazine where Jukka Väänänen said some nice things about it. And he has a perfect taste in music, so obviously I'm now interested about it. And Notlame seems to love it too.

This website will progress only slowly (or not at all) until my summer holiday arrives. I will dedicate a week of it to onechord.net and try to get several things done then. Don't know which week though (probably not the first one). Before that life is pretty much just work. 6 day / 52 hour work week going on at the moment and maybe a similar one ahead next week.

Take care


JUNE 15, 2006

10.55 pm

Like you've already realised there really is no time for onechord.net at the moment. Working and watching three football games everyday does not leave much time for anything else. Not even sleeping. Working at the cement factory during this heatwave is kind of rough too.. especially after four hour nightsleeps. Therefore I refused to work the next saturday and can finally sleep some as well. I might do something here during the weekend, but I seriously doubt it. I think it's safe to say that much won't happen at least before juhannus. But who cares about anything else than football at the moment anyway.

Take care

JUNE 9, 2006

2.30 am

News updated (Cats on fire)

Unfortunately I don't feel strong enough to finish that Jon Auer review tonight. I think I need some sleep. And it would be a review that matters a lot, because I love Jon Auer. Therefore I don't want to just write it quickly. But I'll try to find some time during the weekend for that. Which will be rather difficult, because tomorrow I'll be working until 10 pm and then go back to work for 12 hours at 6 am on saturday morning. And then there's the important part. World Cup starts. Yee-haw. It's a shame that I will miss the opening game. And England-Paraguay on saturday. But thankfully I have morning shift next week and can see all the games at least during that week.

Take care (and watch plenty of football)

JUNE 8, 2006

3.30 am

News (brightboy)
Short reviews (Mocca, Joose Keskitalo, Kelley Stoltz)

Now focusing on Stanley Cup finals for a while. I try to finish that Jon Auer review tomorrow night.

Take care


JUNE 7, 2006

3.30 am

Lemonator review added

More tomorrow. At least that is the plan.

Take care

JUNE 1, 2006

Sorry, nothing today. Some reviews coming up next week.

I didn't know that Stuart A Staples has a new record out before yesterday. At least the music video on the label's site sound so brilliant that I believe that I need to do some recordshopping again. But I think I'll wait next weeks US release because that is double disc edition and contains also his previous solo album Lucky Dog Recordings. For some reason I never bought that eventhough I've adored Stuart since Tindersticks' Curtains. Luckily I can now correct my huge error and get them both.

Tindersticks Website
Direct link to the video That Leaving Feeling

Take care

 

MAY 31, 2006

9 pm

Just a quick Brent Gorton review

Tomorrow maybe something, but then I go Turku for the weekend. Next week I have an evening shift and I try to write plenty of reviews during the nights. The plan is to review albums from Jon Auer, Lemonator, Joose Keskitalo and Mocca. At least that is. Hopefully some more, because then starts the World Cup 2006 and therefore life is only work and football after that. As said before, I won't do any updates in the band section before my summer holiday. And obviously won't spent all of my holiday doing it either. We'll see how it goes.

And again time to go to work

Take care


MAY 30, 2006

9 pm

Reviews updated (Raconteurs, Samae Koskinen)

Kind of pointless to review record like Raconteurs, because it gets enough attention elsewhere. But I wanted to listen to it and wrote it during that.

And again time to go to work

Take care

MAY 28, 2006

7 pm

This is not a music update. Instead I'm moving on to things that really count in the end. The somewhat legendary football club AC Temptation has created Fantasy Football game for the upcoming World Cup 2006. It's obviously completely free to join in. ACT's board of executives, technical team and football experts have all done a tremendous job to bring you the finest fantasy football game. In ACT Fantasy Football, You'll need to select the full 23-man squad and the manager. So it's the ultimate fantasy game where you might need to really start scouting those trinidad & tobago guys and not just select the ronaldinhos of the football world. But that's not a must, it's easy to join and you can create your team in ten minutes and beat us football freaks, who spend weeks of changing our squads, to the ground. And while still being an injured reserve on a day-to-day basis for the real life ACT, this is the finest way to test one's football skills. Which usually proves to be non-existant. But hey, it's still a whole lot of fun.

ACT Fantasy Football Website


MAY 27, 2006

2 am

News updated (Matador Jose)

I was busy being tired the whole week. I hope next week will bring some progress somewhere. There's a wedding tomorrow and sunday evening I need to go to the nightshift so there's not much to expect before early next week.

But you can ignore this website and just celebrate the current outstanding release schedule. It's again good time to be a fan of pop music because new albums have just arrived or will be released in the coming weeks from bands such as Tender Trap, Camera Obscura, Mojave 3, Tyde, Human Television, Asobi Seksu, Johan, Tilly and the Wall (and is that Midlake album coming soon as well?). Not to mention all the ones I've forgotten or just don't know about. The bad thing obviously is that I would like to buy all of them and that would be just stupid because I think I already have about 35 full-lenghts released in 2006 and I haven't had the time to listen even all of those. Well maybe then during my summer holiday. Damn I'm so looking forward to that but I still need to battle two whole bloody months to get on holiday. But when it arrives it will be the sweetest thing ever, because then it has been over 1 year and 3 months of continuos working without any holidays. And that's just way too much for a lazy boy like me.

And the good reason to ignore this website is the fact that I'm such a joke. Sunday Morning on the Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs album is obviously the one by VU and not the one by Margo Guryan. I guess that's a good lesson why one shouldn't write reviews at 3 am and actually pay attention and not just assume things. It's obviously embarrassing, but hey Margo is worth all the praise even if it isn't her song on the album. Maybe they'll cover that on the volume 2, because it is the better Sunday Morning after all. Maybe I should mention Margo in every review, because she is so wonderful. I guess the better thing would be not to review anything ever again...

One of my current favourite albums is Sibylle Baier's Colour Green. She wrote the songs between 1970-1973 in Germany and in February 2006 the Orange Twin label brought this lost gem to surface. Just really beautiful and fragile folk songs. I think she is equally wonderful as Vashti Bunyan and Linda Perhacs for example. I'm in love with her songs.

Sibylle Baier info at Orange Twin
Some songs at I'm So Sorry for This blog
Some songs at Everything is Fire blog


Other best things today:

Matador Jose
Amandine: This is Where our Hearts Collide
Brent Gorton: S/T

The Raconteurs albums seems good as well. I obviously got that because I'm a big Brendan Benson fan and I like the most of it. It's not as perfect as Brendan's solo albums, but well hardly anything is.

Take care


MAY 19, 2006

4 am

News updated (IPO)
Reviews updated (Montevideo, Postal Blue)

Now there will probably be a few days of silence at onechord.net. But this time I think I've deserved it. Eventhough in the dream world I should still update the band section, gig calendar and review records from Jon Auer, Lemonator, Samae Koskinen, Mocca, Kelley Stoltz, Essex Green, Karl Blau, Matti Johannes Koivu, Amandine,, Neko Case, Belle & Sebastian, Isobel Campbell, Portrait of John, Saturday Looks Good to Me, Joose Keskitalo, Karkkiautomaatti, Irene, Scaramangas, lots of little finnish releases etc. Someday I will do some of them. I will never have the time to do all of them.

I think I love The Guillemots. At least I love their ballads Blue Would Still Be Blue and Burnt. Jayd from The Arrogants have introduced them to me in his great mp3 blog A Certain Romance. It's one of the few that I read regularly.

A Certain Romance Blog

Take care


MAY 18, 2006

3.30 am

Reviews updated (Pants Yell!, Black Audio)

That's it for tonight. I think I deserve to go to sleep now. It took until 5 am yesterday, so I believe 3.30 am must be enough for tonight. I try to get something done tomorrow night as well, but then I will rest the weekend. It's yläkaupungin yö and everything. Too bad I'm so much behind in everything concerning onechord.net that this fairly active week don't get me very far in the end. But I paid the domain bill for another year, so this site will continue to live on some level for a whole another year. Sorry about that.

Take care


MAY 18, 2006

1 am

News updated (Laurila, Starflower)

Maybe something else later tonight. Not sure yet.

Take care


MAY 17, 2006

5 am

Reviews updated (Treeball, Lowlife Rock'n'Roll Philosophers)

I apologize all the broken english in the reviews. This got too late and my mind don't work anymore. Not that it ever does..

Tomorrow night at least some news.

Take care


MAY 16, 2006

4 am

Reviews updated (Aksu, Magenta Skycode)

I try to keep this reviewing thing up eventhough I'm not sure are people interested. At least it will make my life more stressfree if I can get them done before the world cup for example. Aksu review was a little bit longer and better but then my windows crashed and I lost a third of it and just didn't find the strength to write more to it again. Treeball and Mocca reviews are also about half-written, so I try to get at least those done before the weekend. But I don't promise it, because often I'm just way too sleepy after getting home from the eveningshift.

Parasta nyt:

Jon Auer: Songs from the Year of Our Demise
Rose Melberg: Cast Away the Clouds
Calexico: Garden Ruin
Essex Green: Cannibal Sea
Lemonator: At the Presence of Great Beauty
Pants Yell!: Recent Drama
Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

And eagerly waiting new albums from Mojave 3 and Camera Obscura.

Take care

MAY 13, 2006

2.30 pm

Morning brought the best news ever. Cats On Fire release coming out. Yee-haw! Happy happy joy joy!! See the news page and Cats On Fire's website for more info.

Take care


MAY 13, 2006

4.30 am

Reviews updated (TV-Respa, Rose Melberg, Andreas Mattsson, Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs)

That is all for tonight. But I'm pleased now. Not with the level of my writings. I never am. But because I enjoyed writing them. It was just so nice to have time to listen music for four hours with headphones and write something during that. I just loved it and didn't get frustrated at all like I usually do. I hope I can keep it up, but I doubt it. Now I only have about twenty full-lenghts and some smaller discs left to review...

But more to come this weekend If I can keep the momentum up. It might have just been Rose Melberg and Jon Auer that caused all this. I got their records this week and I'm so truly excited about both of them.

Goodnight and...

Take care

MAY 9, 2006

9.15 pm

News updated

During the last few days I've been mostly listening to The Go-Betweens. One of the greatest songwriters in the world, Grant McLennan of The Go-Betweens died in his sleep last saturday. Such a huge loss. The Go-Betweens made so many great pop songs/albums in the 80's and when they came back ten years later they were still making great music and released three wonderful albums during the last six years. The songwriting duo Forster-McLennan surely was one of the finest in the history of pop music.

The Go-Betweens Website

But there's also something happy to tell. Great dutch band Johan is coming back and making a new album after five years. Some new songs are available at myspace and they are still going strong.

Johan at myspace

but work waits again.

Take care


MAY 7, 2006

9.30 pm

New reviews (Calexico, Norfolk & Western, Josh Rouse)

So I spent rare spare time today by listening to some of my recent buyings and wrote reviews of them while doing that. I will review some finnish stuff next week as well.

But it is kind of safe to say that I won't update the band section before august (my summer holiday). Work takes away the energy and there's also world cup coming up and watching that will take a rest of my time. If you want your band page to be updated, you'll have to write it yourself and send it to me.

But again it's time to go to work. During the coming week there will be a few reviews and some news here. Probably not very much, but at least something.

Take care


MAY 5, 2006

11 pm

Still alive, but mostly life consists of working and sleeping. I have 6 am to 6 pm workshift on saturday and then I need to go to nightshift on sunday. Needless to say that much won't happen during the weekend..

And well I do spend way too big part of my little spare time at myspace searching new music to buy and more importantly new music to love. Latest big crush is swedish Amandine. Their song called "Heart Tremor" is absolutely perfect. I first heard the song today and I ended up listening to it around ten times and ordered the record after that. If you are into early Songs:Ohia you might love it. Well I guess if you are into good music you will love it. They are on that british label Fat Cat (Same as Vashti Bunyan, Animal Collective, Drowsy) and their perfectly named album "This is Where our Hearts Collide" came out last year.

Amandine Website
Amandine at myspace

Today I visited Notlame's website and it was nice to see that they are now selling Bookends and Leaky Soles albums. It was also fun, nice (and little bit scary) thing to notice Bruce using my reviews as the description. After all, back in the late 90's Notlame's mail order catalogs were almost like bibles to me and one of my prime source to find new music to love (No, I did not have internet then). I probably red every word that were on them, so I admit that it feels nice to see something that I wrote there on Notlame's site. But scary too, because I don't think they are good enough to be there and doesn't give the finest description of the records.

But now I need to sleep, otherwise tomorrow's 12 hour workshift will be too exhausting.

Oh. And Calexico's Garden Ruin and Norfolk & Western's A Gilded Age are great releases.

Take care

APRIL 28, 2006

2 am

I don't know anything about Ilona Virostek, but she has some songs available at myspace. Two of these, Good Morning and Fall Song are just so incredibly beautiful that I have to mention them here as well. You might hear a bit of Hope Sandoval, Keren Ann and Mia Doi Todd there for example. It's so heartwarming and beautiful that I'm almost crying out of happiness.

Ilona at myspace

And remember that the album of the year 2006 will be released on may 2nd. This is of course Jon Auer's really long-waited album Songs from the Year of Our Demise. You can still hear the whole album on notlame's website. They also offer a live cd-r of Jon's music as a bonus if you pre-order it from them.

Jon Auer Website
Jon Auer at myspace
Jon Auer's album at notlame

Take care


APRIL 24, 2006

2.30 am

News updated (Lemonator)

If you are a softie or a fan of The Softies, you probably need to know that Rose Melberg's solo album Cast Away the Clouds is now out and available. I ordered my copy instantly and can hardly wait to be able to hear it. I'm definitely a big fan of The Softies and also enjoyed Rose's earlier album Portola. The label namedrops Isobel Campbell, Elliot Smith, Tracey Thorn. You can hear one beautiful new song on her myspace (and several older treats).

Rose Melberg at myspace
Rose Melberg at Double Agent Records

One of my favourite dutch bands Daryll-Ann called its quits some time ago. I haven't followed things well after that, because few days ago I noticed that Jelle Paulusma has written a solo album that is out on Munich records and that Anne Soldaat has a new band called Do-the-Undo that will release an album later this year. I guess it's no surprise that these both sound really good. I wish there were more sound samples from that Paulusma album, because if it's all that good then I surely want that album.

Paulusma Website
Paulusma's album at Munich Records
Do-the-Undo at myspace

So I'm again back in Jyväskylä. Weekend was great and now I'm back in this everyday struggle. I thought I would do some onechord stuff this week, but it just feels there's not much strength left for that after getting home from work at 10.30 pm. I try to review something before the weekend, but don't count on it.

Luckily it's only three months to my summer holiday. Which is unfortunately way too much. I've already been working more than a year in a row without any holidays (except those two weeks of sick leave because of the knee) and I'm so fed up with all this. I know there's no reason to complain. That is what people do, they work. But I guess it could also be something interesting and at least something that was not in three shifts. I'm getting tired of being tired all the time. These totally fucked up sleeping patterns are so annoying. So I wish I would have been able to keep that holiday in june and just relax and watch football games, but it wasn't possible. But luckily all I need to do is somehow battle through these three months and then things will be easier. Because next fall I'm gonna stop and change direction. That is a fact. Otherwise I will be in the same condition as a character in Karine Polwart's beautiful song Hole in my Heart..

"I quit running to the finishing line
and I went back to the start
I found a great big hole in the middle of my life
Shaped just like my heart, just like my heart"

Take care



APRIL 20, 2006

9.10 pm

The Phonies review added. The review certainly didn't turn out to be as good as I had hoped, but at least it shows that I love the record.

That is all. I'm going to Turku tomorrow. So there won't be any updates during the weekend.

Take care

APRIL 18, 2006

9.20 pm

Easter went fine, except that I was a little bit sick the whole time. And well I still am. This will be another busy week. Nighshift working. Tomorrow I need to go to Keuruu. And then on friday back to Turku, because my uncle celebrates his 70th birthday there on saturday. And when I go there on friday I can see Laurila, Mother Goose and Navigations at pikku-torre. So probably I don't have much time to give for this during the week. But at least The Phonies review will be on the site on wednesday or thursday. It's almost ready.

Musicwise I've been mostly listening to Lemonator, The Phonies, Treeball, TV-Resistori and Montevideo. Oh that Lemonator album is just so beautiful.

But now it's again time for work. Bye bye.

Take care


APRIL 13, 2006

0.30 am

Bookends review added

I hope it's decent. I couldn't do any better and it got so late again. I should be up in four and a half hours and go to work, so it has to do. But at least I'm happy that I did one. Now there's one less thing to feel extremely stressed about.

Next update sometime after easter, because I will go to Turku tomorrow after work. Unless this fever really kicks in. It's just too big dissapointment if I get really sick. Well maybe I'm just tired and a good nightsleep will get me back on track. I'll probably see some of you at Dynamo on friday. Really looking forward to that. I've never seen Treeball live, so that will be exciting. Obviously the most important part of the four day weekend will be to just spend time with the one I love.

Take care


APRIL 11, 2006

11 pm

News updated (Treeball)

Also some updates in the band section. Mainly just discographies. I'm not sure will I ever get the writings done. So if you're in a band and are completely pissed of because it's not up-to-date, feel free to ask me to remove your band or feel free to ask me to replace my pointless old text with your bio or something. I think my next objective is to get those records reviewed. I feel like the worst person in the world, because I've received such amazing discs like The Phonies, Magenta Skycode, Lemonator, Bookends, Samae Koskinen as a promo and have not written much about them. It's just criminal and I know it. And still I don't seem to do anything about it.

Lemonator's upcoming album is a strong one. I got it yesterday. I guess I should hate it, because I was supposed to just listen a few songs from it last night before going to sleep, but it felt so good that I just couldn't stop and therefore had to go to work after long 3-4 hour nightsleep. Which is very usual though. Being dead tired at work during morning shifts I mean. I don't even remembered when I slept well during that shift. I've just created a huge problem with sleeping. I probably need some sheep counting or other trick. Nothing just seems to work. When I know the fact that I need to wake up at 5 am, I just keep thinking that I really need to get some sleep and when I do that I of course can't sleep at all. And it's not very fun to battle through the day after 3-4 hour sleep and the collapse to bed after work. Probably not the healthiest way to live in the long run. But thankfully there's only two more days to go and then a four day easter holiday in Turku. Spending some time with my girlfriend and seeing Treeball, Kevin and Bookends at dynamo on friday will be just fabulous.

And I do love snow, but that is not a love without any boundaries. It's mid april for crying out loud and it seems like it has been snowing for two weeks a row. I want to feel a summer in my heart and that T-shirt weather would suit me fine as well.

Take care



APRIL 9, 2006

10.30 pm

News updated (Joose Keskitalo)

Asaurus Records and Paper Cities just co-released new Pants Yell! album entitled Recent Drama. I ordered my copy instantly because Songs for Siblings was really gorgeous and the new songs sound marvellous as well. It's such a lovely band. Enjoyable indie pop. Lo-fi and pretty. A bit of early B & S, Lucksmiths, Jonathan Richman. Just wonderful bedroom pop. They will rule the world soon..

Pants Yell! Website
Asaurus Records Website
Paper Cities Website

Kids Are the Same mp3
Your Feelings Don't Show mp3

Jyrock went fine. A bit dissapointing when it comes to the music though. There were only three bands/artists that I really loved. John McGregor's concert was obviously the finest moment of Jyrock. First it seemed that it will be disaster, because festival audiences always tend to keep way too much noise for acoustic performances. But luckily the audience finally understood and it was possible to hear John's performance at least in the first row. His new songs were just magical. I just love that guy. So tender, pure and honest music. Jolly Jumpers was also great again. It wasn't their best concert ever, but they are always really good. I also enjoyed Goodnight Monsters really lot. Maybe they are not the most skilled musicians out there, but who really gives a shit about that. It's fun and enjoyable. The songs are really good and they have those lovely harmonies as well. And it's just totally the kind of music that I love. So hurray for Goodnight Monsters. They are already really good and in a few years they might be absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately I completely missed Boys of Scandinavia because Jolly Jumpers played a long concert and only saw half of I Was a Teenage Satan Worshipper, because I needed to make sure I won't miss a second of John McGregor's gig. Teenage Satanists did seem good. Bands/Artists like Nicole Willis, Plain Ride, Je Ne Sais Quoi, David Gilmour Girls were quite alright but still didn't make me excited at all. And then there was just some really bad ones like that Swedish Harlem. So in overall, it could have been much better musicwise, but I still enjoyed myself and well just to see John McGregor's concert would have been a reason enough to go there.

Take care



APRIL 7, 2006

4.45 am

News updated (Montevideo, Echo Is Your Love, Lowlife Rock'n'Roll, Drowsy)
Reviews updated (Tapes, Super Deluxe)

Blanket Music's new double album The Love / The Love Translation sounds really good. The first disc contains their own love songs and on The Love Translation they cover their friends love songs (and some great friends like M.Ward, Norfolk & Western and Decemberists). But still the most interesting part is their own songs that I like really lot. The album is out on Hush Records that is one of the better labels there is (Blanket Music frontman Chad Crouch is actually the label boss). Norfolk & Western's new EP will be released by Hush during april as well and I'm really looking forward to that. Their latest album Dusk at Cold Parlours was a masterpiece.

Hush Records Website (you can launch Blanket Music player on the first page)
Hush Records at myspace

Blanket Music at myspace

Norfolk & Western at myspace
Norfolk & Western website

That is all. Really need to sleep now so that I won't fall asleep during Jyrock. It will be great because Jolly Jumpers will hit the stage and they surely fit perfectly into my "parasta ikinä" band category.

Take care


APRIL 6, 2006

4 am

News updated (Blanco Nino, Esa Linna)

There would still had been more news, but I'll continue tomorrow night. Then one review as well. Or who knows if I'll find some excuse not to do it. I'm a hopeless case.. of kid in denial.

But tonight was Townes Van Zandt night. Be Here To Love Me was a really good film/documentary about the greatest songwriter. He certainly was not a saint of everyday life, but whenever he picked up his quitar an auerola appeared above his head. Now I continue listening to his wonderful songs and then go to sleep..

Back here tomorrow, but after that it's time to focus on Jyrock. Unfortunately it looks like I will definitely miss Goodnight Monsters, because they play so early on friday. Evening shift at work sucks in occasions suchs as these.

Take care


APRIL 5, 2006

1.15 pm

News updated (Lemonator)

There will be a lot more news when I have the time to write them...

..but unfortunately that Townes Van Zandt DVD I mentioned before arrived today and I really can't wait. I already started watching it and it seems really great. Of course the music is perfect, but the movie seems magnificent as well. So I definitely need to watch it after I get home from work and therefore I'm not sure will I manage to do much during the night..

Take care


APRIL 5, 2006

2 am

Sorry. I'm just way too sleepy and can't keep my eyes open. So the review will have to wait until morning or tomorrow night.

Take care

APRIL 4, 2006

4.30 am

Hotel Alexis review added.

Two things.

1.) Not all the records are worth five hearts. I just always get excited and happen to review the ones that are worth it. I have around twenty tiny "review sketches" in one file and only one record on that file will probably receive that five hearts (kokkola roks). And well I will never finish all of the reviews.

2.) I do plan to review finnish releases as well. I think I've lost the plot, because I've just reviewed stuff from abroad. Isn't this a finnish pop site after all. Well there are reasons. Mostly because writing about finnish albums is much more stressful and I hardly ever believe I'll find the words that would do them justice. But I try to review a few finnish albums pretty soon as well.

Take care


APRIL 3, 2006

4.30 am

Drew Danburry review added

I thought I try to write at least one review each night until friday (then comes Jyrock, yee-haw). If I keep them short, maybe more. I have an evening shift week, so what else is there to do after getting home from work at 10.30 pm. Well tomorrow there's Blackburn's game on telly, so maybe that will kill this idea during the first night.

The Phonies record still rules the world. It's just totally magnificent. Current listening has been mostly this:

The Phonies: Gran Tourettes (parasta ikinä)
TV-Resistori: Serkut rakastaa paremmin (toiseksi parasta ikinä)

And a bit of of Laura Cantrell, Peter Bruntnell, Magenta Skycode and Andreas Mattsson as well.

But that is all for now. At least one review next night. I did work a tiny bit with that band section during the weekend, but still not sure whether it will be ever finished. Hopefully someday.

Take care


MARCH 31, 2006

10.30 pm

News updated (The Phonies)

More stuff to come during or right after the weekend.

This week has been partly fantastic and partly horrible. Fantastic because JYP's A-juniors' won the gold and the hockey season therefore ended in perfect manner. It felt so damn good. The week (well today) was fantastic also because of The Phonies. Their new album is totally marvellous. Horrible on the other hand was going back to work. With this sore knee it wasn't fun at all (not that it ever is). It feels quite alright most of the time, but all I need is just one bad step and it still hurts a lot. Well today was the first day that the knee felt even slightly comfortable, so hopefully the weekend will take the pain away and next week will be a lot easier. Otherwise I may need to see the doc again.

But now to watch Reikä Sydämessäni by Lukas Moodysson.

Take care


MARCH 26, 2006

9 pm

Plenty of gigs added (probably still plenty missing)

That is all, because today's most important thing was to go and see JYP-Kärpät hockey final (A-Juniors). I wish the men would play as well someday. But still need one more win to get the gold and it certainly won't be easy in Oulu on tuesday.

Take care


MARCH 26, 2006

4 am

News updated (Sidelines, Tolbiac)

(I've worked some hours with the band section as well, but there's nothing new there yet)

The music crush of the weekend has been scottish folk singer-songwriter Karine Polwart. Her new album is coming out on Shoeshine records in april and there are four songs from it at myspace. Yours truly have listened them all several times and I really love them.

Karine Polwart Website
Karine Polwart at myspace

But that's it. I try to keep the updates going on now more regularly. Well that's what I always try, but it hardly ever seems to work. But now I probably run out of excuses. There's only the finals of A-Juniors left in hockey and I can't play football for several weeks. So basicly I don't really have a life outside work during the weekdays (weekends are still mine) for the next month. So I probably just spend most of my time on a computer (obviously listening to the saddest and most beautiful songs at the same time). Unfortunately I do need to go to work on monday. Don't know how it will go though, because the knee is still far from 100%. But I guess I manage. Just have to take it easy and avoid climbing and knee-bending.

At least some gig calendar updates tomorrow.

Take care

MARCH 21, 2006

1.30 am

News updated (Magenta Skycode, TV-Resistori, Artisokka)
Reviews updated (Danny George Wilson, Hazey Janes, Vijaya, Hello Saferide)

Unfortunately that is all for tonight.

Be Here to Love Me, the movie about Townes Van Zandt is out on DVD now. I never buy music films, documentaries or concerts on DVD, but now I needed to make an exception and ordered it today. I'm dying to see this. He is nowadays one of my biggest heroes in music who created so many painfully sad but still somehow so beautiful and moving country songs. For example the album "Our Mother The Mountain" is just totally magnificent work of art. He was such a gifted and talented songwriter. I guess this is only out in the usa (region 1).

"Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that" -Steve Earle


Townes the Movie Website


But now I start waiting the hockey game. I'm so bloody nervous. If we lose then Townes would actually be a rather good soundtrack for the following evening / night / week / month, but I do hope I can put something much more cheerful to my cd player after the game.

Take care

MARCH 20, 2006

1 am

Back in Jyväskylä, but I've been only concentrating to the hockey (pity)playoffs. But on monday I'll add the reviews I managed to write at Keuruu and there will also be some news entries (some great stuff was released last week).

Things look fine now. The knee is getting better all the time and walking is already an option. I haven't totally gotten rid of sticks yet, because I don't want to be too hasty. It's still sore obviously and it will probably take a long time before it's completely healed. But that's alright.

Tomorrow night some updates.

Take care

MARCH 13, 2006

4.30 pm

News updated (Treeball, The Phonies)

This was just a quick update before I go to Keuruu. I decided to do that because there I don't need to worry about things like going to shop etc. But It looks like the knee isn't in a very bad shape and should heal in two weeks. Walking with sticks for 1-2 weeks really isn't bad at all after that football accident. I feared it could be lot worse.

I'm definitely going to take a bunch of records with me and try to write some reviews/descriptions while I'm there. I'm not sure will I put anything online before I'm back, because there's only really slow modem connection. But I will do several updates when I'm back here in Jyväskylä. Next weekend probably. Because if it's possible, I hell won't miss JYP's (pity)playoff-games.

Take care


MARCH 11, 2006

3.30 am

I needed some cheering up and Not Lame provides it. You can now listen to Jon Auer's upcoming album "Songs From the Year of Our Demise in its entirety on Not Lame's website. Everyone knew that will be an amazing album and it surely is. It's so good that maybe we can already close the best album of the year discussion. It's hard to think anyone else could come even close. This is just perfect music.

Listen to Songs from the Year of our Demise

Take care


MARCH 10, 2006

10 pm

Note to self: Football is a dangerous game and you should be more careful. I was somehow able to get my kneecap dislocated and it was extremely painful experience indeed. And watching the kneecap pointing to a totally wrong direction was kind of scary too. But now back at home after an ambulance trip to the hospital and things don't seem very bad. However, I still need to go to röntgen on monday to make sure anything wasn't badly damaged.

But I hope walking with sticks for two weeks will be enough and I wouldn't need an operation. And I also hope that I could find one positive thing from this and would be able to update onechord.net. For the next few days just lying on a bed and listening to music and watching movies will be enough. But next week I try to find a way to sit comfortably infront of a computer and start writing something.

Take care


MARCH 7, 2006

9 pm

News about TV-Resistori

That is all.

Take care

MARCH 6, 2006

7 pm

News updated (The Props, Poverty Stinks)

One big addiction during last few has been Hotel Alexis. I need his record "The Shining Example is Lying On The Floor" right about now. This is so beautiful alt.country, folk, slowcore. Been compared to acts like Sparklehorse, Wilco, Smog, Iron & Wine.. The closest match out of those is Sparklehorse and if you know me, you know that I absolutely love Sparklehorse. So I guess it's no wonder that I seem to love Hotel Alexis. Their website doesn't seem to work at the moment (it did work a week ago), but you can also check Hotel Alexis at myspace (that's where I found them in the first place.)

Hotel Alexis Website (does not seem to work at the moment)
Hotel Alexis at myspace
Hotel Alexis interview at Awful Bliss
More songs for example here and here
(and it's amazing how much the verse of the song called "An Indian Doctor" reminds me of Plain Ride, click the first "here" to hear it)

Because I already linked to Awful Bliss above, I also should mention that it is an independent record label from Italy. They've just released their first record "Songs for Another Place". It's a double CD that contains unreleased tracks from some of the finest indie/folk/rock bands of USA, Canada and Italy. The line up- is rather impressive..Great Lake Swimmers, Hotel Alexis, Tobin Sprout, The Strugglers, Jeffrey Luck Lucas, Will Johnson just to name a few. Should be a great compilation

Awful Bliss Website

This bit was all about alt.country, americana, folk rock. Maybe you can blame Danny George Wilson for getting me more into this again. I sometimes wish that I could just focus on one music style. It would be a good thing for my wallet and for this website as well probably. But I can't help it. I have three big addictions when it comes to music. a) Power pop b) indie/tweepop c) country, alt.country, americana, folk rock. And I do try somehow keep up with all of them and it doesn't seem to work very well. Maybe this website doesn't serve anyone well partly because I just jump into different directions all the time.

Today I was again so frustrated that I thought that I just update the discographies, keep all the old texts and just leave the band section as it is now. Write not-up-to-date with huge capital records and never touch it again. This blog, news and reviews should be enough, because this still feels fun. And the most annoying thing with updating that band section actually is the fact that, if I do that then I don't have time to do blog, news and reviews as much as I would like to..

I'm also waiting impatiently for Hazey Janes and Andreas Mattson records to hit my mailbox.

But now time to go and play some football.

"if you are sad, just play the black keys"

Take care

MARCH 1, 2006

10 pm

News updated (Jyrock)

Also Regina now at myspace

I guess I was a bit too hasty with that Tolbiac information. They've taken the website offline, but check back soon. And meanwhile you can visit Tolbiac at myspace.

Andreas Mattson's solo album "The Lawlessness of the Ruling Classes" was released today by Hybris. Yes, that indeed is the Andreas Mattson from Popsicle. One song is available on the label's website. And it does sound so good. Well with that voice you could sing the phonebook and it would sound great. That voice almost makes me nostalgic. Popsicle was such a great band and they made several perfect pop songs in the 90's.

Hybris Website

While talking about Hybris, I should mention El Perro Del Mar (aka Sarah Assbring) too. The album Look! I'ts El Perro Del Mar! that collects her first recordings together was released already a year ago, but I just bought it last week. And that is one amazing record as well.

El Perro Del Mar Website
El Perro Del Mar at myspace

Finally I've also been listening to Ville Härkönen & Velvet. I ordered the record months ago but it never arrived. I guess the order got lost or something. Anyway, now I ordered it again and now I have the album. I like it a lot. Much more than Maryland actually. Going towards country music is never a bad thing in my books. Some really beautiful country-tinged pop tunes here. Maybe a few not-that-great songs as well, but I don't really mind.

Ville Härkönen & Velvet Website

Also still very much into Hello Saferide and Danny George Wilson. Danny's album arrived already today and now I'm gonna just head to bed with Danny. That may have sounded suspicous, but the plan is just to listen to Danny's great album The Famous Mad Mile for a while before falling to sleep. Not that Danny wouldn't deserve some kisses and hugs after making such a beautiful record.. Ok. It seems that I'm way too tired. And I have a girlfriend who I love more than anything. So sorry Danny, I'll only let you sing me to sleep. I hope you are good at it, because these only-three-hour-nightsleeps are killing me.

Take care



FEBRUARY 28, 2006

11.15 pm

News updated (fonal stuff, Ville Leinonen, TV-Respa, Risto + myspace links)

(addition 11.40 pm: Also news about Tolbiac added. I just found his website)

Don't expect any updates next weekend. Summer is getting closer, so saturday working starts at the cement factory. Which is a great thing for my bank account but a bad thing for my mental health. But anyway it means that next saturday I'll have a 6 am to 6 pm work shift on saturday and then need to go back on sunday at 10 pm for the night shift. And I hell won't spend that "long weekend holiday" working with this thing. But I try to get some tiny updates done before the weekend.

JYP won. It was about time. They didn't play well though.

And I hope everyone has already bought Karkkiautomaatti's compilation. The greatest band ever. Well I guess I've said that about many bands. And I've meant it everytime..

Take care


FEBRUARY 27, 2006

11.50 pm

Ethel Suspense and Montevideo updated

Kind of short and I used big parts of the earlier writings. I think I need to face the reality. If I rewrite everything, I'll never get it done and only get stressed and frustrated and end-up removing the whole section. So sorry. I think I just totally rewrite the worst ones. Shoot me if you want to.

Listening to Volebeats for a while gave some much needed strength and belief tonight. Their album Like Her is a really good one. It's not really alt.country at all anymore, but there are some really wonderful jangly pop gems like 'Everytime' and 'Like Her'. Not very unique, but I can never get tired of these two songs. Apparently some guy whose name is Ryan Adams have also said that Volebeats is the best american band. I don't think I would go that far, but they sure are a great band.

Volebeats Website (even more out-of-date than onechord)
Volebeats at myspace (contains those two great songs for example)

I've been also listening to a lot of Belle & Sebastian and Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan. At first I thought that Isobel's album is much better, but because I've started to like B & S more and more when the time has gone I think I should call it a tie (not that it is a competition). B&S album has some questionable elements at times, but mostly it's at least a really good album. Still haven't had a love affair with it though..

So that's it what I was able to do during this pekkaspäivä. Not really much eventhough I spent the whole on this computer. I'll finish up at least those Regina, Goodnight Monsters and Treeball pages later this week. I guess I should start writing those reviews as well...

Take care


FEBRUARY 27, 2006

9 pm

Since November, Boys of Scandinavia updated
I Was a Teenage Satan Worshipper added

In the band section it says that also Regina, Ethel Suspense, Goodnight Monsters, Treeball and Montevideo are updated but that isn't true. I set my goal too high for today and don't bother to change that table anymore. Those files are all open on my computer and I'm working on them but the wall tuli niinko vastaan and I'll need a break. Maybe I finish one or two of them later tonight.

I don't know what I was thinking when I started this updating process. If I spend 30 minutes to each one then it takes something like 35 hours to finish it. And by the time I've finished, the first ones I did aren't up-to-date anymore..

Take care

FEBRUARY 27, 2006

3 pm

Brazilian indie pop maestros, Postal Blue have a new 5-song EP out on Humblebee Recordings. The opening track "The World Doesn't Need You" is available on their website and it's again a really great pop song. I will surely order the EP sometime soon. You can check this sweet pop band out at myspace too.

Postal Blue Website
Postal Blue at myspace
Humblebee Recordings Website

More to come today.

Take care

FEBRUARY 27, 2006

1 pm

Some news added (The Conquistadors, Magenta Skycode, Lodger, Everglades)

Time to go and buy something to eat and then really sunk into the band section updating. More stuff sometime in the evening.

Take care


FEBRUARY 27, 2006

2 am

Ok. We lost the game. It hurts. So I guess this would be also good time to praise some fine swedish artists. These two following female artists are both absolutely wonderful.

I found Hello Saferide (aka Annika Norlin) some weeks ago at myspace and that crush got so big that it led to ordering her debut album. Her music is totally irressistable. Her voice is unique and sweet and the lyrics are incredibly lovely. Charming stories that make you smile for days. If you can add names Merle Haggard, Lorenzo Lamas and Falcon Crest in to a same pop song than how could it not be a great song. Or how about a story about loving someone so that you hope they are sick and you could take care of them, fluff their pillows and read them spiderman comics. I just love her songs.

Hello Saferide Website
Hello Saferide at myspace

Maia Hirasawa is Annika's friend and she is equally talented. I don't think she has released anything yet (i'm not 100% sure), but there are several amazingly beautiful ballads on her website (or at myspace).

Maia's Website
Maia at myspace

So Sweden doesn't totally suck...

And yeah.. they were the better team in the final and therefore deserved to win the game. I'll try to forget the lost and just think that maybe in the end it's nice that the two best hockey countries were nordic countries eventhough all the countries had their best players available. But it doesn't really work all the time. It's still double the heartbreak to lose against the swedes in sports. But against someone else the game wouldn't have been as exciting. So it's definitely a love and hate relationship in sports. In music it's just love. Who could not love a country that has produced dozens if not hundreds of wonderful pop groups..

More tomorrow.

Take care


FEBRUARY 25, 2006

9 pm

I just needed to mention this. Danny George Wilson. You are good. You are incredibly good. Your band Grand Drive is wonderful, but this solo debut (The Famous Mad Mile) of yours is something beyond wonderful.

I found out this today. So I guess it's too early, but I'm just way-too-excited about this album and had to share this instantly. I don't have the album yet. but for the past 2-3 hours I've been listening to these songs over and over again and I do love everyone of them. The finest americana / alt.country / singer-songwriter material you can think of. Grand Drive fans know how sweet Danny's voice is (and probably knew about this solo album and I hold you responsible for not telling me about this masterpiece) and it fits perfectly to these soft country-tinged tunes. This was love at first hearing and I'm afraid you'll have to read about this more when the copy that I instantly ordered arrives. Probably including ridicilous review that makes no sense but contains all the praising adjectives that my english vocabulary contains. It's so heartwarmingly beautiful music.

You can listen all the songs at Fargo Record's Shop if my constant listening hasn't exceeded their traffic limits. Just listen to the opening song "Somewhere Else Instead" and after that you don't want to go somewhere else instead (christ, aren't I clever or what). Danny George Wilson is all you need. I just hope Amazon (the album costs less than £7 there) delivers the album quickly to my doorstep.

Danny George Wilson Website
"The Famous Mad Mile" at Fargo Store

But lots more on monday. Don't know what but hopefully a lot. Maybe one thing could be a blog entry about the greatness of Hello Saferide.

Take care



FEBRUARY 25, 2006

5 pm

Still alive. The week was mostly just work and olympics. I took the next monday off from work and plan to dedicate that completely to this website. But before that it's time for some nervewrecking sport events. Blackburn - Arsenal, Slalom's second round and most importantly Finland - Sweden hockey final. If I survive from the several heart attacks that will occur during the game, I'll get back on monday with several updates.

Take care

FEBRUARY 16, 2006

9 pm

News updated (Starflower, Sidelines, Palsa)
Two gigs added (scaramanga gigs from the guestbook)

There would still be more news, but no more time. It's time for the last night of work until 6 am and then almost directly to Turku with the 7.20 am bus. So maybe I'll see some of you tomorrow at Dynamo. The goal is to see at least Tapes and Samae Koskinen at Dynamo and if Boomhauer will be the last band at TVO then maybe it's possible to see them too. Have to ask about those timetables tomorrow.

Unless the fever really kicks in. Then I would have to cancel the whole trip. Bloody annoying that I can't shake this flu totally out of my body and fever tries to rise every night. But if I do need to stay at home and go to Turku the following weekend it would have one huge plus. I would have the chance to see Cats on Fire live. However, otherwise this weekend is better and plans have been made, so I won't postpone my trip if I don't have to. No matter how much I love that band. Maybe I get to see them next fall when I..

Lucky Soul is a great new band from London. During the past weeks I've been listening to their songs so many times. Basicly Jon Auer's new songs, Cats on Fire and Lucky Soul have been playing most of the time at this apartment. It's so lovely pop music. Makes you feel so happy. First single coming up on march 6th. Listen the songs either at their myspace or at their official website.

Lucky Soul Website
Lucky Soul at myspace

But that's it for now. See ya tomorrow at Turku.

Take care

FEBRUARY 15, 2006

9.30 pm

News updated (Karkkiautomaatti, Pansies, Since November, Aknestik)

There would have been more news but things got to late and I need to run to work now. So probably more news tomorrow if I have the time.

And well done Mikko Ronkainen. That medal sure made my day. It's always great when finnish athletes get medals, but I do admit that it's even more perfect to me when that athlete is from Keski-Suomi. It's stupid but I can't avoid it.

Take care

FEBRUARY 12, 2006

8.30 pm

Samae and Tapes pages updated

Nothing else got finished. Only managed to do couple of hours today. Half pipe and ski jump proved to more interesting at times. sorry bout that. But at least I managed to start this weekend. Don't know when I have as much time again. I try to do something during the week, but I'm afraid the night shift will take its toll and I don't bother to do much. But hopefully few tiny bits. The next weekend I'll go to Turku so nothing will happen then.

But now back to ski jump.

Take care

FEBRUARY 12, 2006

0.30 am

Bookends and Cats on Fire pages updated

I'm not happy at all with Cats on Fire's page though. It doesn't really give any other information except that I love them. Bookends is probably a little bit better. But I'll let them stay here at least for the time being. Kind of frustrating that I've today spend around 10 hours on this computer mostly just doing this and I really haven't gotten far. I was excited in the morning, but it has slowly faded away. I guess I better just stop and continue tomorrow. I'll finish at least Samae page and Tapes page then and hopefully one or two other ones that I started today.

But anyway. That's it for now. Next update tomorrow sometime before 9.30 pm, because then I have to go to work. It's a lovely night shift week. And I actually mean that. It's nice to be able to sleep. I've had way too much diffifulties to fall a sleep recently. But when I get home from the night shift, I pass out before I've managed to close the door.

Take care.



FEBRUARY 11, 2006

5 pm

Gig calendar updated

I've been doing this the whole morning and try to continue the whole evening/night (while watching football/olympics with the other eye). Things are slowly getting together, but that gig calendar is the only thing online at the moment. I hope I can put few updated band pages to the site sometime during the night or tomorrow. Bookends, Cats On Fire and Samae Koskinen are in the working state at the moment.

Take care

FEBRUARY 11, 2006

2 am

More great finnish bands at myspace.com

ultrasport
Wojciech


Well today I did it. I removed everything I've written about these bands. Well only from the files on my computer at this point. They still exist in the net. And I did copy the entire folder before that, so I can still find the ones that aren't that bad and use them. Obviously this means that I need to write about seventy band descriptions and that will take a bloody long time. I'm not sure will it ever be finished. I might get frustrated and just delete all the pages. At the moment many of those pages just doesn't give anything to anybody. Many of them have been written when I started doing this what was it 4-5 years ago or something and since that I've only done some small corrections/additions to make them look like they are up-to-date. That thing about using the band's own bios didn't get any response from anyone, so I guess that wouldn't be a good thing. And at least this way this will still have that fan point of view. But it also means that this won't be totally objective. I love certain bands more than some others and I can't hide that. I still won't have much time to give for this website, so those updated band pages will appear very slowly.

I do plan to write some reviews in between. But if you send me promos, please note that it's not sure that I will write about them. I do appreciate it, but don't send them if you get upset/pissed of if I don't write about them or if it takes me ages to write about them. I sometimes feel like the worst person in the world, because some lovely people find this site important enough to send me promos and then I just don't write about them more than just some news entry for example. Even if I try to make myself believe that I've earned them, because I've spent countless amount of hours doing this and hopefully given even just a little bit of help to some band (eventhough hardly any concrete help), I still end up thinking that I don't deserve them and get just damn stressed about it.

But let's cut the bullshit for the time being. I probably start dropping those updated pages on to a separate list, so you'll know which ones have been updated. First few this weekend. At least Bookends and one or two other ones. There are few bands who are dead already and I probably just remove them eventhough I've sometimes thinked about doing that history section. Mostly because bands like Poverty Stinks, Karkkiautomaatti, Pansies, Refreshments deserves some recognition too. But I think I have my hands full already. But there are compilations coming from Poverty Stinks, Karkkiautomaatti and Pansies and then they will surely get some coverage on this tiny website.

But I better start working tomorrow if I am ever going to get thing back on track. You may call this as the last desperate attempt, because that's what it probably is. Tonight this seems like a good idea, but I'm afraid that in a few weeks I notice that I just don't have the energy to keep it going.

But now it's time for Laura Veirs to sing me to sleep. All the time spent dreaming is never lost...

Take care




FEBRUARY 9, 2006

11.30 pm

Jon Auer's solo album "Songs from the Year of Our Demise" will finally be released on 2nd of may by Pattern 25. Two songs from the album can now be downloaded from his label's website. Or you can just listen the songs at myspace.com.

Jon Auer Website
Jon Auer at myspace
Pattern 25 Website

That's all. I just found that out and I had to share it. Oh. And Samae's album is indeed wonderful. Didn't have time to listen to it enough, because I was torturing my heart by watching another hockey defeat. But I did spend an hour in it's warm company and simply loved everything I heard.

Take care

FEBRUARY 8, 2006

11.30 pm

News updated (Samae Koskinen, Daisy)

Just noticed that Cats On Fire will play with swedish South Ambulance at Dynamo on 24th of february (it's Les Yper Sound club) and I will miss them again, because I will be in Turku just the previous weekend. It's a shame because I'm so dying to see Cats On Fire live. I still listen the songs "Higher Grounds" and "The Smell of an Artist" almost on a daily basis eventhough it's been something like nine months since that demo came out. Cats On Fire is clearly one of the best bands in Finland right now and still they don't seem to get the recognition they fully deserve. A label like Shelflife, Matinee, Fortuna pop, Magic Marker, Radio Khartoum should sign them now and make them famous... Ok..Sorry..I guess I've said that way too many times already, but I just feel so strongly about them.

Cats on Fire Website
Cats on Fire at myspace

That's it for now. During the next weekend I will honestly start doing something with this thing. Whether you will see the results then remains to be seen. If I will continue keeping the band section up and running, part of me feel that I should just remove everything and start from scratch. And if I do that it probably takes months to get it back together. Based on the enormous feedback, it doesn't look like it matter much what I will do, but I guess I shoud make some decisions finally.

Now it's time for Laura Veirs to make me smile with her wonderful album Carbon Glacier and then it's time to call it a night.

Good night and take care


FEBRUARY 7, 2006

10 pm

Just that quick news update I mentioned (Montevideo, Tigerbombs, Aksu)

Same tomorrow, because one of the records of the year will be released then.

A rather nice day it was. Just resting and listening to good music (Kawaii, Sylvie Lewis, Bookends, Aksu and The Consultants), watching the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations and listening to HIFK-JYP game (Eventhough JYP's latest results have made me rather worried lately. Damn annoying little 2-1, 2-0, 1-0 losses. If "we" can't soon stop this downfall, the wonderful first half of the season won't do much good in the end).

Thankfully it seems that the fever has left the building. But I do hope that I will either be in a really good shape or really sick tomorrow. Because at the moment I'm not sick enough to stay at home, but a full work day wouldn't be fun either.

Take care

FEBRUARY 7, 2006

1 am

Nothing updated. Eventhough it may seem like nothing will ever be updated, I still plan to start again. Don't know does anybody believe that anymore. Samae's album will be released this week and I think I said that I continue then at the latest. So I hope I manage to get something done this week (I bet you've heard that before). But first I need to shake this flu/fever out of my body. However, If life seems bearable tomorrow (a sick day from work), I'll update that news section then. At least three new finnish releases are out and available, which I have not yet mentioned.

But the good thing is that soon it doesn't even matter if I quit (which I won't do though), because I can just put up links to myspace.com. Recently more and more finnish pop groups have entered the world of myspace.com. Even my huge favourite band Bridget has now a page there. At least these have made their own page after I last mentioned about these :

Bridget
Sister Flo
Red Carpet
Big White Monkees
Goodnight Monsters
The Phonies
Astrid Swan

and this great band too:
Sweatmaster

(You'll find the older myspacelinks in the news section).

Currently mostly listening to Bookends. It's a lovely record.

That's it. I'll continue a bit tomorrow, if the fever doesn't take charge of my body too completely.

Take care


JANUARY 28, 2006

2 am

News updated (Matti Johannes Koivu, Ultramariini)

Howdy. I don't really have much to say. Still wasting my life at the cement factory. Which is quite alright for the time being. If I don't count my totally fucked up sleeping patterns, it ain't that bad. If they let me, I'll stay there until next fall and then start to follow my heart and hopefully find something that doesn't make me feel like an ameba.

When it comes to music, I still fall in love with way too many bands. Too many records to buy, too many hearts to follow. One heart that I should follow closely, is the heart of Sea Snakes. Canadian band that Samuli recommended on the rattolurps website. I don't have their album, but they do have some songs in this internet-thingie. And these rather quiet songs haunt me. Especially that song called Conception Bay South is just stunning. It kind of reminds me of another great canadian band, Great Lake Swimmers.

Sea Snakes Website
Sea Snakes at New Music Canada (more songs here)
Conception Bay South mp3

I'm also a bit addicted to myspace. I've found so many great bands that I knew absolutely nothing about. For example the already mentioned The Hazey Janes, The Broadway Hush (a duo that makes beautiful and hearwarming folk music), The Green Fields (60's sunshine pop and a bit of Gorky's zygotic mynci), Shooting John (wonderful swedish alt.country), Electrophönvintage (french short and cute wooden pop songs) and plenty of other great ones.

Mr. Samae Koskinen tomorrow at Lutakko. That will be just perfect. And before that a hockey game. Seems like a good saturday (Eventhough JYP is going through a difficult phase and the overall play just haven't been on a good level lately).

Now to bed and I don't need to wake up at 5 am. That is like the sweetest thing I think of right now. I'm not just made for those early mornings. Severals weeks of sleeping 4-5 hours during a night and 1-2 hours after work in the evening can keep one rather tired all the time.

Take care

JANUARY 24, 2006

11 pm

News updated
A gig or two added

Just a quick note that The Hazey Janes is pretty much the best thing right now. It's a scottish alt.country/powerpop band whose debut album Hotel Radio will be released in february. They've taken their name from Nick Drake and they say that they sound like "Melodic country/powerpop like Big Star or Velvet Crush". Gary Louris will sing backing vocals on one track. Q Mag describes "Teenage Fanclub country pop with an occasional burst of Ash-like power punk". The album has been produced by Paco Loco (Josh Rouse/Golden Smog)...So if that namedropping didn't get you interested your probably on the wrong site. I can't remember how I ended up on their myspace page last weekend, but I'm glad I did because I think I've listened to the songs 'This Place is Just Not My Kind' and 'Of My Life' probably over fifty times since that. I'm really looking forward to the album and I'm certainly going to buy it as soon as it comes out.

The Hazey Janes Website
The Hazey Janes at myspace

Yeah, I know. It's still quiet here. Some news to come this week. Maybe something else too. Don't really know. Oh and the band Laurila was great. I saw them live last saturday and really enjoyed it. Bicycling few kilometres in a -25C weather to see the concert was not very enjoyable though. Thankfully it's warmer now.

Take care


JANUARY 18, 2006

10.45 pm

News updated (Ethel Suspense, Kytäjä, TV-Respa, Underdogs)

House Of Love festival was a great event. Only sad thing was that you couldn't hear much of Drowsy because of all that noise that the audience produced. I guess acoustic performances just doesn't work on a festival with loads of drunk finnish people. But thankfully John McGregor played early in the evening and people were quiet at that time. It was as heavenly as on the record. I just love him for making such warm and beautiful music. The other highlight of the evening was obviously Frida Hyvönen. Wonderful and powerful performance. The Tourettes was a slight dissapointment and Riviera F was simply bad. But I guess it was just good that all artists weren't that great, because my tired mind couldn't have been able to focus on eight different concerts on the same night. But in overall, a great event and I hope there will be another House of Love festival in the future. I will surely be there, if it is possible.

Currently I've been listening to wonderful stuff like Samae's single, All is Good Now by The Scaramangas, Super Deluxe's comeback album Surrender!, Frida Hyvönen's Until Death Comes and Matti Johannes Koivu's upcoming solo debut. And today's mail brought Drew Danburry's cd and Ethel Suspense demo which both seem really excellent.

And lots of stuff that you can download for free. For example during the last month I've gotten quite obsessed with J.Tillman. I probably should get a paypal account just to be able to buy his upcoming record that is limited to 150 copies. So if you want to hear something beautiful, download his songs from his website.

J.Tillman Website

That's it for now. Got to start watching the first episode of tv-serie called Rome. Don't know if it's any good. I have my doubts, because the subject doesn't seem interesting to me.

Take care



JANUARY 11, 2006

11 pm

News updated (Tapes, Bookends, Samae Koskinen, Black Audio, House of Love festival, Lemonator)
Three gigs added

Most of those won't be released until friday, but I can't update then because I'm at the House Of Love festival. I worked an extra hour last week, so I'm able to leave an hour early on friday and catch the bloody pendolino train to get to Helsinki in time for John McGregor. That's one cheap way to travel, but I do need to be at tampere on saturday anyway. So what a heck. And I'm sure the festival will definitely be worth all the trouble.

It will be great to see Frida Hyvönen's live concert at the festival. I just recently bought her album Until Death Comes and that's one excellent record. It certainly would have been on my best of the year 2005 lists, if I had bought it sooner.

Frida Hyvönen Website

The best album at the moment is Songs About The Ocean by The High Water Marks. I know it was already released in 2004, but I'm kind of slow sometimes. I bought it a month ago and I absolutely love it. I'm not sure does it have the best sounds, but the songs are brilliant.

The High Water Marks Website

That's it for now. I'll be away this weekend, so nothing will happen here then. But I'll try to end my "onechord holiday" during the next weekend and get something done.

Take care


JANUARY 4, 2006

9.30 pm

News updated (Bookends)

Still alive, but it seems that I've already been on a break from onechord.net for a couple of weeks. It looks like it has been a good decision, because I'm on a lot more positive mood about onechord than I was a few weeks back when my mind was ready to quit. The fact still is that I will have very limited amount of time that I can give to onechord.net in the near future (at least for the next few months). So I don't really know what will happen. Will I kill the band section or not etc (my mind says yes, but I don't think I'll have the heart to do that. Some of those bands mean way too much for me. But maybe I will only do them harm, if I don't keep the pages up-to-date.)

But enough about that. Everything looks bright when it comes finnish pop music. Already next week will bring four (most likely) wonderful releases. I already praised Bookends in the news section. Then there will be Black Audio's new album on If Society (probably not that pop, but still bloody great) and Tapes debut on Aisti Records (I got a copy today and already after few listenings I'm really liking it a lot, beautiful singer-songwriter stuff, more about it later). And also the first single from Samae's upcoming album will hit the record store on 11th of january. The album will come out in the beginning of february on KHY Suomen Musiikki and that will surely be a wonderful album.

More about those upcoming releases next week in the news section. I'm afraid you won't need to expect any other updates at least for one more week. I just don't want to be stressed about this right now and will continue this silence for a while. I'm just looking forward to the three-day weekend which I will mostly spend by lying on a bed after giving headphones an order to bring beautiful, warm and moving songs (from the new Tapes album for example) to my ears. I'll try to get back to updating also something other than just the news section in mid or late january. Now you'll just have to settle for the news if you want to visit this website. But at least there will be plenty of them next week.

And remember the upcoming House of Love festival. Everyone should go. Eventhough I'm not even sure will I be able to make it. I need to be able to get out of work few hours early or otherwise it isn't possible (to get there on time to see John McGregor, which would be a must for me).

Goodnight and take care.



DECEMBER 21, 2005

2.30 am

The review I promised is now there. It's Leaky Soles

I might take a short 2-4 week (almost) complete break from onechord.net. I think it might be a decent solution. Maybe I can relocate the passion and continue just like before or maybe I'll make a stripped-down version.

But the break doesn't start yet. And even if there will be one, I would still update the news section if something big happens.

And obviously something big will happen when Samae's solo album will hit our hearts in the beginning of february. Then at the latest onechord should be like it used to be. Just pouring love for a beautiful record. Being too excited, acting like fool. If you want a preview listen to ylex. Samae's Hän asuu näillä kulmilla is X-ryhmä's powerplay song of the week. Too bad I can't hear it, because I will be working every evening. But fortunately I've heard it live few times and already know how great the song is.

And I'm also getting ready to love Starflower's album. The preview samples are magnificent. And Bookends record should be a marvellous one as well. Hey, I think I already got excited. At least I haven't lost the passion or love for finnish pop music, eventhough the passion for onechord might be at the lowest level ever. And when things like these will be released, I'm sure I will have the need to share my love for these records with you, whether you wanted it or not.

I'm not sure will I be able to get Boys Of Scandinavia and Wojciech done before christmas. I really doubt it. But if not, then I'll write them during my huge four day christmas vacation. I know those will really bug my nerves until I've written them.

Take care

DECEMBER 20, 2005

1 am

Some (already a week or two old, someone has been a lazy brick again) news added

Wo-hoo. Onechord has received three votes. It got four votes last year so looks like it's a small step back. But it's stilly funny to find onechord.net in the same voting category as pitchforkmedia. Let's hope someone will give at least two votes for the much better itsatrap.com, so onechord will get that well-deserved last 13th place in that voting..

The goal was to get Leaky Soles, Boys of Scandinavia and Wojciech reviewed before christmas. I'm not sure will I achieve that. So I promise to do only one. Tomorrow night after I get home from work around 10.30 pm, I will write one. Maybe a short one, very likely not well-written, but some kind of review will appear. Probably not Wojciech, because I've tried it several times, but I always get lost and end up staring the monitor and then erase everything because the writing just didn't match up with the heart of the music.

That's it for tonight.

Take care

DECEMBER 19, 2005

1 am

Lots of gigs added

+ some other tiny things. like few updated discographies, changed a few photos (Leaky Soles, Viola).

And the year end lists are still here (there were a couple of mistakes that I fixed, I guess there might still be more of them)

But before doing much more I should decide whether I'm going to a) keep the band section alive or b) just let it die. Tonight option B seem to make more sense. I do think that almost everyone of those descriptions should be completely re-written, because at the moment they don't do justice to anyone. And I just don't have the time or energy to do that. Maybe just news, reviews and blog could be enough. Or just make it so that if a certain band believes that being included on this website might actually do them some good or help them some way, they could just send me the text description, photo, possible links to music/video files and everything else they want to be on their page. And then my job would be so easy that I would just put that information to the website. But then this would lose the personal fan point-of-view. Then it would be just like mini-sized website of their own. But the good thing would be that I could focus on the blog and review sections and I could still give my love for these bands there. So even those who find my writings somehow interesting and worth reading, could still read my enthusiastic praises about beautiful pop music.But there would be problems in that too. Probably only few would like that I use their own writings/bios and I wouldn't have the heart to remove bands that I truly love..

I'm undecided at the moment. But if they extend my job contract further, it doesn't look like that I will have the time to do any big updates anytime soon. As a student it was a lot easier, because there were always some vacations or short school days. Now it has been work and work since april without any holidays and there never seem to be enough time. And it kind of sucks to be freakin stressed about this all the time.

I'll think about it. If you want to share your opinions, go ahead. And if you are in a band and are pissed off about the fact that your band site at onechord is not up-to-date and want me to remove the page (or something) just ask.

I believe you've red something like that before. I did nothing then. I should do something now. It's a fact that I won't quit completely. I love doing this way too much. It's just that for me onechord is 50 % of love and 50 % of stress at the moment and it would be nice to be able to get back to that 90% vs 10% thing like it used to be.

Take care.



DECEMBER 17, 2005

7 am

Onechord's (well my) best albums/songs/little discs of the year lists now available.

And here they are...

It took the whole night to write that, so hopefully at least one person will browse it through..

But now it's done and next I can focus on those reviews or some other things. But I don't think that will happen before sunday evening or so. It looks like that my job will continue on and on. So I may need to seriously think whether it's worth continuing making this website if I cannot do it properly. I don't think I will ever quit this completely, but maybe I could kill some parts of it. It wouldn't be a big loss after all, because I don't think I've been able to give much concrete help to any band with this hobby of mine. This threeshift working just keeps me way too tired and It's difficult to find the interest to start updating during a night shift week for example. The days just fly by too fast.

That's it for now

Take care

DECEMBER 13, 2005

9 pm

Reviews added (Viola, Architecture in Helsinki)

Well at least two reviews crossed out from that list below. That's a start at least. But now it's the night shift at work.

Take care

DECEMBER 13, 2005

6.30 pm

News updated (Starflower)
One gig added (Dorotea (swe) and Harry Hunks at semifinal, Dorotea is swedish punky pop band and one of Jens Lekman's favourite bands)

Things to do before christmas

- Review at least:

Viola
Boys of Scandinavia
Wojciech
Leaky Soles

(and if time... Regina, Latebirds, Kirlian Crossing, Architecture in Helsinki, Pernice Brothers, Sufjan Stevens, Math and Physics Club EP, Great Lake Swimmers, Comet Gain, Death Cab For Cutie, Merry-Go-Round, Lorna, Neil Young, Robot Ate Me, Rosebuds, Clientele, Iron & Wine / Calexico, Lovekevins EP etc

- Try to get the band section into better shape.

- Update gig calendar properly

- Make the best albums/songs/EPs of the year lists (It's bloody diffucult but at least finnish folk, scottish pop and finnish rock album will be high on my list. And at least Vaasa will rule in the other categories.)

Richard Swift album "The Novelist / Walking Without Effort" seems to be one late contender for my album list. Not for top 15 but it's a really good and interesting album. This quy can be huge one day.

Richard Swift Website

That's it for now. I'll try to work hard for the next week and get those things done.

Take care


DECEMBER 6, 2005

10.30 pm

Reviews added (Brendan Benson, Vashti Bunyan, Ryan Adams, Hal, Nada Surf, M.Ward)

I've started to compile my end of the year lists and therefore I've been listening to foreign albums I've bought this year and while doing that I've been writing really short reviews about them. I won't do all of them though, because I seem to have dozens that I haven't reviewed.

I will be rather busy the rest of the week. So there won't be as big updates. This itsenäisyyspäivä was a nice little bonus that gave me even some time to work with this website.

That it's for now.

Take care


DECEMBER 1, 2005

9.30 pm

News updated (Goodnight Monsters, Since November)
Few gigs added (But the gig calendar contains probably only around 3% of the gigs that would be worth seeing)

Still alive after the trip. The Posies were awesome again. The real set was totally wonderful and that over an hour long encore thing was a good bonus. Well if there had been some other band on stage during the encore, I probably wouldn't have enjoeyd that part of the show. But for a huge Posies fan like myself, it was a whole lot of fun.

Darren Hanlon and Mark Monnone were also brilliant. It would have been nice, if there had been more audience, but the ones who were there all seemed to love them. At least I did. Darren especially was truly fantastic. Great songs, wonderful performer and a nice guy too.

But that's all for now. Another night shift of working is waiting.

Take care

NOVEMBER 22, 2005

11 pm

Tomorrow's news updated (Viola, Boys of Scandinavia)

That's all. Pretty much every muscle in my body is sore and it was hard to find the strength to type even that. But only one more work day and then The Posies. Let's hope the show in Turku is more normal than the Helsinki concert. Eventhough I guess I would be happy to listen to the same songs twice like in Helsinki, because they are the most important songs in the world for me. But it's still not the most optimal thing and might destroy the mood a bit so therefore I understand if some were dissappointed.

Now there will be a week of silence at onechord.net. Don't miss Darren Hanlon. He is the real thing. Beautiful little pop tunes. The guy is so good that he can make a moving pop song about subjects like playing squash.

Take care

NOVEMBER 20, 2005

11 pm

News updated (Laurila, Aksu)
Current favourite thingies updated

The next week will be a slow one when it comes to updating. I will leave to Turku on wednesday to see The Posies and continue to Helsinki for that Darren Hanlon & Mark Monnone concert. Which means that nothing will happen here after tuesday night. So tuesday night probably a quick update about If Society's new releases and that will be it for a while. I do have some reviews in the working state (Wojciech, Lorna, Kirlian Crossing etc), but because I will hate my life for the next few days I don't promise to finish any of them. I have that dream job for three days that consists of lifting those 15-20kg stones with bare hands (8 hours and over 10 000 kilos in a day). So if you see a boy who looks like a cross of a shy pop geek and arnold svartsnegger sleeping under a table at klubi, try to wake him up cause I don't want to miss The Posies gig.

Great Lake Swimmers is still my favourite band at the moment. Incredibly beautiful folk/country songs. Like the labels says: "Think Mark Kozelek playing Neil Young, or the delicate Nick Drake delivered with the heart of Gram Parsons". It's just amazing. The new album Bodies & Minds is incredible and another candidate for onechord's album of the year. If you don't just take my word for it watch the music video of the song 'To Leave it Behind, one of the several masterpieces of the album, on Scott Cudmore's website. Great Lake Swimmers frontman / singer / songwriter Tony Dekker (promo photo by Adrian Fish) is a new hero of mine. Hauntingly beautiful music. Well sad too, but I've always loved sad music.

Great Lake Swimmers Website
Scott Cudmore Website

Take care

NOVEMBER 19, 2005

3 am

Reviews updated (Red Carpet)

This time it's a long review, but the information level ain't any higher. Sorry. So it sucks, but I guess you've gotten used to that.

The Posies will be shooting material for their upcoming DVD on the Helsinki concert, because their gigs in Finland have always been a huge success. So make sure monday's concert has a great atmosphere. I'm sure it will though. There's so many Posies fans in this little country. It's a shame I can't be there on monday. It would have been nice to be able to see all the concerts, but I will have to settle for only that Turku gig. I hope they are still in decent shape on wednesday and the finnish way of drinking haven't taken it's toll.

That's it for now. More on sunday probably.

Take care

NOVEMBER 18, 2005

1 am

News updated (Red Carpet)
Reviews updated (Joe Algeri, Snow Fairies)

You'll have to wait one more day (okay, who would have guessed, I suck) for that Red Carpet review. It's kind of important to me and I was not yet happy with it and things got so late that I don't have more time to continue.

Meanwhile listen to Great Lake Swimmers. They are my addiction today.

Take care


NOVEMBER 15, 2005

9 pm

News updated (Regina)

That's the only thing today. Tomorrow (or thursday) Red Carpet, Joe Algeri and Snow Fairies reviews. I was writing them today, but the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is starting right now on telly and that seems more appealing then finishing those reviews.

And remember the great concerts next week. The Posies, Darren Hanlon and Mark Monnone are touring in Finland. That's just great. Thank God I'm able to get a couple of pekkaspäivää and can therefore see The Posies in Turku on wednesday and Darren Hanlon + Mark Monnone in Helsinki on thursday. And maybe going back to Turku to see Regina on friday would make it a good pop trip. Really looking forward to it, because I can sure use a few days off. Getting tired of this work thing at times. It's nice to get the money, but it's been seven months with hardly any freetime.

Take care

NOVEMBER 14, 2005

9 pm

News updated (House of Love pop festival)

This time there's really great news. You better check out that news page. A truly great pop festival will be held in Finland in january.

Take care


NOVEMBER 13, 2005

11 pm

News updated (Since November)
A few links added
Some discographies updated (Leaky Soles, Astrid Swan, Scaramangas, Boys Of Scandinavia)

That was all I was able to do today. I'll continue on tuesday probably.

Just for the record...there is a new Comet Gain record out on Kill Rock Stars. It should be great, and it's a must have album for me. There's one full song on the KRS site. Not the greatest song by Comet Gain ever, but still quite enjoyable. Wonderful band.

Kill Rock Stars Website



Take care


NOVEMBER 13, 2005

4.30 am

Added to band section:

Laurila
Tapes
John McGregor
Boys of Scandinavia
Samae Koskinen
Ville Härkönen & Velvet

Pocket Knife page updated

So I didn't do reviews today. Instead worked a bit with that band section. It's still so badly up-to-date that perhaps it would be wiser to just remove it. Those new pages are not yet finished. Heck, even the ones I added half a year ago ain't finished. But give me until the end of the year and I hope things are in better shape. At least this saturday was a decent start and I will continue a bit tomorrow. But my job continues probably until christmas, so don't expect any massive updates. But hopefully lots of small updates every week.

Next update sometime tomorrow (well today because it's sunday already). I don't know what will I do. Maybe some new links, some Since November news, Leaky Soles, Scaramangas, Astrid Swan discographies, and some bad writings about great music in the band section or in the review section.

Take care


NOVEMBER 11, 2005

0.45 am

News updated (Astrid Swan, Streetcar)
Reviews updated (Beacon St. Radiants)

That's all for now. More during the weekend.

Take care


addition few minutes later:

Cats on Fire website contains now a new remastered version of their song Higher Grounds in mp3 format. It's one of my songs of the year, so you better check it out. And somebody sign them now. I really don't have the money to start a label and that Cats on Fire demo is way too good not to be released officially. It would fit so perfectly even to the catalog of some of the finest indie pop labels like Matinee.

Cats on Fire Website


NOVEMBER 9, 2005

11.30 pm

News updated (Leaky Soles, Ville & Velvet, Boys of Scandinavia, Scaramangas)
Reviews updated (short Cheerleaders United single review)

Way to go Sipe and Anna Eriksson. It's quite alright to let your influences show in music, but almost completely rip off two songs from the new Weezer album and credit them to yourselves goes a little bit too far. Because this plagiating surely can not be just an accident. If you own the Weezer album, you might find something that sounds rather familiar from here. Just check out the samples of songs Turhaa and Ei Se Mennyt Niin. The first one is obviously This is Such a Pity and the latter one is Haunt You Every Day. But I guess we are supposed to believe that they are songs by Sipe and Anna, because that's what the song credits on the album say.

And I found that from levyvirasto's blog. It's quite interesting otherwise too. And obviously remember levyvirasto. It could be a great thing for you if you want to buy finnish indie records (worldwide, accepts credit cards) or have a label/band and want to give your releases better availability. Or just have gotten tired to handle all the orders just by yourself.

Levyvirasto Website
Levyvirasto Blog

Only one short review tonight. More later this week. The cunning plan is to get at least Wojciech, Beacon St. Radiants and Red Carpet done this week and maybe few discs from other countries as well. Tomorrow it's time for Beacon.

Take care

NOVEMBER 8, 2005

11 pm

No updates. Just random ramblings.

The biggest relief now is the upcoming Viola album. I already received a copy thanks to If Society and it appears to be another great album. I was a bit worried about this duo thing and going into more electronic direction. And maybe the album ain't stylewise exactly my cup of tea, but I find it really hard not to love it. Okay. I give up. I love the new album too. And it really ain't that different. For example the first song could have been on Tearcandy too. But what about the song called Life's Too Long. Doesn't that sound like it was made by Magnetic Fields. Well not the chorus, but otherwise. Heck, even the vocals remind me of Stephen Merritt.

Viola Website

Leaky Soles album is now out and the website is open. I'll write a news entry about that tomorrow (and about Boys of Scandinavia single too)

Leaky Soles Website

Tomorrow night a review or two. Today I ended up watching Tom Cruise as the last samurai. Why? God only knows. I'll plea on temporary insanity.

Take care


NOVEMBER 4, 2005

5 am

Two reviews added (SallySkunk, Phonies-single)

That's it for a while. I'm busy during the weekend, so next update probably sometime early next week. I try to keep this updating thing going on now. Because this week was rather decent "updatingwise" and it would be nice if could keep it up. Eventhough it does seem rather pointless, because it's not like reviews like these have any value. But still I try to be a better boy and review something more frequently. I have only about 34 records waiting to be reviewed. At least Beacon St. Radiants EP and Cheerleaders United cds should be up early next week, because I was writing them tonight as well. Just couldn't get them finished.

And buy the new Rytmi magazine. It has an article about power pop. So obviously I did have to buy it and the magazine looked rather good otherwise as well. A good article too. Surely it was not possible to do much more than touch the surface and there was not much new information for a big power pop fan. But still it's nice that they did such a thing. A similar article back in 1997 or so would have been very helpful for me at the time when I got into this mess..

Take care

NOVEMBER 3, 2005

3.30 am

News updated (Marian Valinta, Laurila)

Only news today, a review or two or three tomorrow night.

A great indiepop label Shelflife has an amazing sale. Most of their back catalogue is on sale for $1 per item. And they have loads of great releases. There are records from The Arrogants, Le Coupe, Majestic, Charming, Shermans, Artisokka, Postal Blue, Free Loan Investments, Brideshead etc. However, you may buy only one copy of each item. So you can't buy a closet full of Arrogants EPs and give them to everyone you care about.

Shelflife Sale Website

Take care

NOVEMBER 2, 2005

5 am

News updated (Tapes, Leaky Soles)

The big news obviously is that Mark Kozelek will play in Nosturi, Helsinki on 4th of december. If that name didn't ring any bells, he is the frontman of Red House Painters. A glorious band. And there's nothing wrong with Sun Kil Moon either.

Sun Kil Moon / Mark Kozelek / RHP Website

Tender Trap returns and their new cdep Language Lessons is now out on Matinee Recordings. Great to hear Amelie Fletcher's voice again. The voice of the indiepop generation like the label describes her. And can one argue, because she was the frontgirl of such groups as Heavenly and Talulah Gosh. Tender Trap may not be as legendary, but their Film Molecules was a really good album and I'm quite sure that the new EP won't be dissapointment.

New EP at Matinee Website

No reviews tonight. Instead I watched two hockey games (JYP-Pelicans, Tampa Bay-Atlanta). But more reviews are coming up before the weekend.

Take care

NOVEMBER 1, 2005

4.30 am

Two reviews added (Richmond Fontaine, Headquarters)

But I kept The Arrogants on top, because it's the most important thing for me at the moment. I try to get more short reviews done this week. Now I should have time to do them. This evening shift is quite good for that. Because you don't be able to have a life, you might as well just write bad and pointless reviews that don't mean anything to anyone.

But that's it for now.

Take care

OCTOBER 31, 2005

6 am

Two reviews (Arrogants, Big Star)
Whatever (current favorite thingie)

A corny The Arrogants review and a short Big Star review. More should come before the weekend. Now it's a bit too late to do anything but sleep. I blame The Arrogants again. They make music that you just can't stop listening to over and over again. Well thank goodness I don't need to go to work before 2 pm.

Take care.


OCTOBER 25, 2005

4 pm

Hurray! Marsu really is the best. This time Marsu on paras will bring two wonderful australian singer-songwriters to Finland in november. They are Darren Hanlon and Mark Monnone (yeah, he is from The Lucksmiths).

Darren Hanlon and Marko Monnone in Finland:

Wed 23.11.2005 Tampere, Telakka. tickets 5 eur
Thu 24.11.2005 Helsinki, Liberté (+ Harry Hunks duo). Tickets 5 eur

Darren Hanlon Website
Three Cheers Website that contain two demo songs from Mark
Candle Records Website

Take care

OCTOBER 23, 2005

9.30 pm

News updated
Some gigs added

I've been waiting this one for a long time. The new album by The Arrogants is now out and available. It will contain 23 new songs plus a DVD and costs only $7,50. So there's no need to think whether you should buy it or not. It's available only from tweekitten, but they ship worldwide. Based on my experience they are very trustworthy and quick. And the music? Well if you've been reading this website you'll know that I love them. Both of their earlier EP records are fantastic. If I would be in Hornby's book, I would definitely put Jana Heller on my top 5 list of best female vocalists. I'm so addicted to her voice. Their dreamy and breathtakingly beautiful music is incredibly captivating and full of heart. I'm extremely surprised if this doesn't turn out to be one of the records of the year for me. There's plenty of full songs on their website. Check out Don't Die Before Your Day for example and I'm pretty sure you'll love them too. Yep. I did already order a copy. Or maybe you already guessed that.

The Arrogants Website
Tweekitten Website

And then something completely different. Vashti Bunyan made a wonderful folk album 'Just Another Diamond Day' that came out in 1970 and then vanished. Now 35 years later she is back and her new album Lookaftering has been released. I'm pretty sure that it will be a masterpiece as well. You only need to check out the sound samples on Fat Cat records website to agree with me. It's so amazingly beautiful music.

Vashti's new album at Fat Cat Records Website

But that's all for now. Sorry that my life is too busy at the moment. It's again back to the nightshift for another week.

Take care

OCTOBER 15, 2005

1 am

Guess what. No real updates. Wojciech, Cheerleaders United, Beacon St. Radiants, SallySkunk, The Orchids, Latebirds, Richmond Fontaine, Death Cab For Cutie, Merry-Go-Round, Red Carpet, Phonies, Joe Algeri and Headquarters reviews still in the working state. And will be at least until next week, because I'm going to Turku for the weekend.

These songs rule today.

Calexico / Iron & Wine: He Lays in The Reins (I mean Whoooa!!)
Laurila: Hayley
Robot Ate Me: Bad Feelings

And Drive By Truckers album Dirty South seems rather good too. I ordered Big Star's In Space, but when I opened the packet I found that instead. But because I had red lot of good things about it, I did not bother to send it back. Maybe I prefer if there wouldn't be so much rock in my country, but it's still enjoyable album and a very good addition to my tiny record collection. The only problem obviously is that now I still need to buy Big Star's In Space. And don't try to talk me out of it. I know it can't be as good as #1 Record or Radio City or Third, but did someone expect it to be.

Drive By Truckers Website

And Merge Records is on fire. Two great new albums. It was clear that Clientele's Strange Geometry was going to be a wonderful album, but The Rosebuds album Birds Make Good Neighbours is another really good one that only seem to get better the more I listen to it. Merge also has a new Lambchop EP out and in the spring they already released M.Ward's stunning record Transistor Radio and reissued the first three Dinosaur Jr discs. And these are just few examples. A damn good label nowadays.

Merge Records Website
The Rosebuds Website
The Clientele Website

And when talking about older stuff. I've been badly addicted to Margo Guryan for about a month now. She only made one album 'Take a Picture' in 1968, but that is an pop album that every pop fan should own (says a boy who bought it so late as this fall). She certainly was a great songwriter. I guess that is what she wanted to be. Write songs to other artists. But thank God she did release some stuff by herself too. Because it is so very beautiful music and I don't think it could sound as great in the hands of someone else. I need to get that 25 demos album (in the photo) asap too, and throw myself deeper into the world of Margo Guryan. A true pop goddess.

Margo at Franklin Castle (label that reissued her records)
Margo at Myspace

That's all for now. Now it looks that my unemployment isn't anywhere near, but I'll try to keep this going somehow. Wiser solution would be to kill the whole thing or downgrade it to contain only news, reviews and blog for example. The band section is only harmful when it is always in such a bad shape. Maybe I should really go to that using each band's own bios thing or something.

Take care

OCTOBER 9, 2005

11.30 pm

News updated (Regina, Goodnight Monsters, Marian valinta, Montevideo)
Reviews updated (Positions, Magnolia Electric Co)
A gig or two added

Fever. Bloody fever. Well maybe it's just hockey fever, because the season has started surprisingly well. I admit that I didn't expect JYP to play so well. But I'm not complaining. But I hope the fever explains the bad reviews and especially those incredibly bad and not-at-all funny comparisons. I have started around seven other reviews. Don't know when I'll finish them. It shouldn't be difficult, If they contain as much info as that Magnolia review where the worthwile information rate was about 0.001 %. But I promise that not all of them will get 4,5 or more hearts. My problem is just that I always want to review the ones that I love the most and just ignore the bad ones. And of course in my feeling-based rating system, it's easier to get good rating than in actual music mags and zines, but I hope I'm stil being somehow systematic in it.

But when talking about music, the best thing now (by far) is the song Hayley by Laurila.

Goodnight

Take care

OCTOBER 2, 2005

11.30 pm

Band discographies and such (like Wojciech, Red Carpet, Jukka Takalo, Cheerleaders United, Beacon st. Radiants)
Pointless current favourite lists on the whatever page updated

Well at least one more week of working before unemployment. But this week something might actually happen here also. It was the first weekend in a month or so when I had the chance to just be, listen to records and rest for a while. And damn how good it felt. Just doing nothing except listening to Michigan and Ampiainen ompeli over and over again. That's what I needed.

The Arrogants will release their album "you've always known when best so say goodbye..." in october. It will have 23 songs and it will be sold for only $7,50 + shipping. Now that is a good deal. The Arrogants is big favorite of mine. They've made two EPs in the past and I think both of them might receive the full five hearts on my scale. At least the first one would definitely. There's just something in Jana's voice that totally gets under my skin and then continue its way towards my heart. To support the upcoming release they have online singles on their website. They've made two so far and that's four great new tunes in mp3 format. And just like before, they still have all the songs from their earlier EPs available for download.

The Arrogants Website

One of the best sites there is, Think Small has a new layout. So be sure to check out what Martijn has to say in his new blog. This time it's not just about music.

Think Small Website

If you're into indiepop, you might be interested to know that The Snow Fairies has a new album out. Well I guess if you are into indiepop, you knew that already.

Snow Fairies Website

But that's all for now. In the upcoming week there will be at least a couple of reviews. The larger update might still wait for its turn. I surely will dedicate at least one work week only to this (around 40 hours) when I'm unemployed and try to kill the loneliness by listening to the saddest and most beautiful pop and country songs day after day.

Take care


SEPTEMBER 29, 2005

1 am

News updated (Red Carpet)

Take care

SEPTEMBER 26, 2005

1.30 am

News updated (wojciech)
Some gigs added (but a dozen or two more should be added)

I don't think anyone have missed me, but I'm still here (just not very often). This week will be my last work week and after that I will sleep about 64 hours in a row and start working with this website. Unless they extend my contract...

And this will be f***ing awesome week if I'm thinking about what will be released this week:

Big Star: In Space
Neil Young: Prairie Wind
Ryan Adams: Jacksonville City Nights

and of course the most important one.

Red Carpet: The Noise of Red Carpet

So listen to those. And watch Happy Days

Take care

SEPTEMBER 14, 2005

11.45 pm

Richmond Fontaine's 'Fitzgerald' is one of my current favourites. Really dark, tragic and sad tales and wonderful country songs.

But not forgetting that this is a pop site there are also lots of great pop records out and available. Like The Clientele's new album Strange Geometry that must be great. Or the debut album by The Positions. You can listen their whole album Bliss! on their website. It's really great indie pop bliss with lovely female vocals. There's also plenty of horns. I know I'm going to buy it. And then there's Shortwave Set's Debt Collection. That's well-arranged pop music for the sophisticated mind or something.

Richmond Fontaine Website
The Clientele Website
The Positions Website
Shortwave Set Website

So listen to these while I try to get this website back on track. But it goes until next week probably, because it's another six day work week and then to nightshift on late sunday evening. I could so use a couple days off, but I will probably be unemployed the whole winter so got to work now. And I'm very happy to work on saturdays eventhough it does kill the weekend. It pays well and its not like I have a life anyway.

But Leaky Soles keeps one smiling. Their record 'Simple Songs for Complicated People' is awesome. Not yet officially out, but hopefully they get it somehow released later this year. I would surely do that, if I had a label. It's a great record. Guitar storms wonderfully and the melodies are golden. They might sound a bit like some Teenbeat records bands for example.

and this came while I was updating:

Watch a new music video by Jeeves. The song is called Wonderland and the video was directed by Jussi Rautaniemi. I love the video. I love the song.

http://www.planet.fi/~risrau/jeeves-wonderland.mpg
Jeeves Website

Take care



SEPTEMBER 11, 2005

6 am

Six day and 52 hour work week behind and probably similar one ahead. But this is worth mentioning:

The Orchids reissues are now available. Order your copies immediately, because this band from Glasgow is really wonderful. I've had a bit difficulties to understand the greatness of some indie pop legends (like Felt for example), but The Orchids is the real deal. I've only heard the debut 'Lyceum' (1989) in its entirety, but that is an amazing album. Other albums are 'Unholy Soul'(1991) and 'Striving For The Lazy Perfection' (1994) and they are all available with their singles as bonus songs on each cd. So it's the same thing LTM publishing did with Field Mice earlier this year. Huge thanks to them for reissuing these pop classics. The albums are available at least directly from LTM and in the indie mailorder stores like poppolar, Tonevendor and darla. Should I be reasonable and only get one or two to start with. With Field Mice I noticed it was bit too much to handle their whole back catalogue at once. I'm worried that I only touch the surface of the music, if I try to learn it all by heart immediately and jump too soon from one record to another. Unfortunately, when it comes to buying records, I'm not very sensible person. I often try to, but it never works.

LTM Publishing Website

Nite

Take care


SEPTEMBER 7. 2005

1.20 pm

Back in Jyväskylä. This has been confirmed while I was away:

The Posies in Finland (support: Latebirds)

11.21.05 Helsinki, Finland Tavastia Club
11.22.05 Tampere, Finland Klubi
11.23.05 Turku, Finland Klubi

So looks like it's time for a road trip. Have to see at least two concerts.

But now to work.

Take care


SEPTEMBER 1, 2005

11.45 pm

News updated (Beacon St. Radiants, Red Carpet)

Rough Bunnies is the band of the night. A swedish twee band that is just adorable. I love them already. Great songs, Great band, Great website.

Rough Bunnies Website

And their label Bedroom seem to have loads of great swedish pop bands. Need to check out all of the bands after I get back from my trip to Turku. Because the ones I know (Mixtapes & Cellmates, Happy Go Lucky etc) are really good bands.

Bedroom Website

But that's it for now. Tomorrow to Turku. See ya there. Btw. Apparently there won't be two stages. All five bands/artists have to play on the same stage. Which means that the evening starts with Lauri Eloranta's solo gig already around 10 pm. So be there on time.

Back to updating sometime next week.

Take care

AUGUST 31, 2005

1 am

Astrid Swan & Boomhauer reviews added

The reviews added. Sorry that it took so long and sorry that they weren't even worth the waiting.

Maybe some minor updates on wednesday or thursday (well beacon st radiants news at least). After that you don't need to expect anything to happen before next week. Because on friday I will go to Turku to celebrate Flavour of the month's 7th year anniversary. See you there.

Goodnight

Take care

AUGUST 30, 2005

11.30 pm

Astrid Swan and Boomhauer reviews finally ready and will be added to the review section tomorrow night. You can read them then, If you want to. Probably not worth it, because everyone already owns these great records, because it has taken me several months to review them. It's way too much. I have a month left of this summer job. Then things should get better. Or does it ever get better. Who knows. But I'm pleasantly surprised that around 150 people still visits this every day and occasionally there are even more than 200 visitors. Will your patience ever get rewarded..

Got the Beacon St. Radiants EP today. It really is a great release. There are several wonderful tunes. 'See The Stars' still seems the best of the bunch to me. It's out on friday on a new label, Killer Robot Records. A proper news entry about it later this week. Meanwhile You can visit the band website and/or label website for more info about the band and the label. There are several songs and new promo photos too.

Beacon St. Radiants Website
Killer Robot Website

Until tomorrow. Good night and..

Take care


AUGUST 28, 2005

10 pm

News updated (forgot The Phonies earlier)

You almost got the two reviews. I was just writing them but unfortunately I noticed that Bullitt started on TCM and I've actually never seen that one. And this is the last day I have that channel anyway, because I got if for free for a month and that period ends tomorrow. But tomorrow or tuesday at the latest they are here. Below are some craptalk about truly beautiful music..

A friend of mine mentioned Sebastian Schuller a few months ago and since I've gone to Sebastian's website several times and every time I love what I hear and see. Today I did that again and watched that great music video. And I still love it. Should get the album too because this french guy surely can make beautiful soundscapes and moving songs. And the website is also adorable.

Sebastian Schuller Website

Mira el pendulo is a south american indiepop blog. Introduces pop bands from all over the world. There has also been several finnish bands included. I remember seeing at least Beacon St. Radiants, Montevideo, Cartoon Tree, Starflower, Sister Flo and Harry Hunks there. Now they've also started an english version of it (or at least I haven't found one before). So even I can read it now.

Mira el Pendulo in english
The original one (no english but much more bands

This weekend. Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs seem like the most beautiful album ever recorded. She's a real hippie goddess. Don't know much about her. Except that she made this absolutely stunning folk album back in 1970. So if you are into Vashti Bunyan for example, you'll better get this classic as well.

Listen to the album here at cdbaby.com

Also otherwise I've been very much into old stuff. The level of my country addiction has been higher than ever before, but also I've been very much into old pop classics. Like sunshine pop groups and such. I guess I really am turning into a hippie and start planning trips to San Francisco. I finally bought some that I've been wanting for ages. Genesis by Wendy & Bonnie that is an old sunshine pop classic made by sisters who were 13 and 17 at the time of the recording. Margo Guryan's 'Take a Picture' had been on my shopping list for some years and finally got that one as well. And last but not least bought Montage's album which was a band Michael Brown formed after Left Banke (Left Banke obviously is one of the best pop bands ever).

But when getting back to recent music. Mike Ferraro is pop singer-songwriter from New Jersey. He has lots of songs on his website. All of them are good and 'Lovers Only Love' probably should be worldwide power pop hit. Excellent song.

Mike Ferraro Website

Anyone else excited about the fact that new The Clientele album will be released in september? Anyone interested about this kind of writing to this "blog"? Is this anyway interesting. I mean things like what records I've bought or even worse want to buy probably ain't very interesting. Sorru bout that.

But that's all for today. Goodnight

Take care.

AUGUST 28, 2005

6 pm

News updated

It was a tough week but I survived. Just barely. Lifting around 12 000 kilos of stones every day isn't the easiest way to make money. At least with my non-existent muscles. But it's back to the easier jobs this week.

My list of records that I want to buy just gets bigger and bigger. If I buy one, I can surely come up with two others to add to the list. And it's rather sad that my first reaction on friday when I noticed that the new Death Cab for Cutie record is out on 30th of august was something like 'damn, now I need to buy that too'. Or maybe I could just be a good-old indie dickhead and just say that they've sold their soul to devil and are not good anymore. After all, the upcoming album will be their major label debut. And who rightminded indiegeek could tolerate that. The damn boys want to get some money from their music. That can't be right. The bastards. Let's abandon them and just cherish the memory of the first demo tape that sounded like crap...or not. Because we love them and would only be thrilled if such great a band finds even larger audiences than before.

Death Cab For Cutie Website

Other new additions to the list are the new Math and Physics ep 'Movie Ending Romance'. I didn't buy the first one that was released in early 2005, but after listening to the title song of the new ep, I think I would really fall in love with this band and would like to buy both of the eps. You can listen the song on Matinee's website. The Lucksmiths fans will definitely love them.

Math and Physics Website
Movie Ending Romance at Matinee

Kicker's album have also been out for a while and that's also a must have thing for me. The album entitled 'Our Wild Mercury
Years' is out on Track & Field (Great label by the way). Check out songs from this awesome band on their website or at their myspace website.



Kicker Website
Kicker at myspace
Track & Field Website

But now ManU - Newcastle football game. I believe there will be another update later tonight, because some things are at the working state, but I won't get them done before the football game. So goodbye for now.

Take care


AUGUST 22, 2005

1 am

John McGregor review added
Kirlian Crossing added to links

The review might be naiive and does not say much about the music. Except that I love it so much and that the record contains lumoavan kaunista musiikkia. But hey. Did you expect something else.

Kirlian Crossing seems like a great band by the way. The songs and the music video that is on their website are really wonderful. And because I'm Tarkovsky fanatic, I'm definitely interested about a band whose "original idea was to combine acoustic folk songs into soviet union era science fiction in Tarkovsky spirit." But that's not the main thing. The music is just awesome. I need to go and buy the record. You'll need to go and at least watch the video. It's an order.

Kirlian Crossing Website

It might be a slow week. For one or two weeks I have to go back to do the same thing I did last summer. Which means lifting thousands of kilos of betoniharkkoi every day with bare hands. So I will be pretty damn exhausted all week. But I try to get something done. At least finish two unnamed reviews that seem to be very late...

Goodnight.

Take care

AUGUST 18, 2005

3 am

News updated
More gigs added
Phonies photo, line-up and discography updated
Whatever updated
Some tiny pieces here and there.

More to come this week. Don't know what and when.

Still pretty much addicted to same things as yesterday. I've listened Dillard & Clark's Radio Song about 23 times tonight.

'I've listened to the radio all the music that is on
But every song they're playin' is about a love that's gone'

Mr. Gene Clark sure was a huge talent. And obviously not just because of Dillard & Clark. He wrote the best Byrds songs in the early days. Solo albums were brilliant (well at least the ones I have are) and so on.

And John McGregor's album Joki still sounds truly wonderful and I'm now completely sure that the magic won't dissappear no matter how much I listen to it. It just is so heartwarming, inspirational and comforting piece of music.

Why noone has told me about The Occasional Keepers. I guess I don't follow people close enough. Not even my biggest heroes. Because this is a project by Bob Wratten and two members of The Wake. The description on the label's site ("The album features a meditative, minimalist mix of guitars, keyboards, echoing drums and male and female vocals, set against the background hummings of real places and real times. The songs incorporate a variety of styles, to produce a highly personal synthesis of neo-folk, experimental pop, dissonance, electronics and improvisation.") though makes you think that it might be either something truly fantastic or something quite boring that isn't worth listening to more than a few times. But it's Bob after all, so I'm quite confident that it should be worth listening to.

But now. Goodnight. I love you all.

Take care


AUGUST 17, 2005

4 am

News updated (Jukka Takalo)
Some gigs added (I'll continue adding these tomorrow)

Today I received a great record. Some kind person had sent me a promo of John McGregor's upcoming album Joki (out on 24th of august). I guess it's too early to make final conclusions but I just think it's absolutely wonderful. Beautiful folk songs. Incredibly warm and touching. I only had the time to listen it once before my evening shift at work, but it was enough to get me hooked and most of my work day I was just counting the hours to the moment when I was able to hear it again. It's just so heartwarming and comforting. He seems to be playing at Tavastia with Astrid Swan on 17th of august so that should be a great evening. If you live in the Helsinki area, don't miss it.

Otherwise I've been really obsessed with these songs:

Dillard & Clark: Radio Song
Magnolia Electric Co: Northstar Blues
Townes Van Zandt: Tower Song

But that's all for now. Maybe a little bit more of the Elvis movies marathon that is on at TCM and then to sleep. Bad movies obviously, but I still like them. I couldn't process more difficult entertainment at this hour anyway.

Take care

AUGUST 15, 2005

2 am

News updated (Latebirds, ultrasport)

It seems I update only every other week. This should be one of the better weeks. But still I doubt that there will much progress. But some tiny bits at least. I should have just closed this for the summer, because I've been like a ameba the whole summer.

Grateful Dead's Brokedown Palace seem like the greatest song in the world today. Close second is the 1st track of the upcoming The Phonies single. That's just awesome. You can hear a tiny sample of the song 'Doggy Collar' on their website at thephonies.net.

And I would like to buy most of the records by Emmylou Harris. I only have the first two. Yes, I'm still very much into country. Townes Van Zandt, Dillard & Clark, Gene Clark, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Mickey Newbury, Flying Burrito Bros, Gram Parsons, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Lee Hazlewood, Grateful Dead, Magnolia Electric Co... What more could one need. Well the Merry-Go-Round. I hope my copy of their fairly new compilation by rev-ola comes soon to my mailbox. Emitt Rhodes is a genius.

But that's all for now. Oh and The Posies. Yeah. They were stunning again. A whole lot of fun. But do we have to see Ken's underwear after every concert.

Take care


AUGUST 6, 2005

0.30 am

News updated (Cheerleaders United)
Reviews updated (Posies, Baby Sweetcorn, Wojciech)

Gillian Welch. Today I love her. Later today I will love The Posies. Because it's time for Ankkarock and The Posies concert. And hopefully I manage to get into semifinal to see Samae and TV-Resistori too.

Mr. Stuart Staples (from Tindersticks) also released a solo album last month. That should be worth buying for me and everyone else.

Three-shift working sucks. Sleeping patterns are so fucked up all the time.

Take care

AUGUST 1, 2005

1 am

Various small updates. Discographies, band pages, whatever etc. The website is still not even close to being up-to-date.

I've been also writing those pointless reviews. None are yet ready, but Baby Sweetcorn, Wojciech, Astrid Swan, Boomhauer and The Posies reviews are in the works. I do not promise that all of them will be on the site before Ankkarock, but that is my goal.

The favourite album of the weekend has been Scud Mountain Boys' Massachusetts. It's really old one, but I just bough it. Mostly because I again got into Pernice Brothers when their new album came out. While listening to that album I realised that I should finally check out Joe Pernice's older group Scud Mountain Boys. And I'm very glad I did, because I've enjoyed Massachusetts even more than the excellent new Pernice Brothers album 'Discover a Lovelier You'. It's bit more country, but I love country.

Pernice Brothers Website

This group called Tales of Jenny that Think Small's Martijn mentioned some weeks ago is also just brilliant. Been listening to their mp3's that are available on their website an awful lot. If you're into Belle & Sebastian for example, I'm sure you'll love them too.

Tales of Jenny Website

And Frank Sinatra. I've been listening to him too in the wee small hours of the morning.

Take care

JULY 29, 2005

1.50 am

News updated (Latebirds)

Something more during the weekend, because I cannot let this die. This means too much for me. I'm only working and worrying that this slowly expanding vitiligo thing I have makes me someday look something like Michael Jackson. I'm just too damn lazy and it seems that I can't remove the lazyness from me. And the fact that I today subscribed Canal Plus for 12 months probably doesn't help. The lure of being able to watch both premier league football and finnish hockey league at home was too irresistable.

The Posies concert next week will better be a good one. Because it kind of looks like that I would have maybe the last possibility to work the long saturday-shift too on that day. So it will cost me around 400 euros to see the concert if I count the salary loss + travelling, ticket and other expenses. That's tiny bit too much even for the greatest band in the world...well I have the ticket and plans made. So I'll just try not to think about it.

Top 10 albums at 1.50 am on the 29th of july:

1. Baby Sweetcorn: Ghost and Sunsets
2. Sufjan Stevens: Illinois
3. Scud Mountains Boys: Massacdsfdhusets
4. Gene Clark: White Light
5. Magnolia Electric Co: What Comes After The Blues
6. Pernice Brothers: Discover a Lovelier You
7. Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs
8. Fountains Of Wayne: Out-of-State Plates
9. Robyn Hitchcock: I Often Dream Of Trains
10. Emmylou Harris: Elite Hotel

Next update during or after the weekend. Hopefully there's something more worth reading in it.

Take care


JULY 25, 2005

1 am

News updated (Viola, ultrasport)
Some gigs added

It's been a while. Not that anyone have missed these updates. But I will be more active this week.

And what about Teenage Fanclub. What a concert the other week. Pure pop heaven. A dream come true.

Take care

JULY 7, 2005

4.30 am

Reviews updated (Weezer, Decemberists)

Only quickly reviewed two bigger releases from abroad. Totally worthless and don't really say anything. But I was awake and too tired to focus on the more important finnish albums. So I just quickly wrote something about two good albums.

Working in a betonitehdas in this weather. I can tell you that it sure ain't fun. Now I really hope I would have that night shift this week. It's insanely hot to work in the evenings and makes you rather tired. But only one more day to go and then to Helsinki on friday to see the second best band in the world, Teenage Fanclub. Now how great is that.

And I'm still mostly listening to Baby Sweetcorn. That album is so beautiful, hearfelt and captivating. And that ending of the fourth song is still magnificent.

Goodnight

Take care


JULY 6, 2005

3.30 am

News updated (Office Building, Ville Härkönen & Velvet, Samae)
Whatever updated (just the current favorite thingies that I rarely update)
Two gigs added

I've listened now three hours of Baby Sweetcorn's new piano album in a row and I must say that it is really fabulous and heartbreakingly beautiful. Bare and true. No nonsense. Just moving songs. Especially that fourth song 'End & Begin' is so painfully beautiful that It's hard not to cry. Well after those last repeated lines it's impossible not to cry. It's incredible moment and it made me choose 'End and Begin' as the best song in the world today. This album will make you feel. And that's always a good thing. It might first break you into tiny pieces in the beginning of the album, but then lifts you back up when the hopefulness flows into you heart in the last songs. Truly beautiful, honest and even confessional music.

Baby Sweetcorn Website

Goodnight

Take Care


JULY 4, 2005

4.30 am

Reviews updated (Ryan Adams, Tullycraft, My Enemy, Northern Picture Library, Celestine, Lucksmiths, Drowsy)

That's all for now. Something more during the week. Then it's time for TEENAGE FANCLUB. Yee-haw!

Take care

JULY 2, 2005

4 am

News updated (Baby Sweetcorn, Cartoon Tree)

Just a quick news update about new Baby Sweetcorn album and about the fact that Cartoon Tree will support Teenage Fanclub at Tavastia.

I've been writing reviews for the last three hours, but those won't be on the website before sunday I think. Might go until monday morning, because I won't go to work until monday at 2 pm. But I can promise that at least Ryan Adams, My Enemy, Drowsy, Tullycraft and The Lucksmiths reviews will be up then. Because they are basicly ready. Maybe some other ones if I have the time and passion. Astrid Swan, Boomhauer and Wojciech would obviously be the most important ones. Especially the first two are way too late. But it's too hard to write reviews that matter me the most. I'm too critical about my writings. And I would like those reviews to be really good ones and I just can't make it happen. Then band that I truly love (like Boomhauer) get lesser attention than some band that isn't as important to me. Yeah I know. That's bloody stupid. I should just write and not think about such issues. Everyone knows this is such a hobby of mine and that I don't have any musical knowledge and don't therefore expect meaningful and valuable reviews. I just write what I feel when I listen to music.

The Posies album still is the best thing in the world. God I just love that band. It will always be the band for me. I don't think it's anymore possible that some band could mean more to me (well maybe some finnish bands like Bridget are more dear, but The Posies will always be the best). And the new record is a great one. I think only Frosting on the Beater and Amazing Disgrace are better than the new one.

Also new Pernice Brothers album arrived this week and that's bloody good one too. Otherwise I still have this country / singer-songwriter addiction going on. Now I've bought nine Neil Young albums in a month (used ones, but still). Also old faves like Gene Clark and Townes Van Zandt have again gotten a lot of "on air-time" in this apartment.

Fountains of Wayne's b-side / rarities compilation 'Out-of-State Plates' was released some time ago. This sure has been a great year when it comes to power pop, because all of my biggest heroes are putting out releases. Posies, Teenage Fanclub, Pernice Brothers, Sloan, Brendan Benson, Weezer. FoW's compilation also contains their excellent version of Britney Spears' ..'Baby One More Time'

Fountains Of Wayne Website


But now I'll write the last lines to the Tullycraft review and go to bed.

Take care

JUNE 28, 2005

9 pm

Only two gigs added.

There will be at least five reviews this week. Might go until weekend though. Depends on how busy I am. And obviously the band section updating have been standing still for weeks. Which is not nice. But nothing more tonight.

Meanwhile you can read an interesting ultrasport interview at Noisedfisk.com. It's a great blog dedicated to nordic culture.

ultrasport interview at Noisedfisk
Noisedfisk website


Take care


JUNE 28, 2005

6.40 am

Dinosaur Jr tour calendar

and the interesting part is of course this:

08/10/05 - Wed Tavastia Helsinki, FIN

Hell yeah. Don't know can I be there, fucking nightshift again on that week. So I should go and beg another day off right after sorting out the TFC at Tavastia issue. But still. Hell yeah. The Posies, Teenage Fanclub and Dinosaur Jr in Finland. During the same summer. Sweet.

And remember this:



New album from the best band in the world is now out and available. It's so magnificent. Bought it yesterday from Stupido Turku and got home to Jyväskylä only two hours before the start of the work shift. So have not had the time to listen to it enough yet, but I'm loving it so much already. I was a little bit worried, because I had heard the song 'I Finally Found a Jungle I Like' on that ecard and wasn't that thrilled about rock songs like that. But luckily The Posies didn't let us down and still easily remain as the best band ever in this household / world / universe.

The Posies Website

But this was just a quickie before going to bed. More later this week.

Take care.



JUNE 22, 2005

1.30 am

Only few gigs added

TFC at Tavastia on the 8th of july. That's unbeliavable. Now yours truly will go and check the työvuorolista as the first thing in the morning. I know I have the evening shift, but if there's enough men, I guess I should be able to take the day off. Heck, I would even pay someone to do my shift if that would be the only solution. Heck, I would even quit the whole job, if that was the only solution. But it should be easier than that. And of course there's always that Ruisrock on sunday, but club environment would be much better.

Also [ingenting] from sweden is coming to Finland. Unfortunately they play at Dynamo, Turku on the very same day 8th of july. Finnish Goodnight Monsters is the other band there (if Valtteri doesn't cancel it because of the TFC concert). The event is wonderful Les Yper Sound club that is doing a great job bringing some fine swedish pop bands to Turku. So if you are only going to see TFC at Ruisrock, make sure you go to Dynamo. [ingenting] is a great band.

[ingenting] Website

But that's it for now. I'll go to Turku tomorrow (again). Glorious five days until back to work. That's my whole summer vacation though. So no updates before Juhannus. Back to updating sometime next week.

Take care

JUNE 21, 2005

3 pm

TFC to Tavastia also. But will it be on the 8th of july as rumoured. Now that would make it rather difficult to stay at work until 10 pm in jyväskylä on that day like I should (but won't.. if TFC is playing at tavastia)

Take care

JUNE 21, 2005

0.30 am

News updated (Jukka Takalo)

Teenage Fanclub to Ruisrock! Now that is really something. Teenage Fanclub and The Posies on finnish festivals. The greatest bands ever. Didn't expect that to happen in the spring. Well I would have preferred club concerts and all the travelling and festival tickets makes it all damn expensive. But hey. It doesn't really matter at all. TFC and The Posies to Finland. That is just amazing and wonderful. Thank you. Thank you.

I was "little" tired yesterday at work so this will have to do for now. I'll probably make some quick update tomorrow, but then it will be quiet for the rest of week. But it's not like anyone would spent juhannus in front of a computer anyway.

Take care


JUNE 20, 2005

9.30 pm

Teenage Fanclub to Ruisrock!

JUNE 20, 2005

3.20 am

Reviews updated

I kept the Cats on Fire review on the first place, because I felt that it was important and didn't want to bury it too soon. Not that the review is any good, but because the band is really great and worth all the possible recognition. Not that I could do much, but I guess it doesn't hurt to try. So these are the new reviews I did this weekend: Cats on Fire, All Stars, Pale Sunday, Bearsuit, Sweatmaster, Red Carpet, Antony & The Johnsons, The Young Tradition, Pipas and Acid House Kings. There would still be at least 20 releases I should review, but at least I did something this weekend. I could keep on doing them though because it's 3.20 am and I have to wake up at 5am. So there really is no point into going sleeping anymore. I try to get few other things done before Juhannus. At least I haven't notified anyone about the new Jukka Takalo single. Shame on me.

Only a week until the greatest band ever existed releases a new album:



Listen four songs on this e-card.

My mind is at the lost & found. Good night.

Take care.

JUNE 18, 2005

10 pm

Reviews updated (Cats On Fire, All Stars, Pale Sunday, Bearsuit)

That was today's efforts. Tomorrow night something more. Don't know what. Well at least Acid House Kings ep review because I already started that.

But now I'm off to do something else.

Take care

JUNE 17, 2005

2.45 am

Random praises about Sufjan Stevens. His new album Illinois will be out on the 5th of july. It's the second part of his ludicrious 50 states project. A full record for each state. Don't know will he ever finish it. Probably not. But the first one 'Michigan' was truly amazing. And so was his previous album 'Seven Swans'. Illionois is available for pre-order for only $10 on Asthmatic Kitty label. While going there to read information about the new album, I noticed that they have other truly fantastic artists too. Why haven't I realized that before. I think I need to order at least that album by Castanets with Illinois, because this song that is on the website sounds so beautiful and wonderful. And if you don't know Sufjan yet, listen to this one as well. Then you will be a fan too and will buy his full back catalogue. The other artists also seem to be very very good. Asthmatic Kitty is my new favourite label. But am I turning into some folk/country-hippie....

Asthmatic Kitty Website
Sufjan Stevens Website

I forgot this the other day. That new indiepop club Lua in Vaasa has a website. More about that later but hit the link below to see the website. Not much information yet, but it's still worth seeing. I like it.

Lua Website

But nothing more now. I try to sit down on saturday and/or sunday and actually do something worth something.

Oh. Just need to mention that Neil Young's Ambulance Blues is clearly the best song ever.

Take care

JUNE 16, 2005

3 am

Cut Copy to play at Tavastia on 6th of july with Regina. Great.

The Tears. I guess a true indiepop geek wouldn't touch them even with a long montreal stick, but I kind of like them. Well at least what I have managed to hear. I don't have the album and I'm not sure will I get it (there still are more important releases), but I like the idea that they are back together. I used to love Suede. Especially Dog Man Star. Then lost the plot after the third album, but still liked some of the later singles as well. But Dog Man Star. That brings memories. So passionate, emotional and dramatic. I spent so many lonely friday nights during the high school years with that album while others were drinking and partying. I hardly ever went to the city. I was too shy and insecure. I was a bloody last loser on the line. But instead I was listening to Dog Man Star and I loved it so much that I didn't even need to go anywhere. I was happy in my dark tiny room watching the stars and thinking about girls I was too shy to talk to (or the upcoming hockey game). Am I just nostalgic. Maybe but I think Suede had a part to play in bringing my heart closer to beautiful and emotional pop music after that shortish period when my record collection contained such treats as Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Paradise Lost and Sepultura. Therefore Suede will always have a place in my heart. Maybe therefore The Tears also sounds so good to me. That I would be only nostalgic sentimental fool. And I definitely am that too and never want to play down the personal issues and feelings that make listening to music so much more magical. Still I think that The Tears sound good to me mostly because it just is fucking good music...

But after that I try to pick up the pieces of my indie credibility by notifying that the new Pernice Brothers album is out and available. This is just a perfect year for a pop fan and all I need is just time to listen to (and write) all these wonderful releases. Pernice Brothers album to me now.

Pernice Brothers Website

Latest record shopping:

Northern Picture Library: Alaska + Songs For The Dead Che
Wojciech: 7"
The Lucksmiths: A Good Kind Of Nervous
Eurosport: cdr EP
Neil Young: On The Beach
Neil Young: After The Gold Rush
Neil Young: Harvest Moon
Neil Young: Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
Neil Young: Rust Never Sleeps

Ok. So I have a bit of Neil Young addiction at the moment. So far I have managed to get by only with that Decade compilation, but always wanted to have more. Now I thought it is the time to get a few more and sell the compilation to cover a bit of the costs. Still need at least Harvest, Tonight's The Night and Zuma, but maybe those above cover my Neil need for a while.

Twelve days to new The Posies album. Jeeeeeeeeeeeee.

But now I cry myself to sleep, because I didn't see Jens Lekman and Hidden Cameras.

Take care


JUNE 15, 2005

3.30 am

News updated (Genius Breed)

Nothing more now. I try to get something done this week. Probably goes until the weekend before any bigger updates appear. If even then.

Turku was again really lovely. I truly have always enjoyed being there. Nowadays even more so, because I don't only love the bands I see and friends I meet. But when talking about the bands, Wojciech, Regina and Eurosport (or the band formerly known as eurosport, don't know what it is called now) were all pretty damn good.

Teenage Fanclub to Sweden. Everyone knows that. But how about Finland. I guess everyone also has heard the rumours about them coming to Finland after that. But will it happen. I sure hope so. I think everyone does.

Take care



JUNE 9, 2005

9.30 pm

News updated (Astrid Swan, Wojciech)

That's all. Now work until 6 am and then the 7 am bus to Turku. If you see me there, wake me up and buy me 23 cups of coffee.

Take care

JUNE 5, 2005

9 am

News, gigs updated

The biggest news is that Jens Lekman will also be playing with The Hidden Cameras, Harry Hunks and The Rollstons. So that really will be a perfect set up. Makes me want to quit my job and go to see the concerts too...

The progress is embarassingly slow. Life's too fast. Last weekend I was working, This weekend I was drinking, Next weekend I will go Turku to see Wojciech, Regina and swedish Eurosport (of course there are other bigger reasons to go to Turku too). So it doesn't look very good when it comes to the frequency of these updates. But I'll try to keep up somehow.

And those new marvellous Cats on Fire songs I praised few weeks ago have been on their website already for a while. Listen and fall in love

Cats on Fire Website

Oh and I've been listening to Kaseva a lot. Really lot. Bought their legendary albums Silloin Kun and Kun Maailma Elää from that 2cds for 15€ campaign at Anttila and I absolutely love both of them. Well maybe not all the songs, but both have at least seven or eight perfect songs. Some are simply hilarious and some are just captivating, emotional and truly beautiful. I think I start a Kaseva fanclub.

Kaseva Website (which maybe doesn't make the band look appealing to you, but the recordings these gentlemen did in the 70's are awesome)

Take care

MAY 27, 2005

11.30 am

Reviews updated (ultrasport)

Is it just me or is it hot in here. It's great that it's been warm lately, but this little apartment really turns into a sauna in the mornings. That morning sun shines right into this 20 m3 apartment and the air conditioning is pretty non existant. So one becomes a sweatmaster just by typing silly reviews to a silly website. Well I still hope that the warm weather continues.

But that is all for now.

Take care

MAY 26, 2005

3 am

No updates. Champions league final was the priority this evening. Something (at least that delayed ultrasport review) either next night or friday morning. Depending on how tired I am tomorrow after getting home from work around 10.30 pm.

I just had to praise Pale Sunday. A packet came from the greatest online store poppolar and brought their debut album today. I loved the earlier single and this album is even better. Full of great songs. Who could resist such pop gems as 'Mary'

"Mary i brought you daisies
And a big box of candies
johnny said that it’s your birthday
and showed me your favorite song

mary I know I’m not romantic
and I like all the songs you hate
but tonight I promise it will be perfect
look, I’m wearing a pastels badge"

Simple and perfect. They are from Brazil. They are wonderful. Album is out on Matinee.

Pale Sunday Website

Apparently there are The Hidden Cameras fans out there. At least on tuesday there was so far the highest number of visitors. 229 in total.

Well this deservers a proper news entry, but here's quickly something. There's a new webshop Levyvirasto that sells music from finnish indie artist. Direct quote: "We are small company with great interest in Finnish indie music. We are offering marketplace, where good music finds the audience it deserves. 70% of selling price goes directly to the artist. Buying from us is great way to support your favourite bands." So that might be interesting if you are in a band, have a indie label or just want to buy finnish indie music. The catalog isn't big yet, but probably gets bigger and bigger all the time. It might turn out to be a really great thing, if it all works out well. We'll see how it goes. Read more about it on their website.

Levyvirasto Website

Take care


MAY 24, 2005

3.45 am

News updated (Hidden Cameras to finland!!)
Reviews updated (short Josh Rouse & My Teenage Stride reviews, wasn't happy with my ultrasport review yet. But before the weekend.. honestly :)
+Astrid Swan, Red Carpet and All Stars discographies
+just a few gigs (it's not very good calendar at the moment)

But I continue sleeping. I was too tired after the evening shift at work. I needed to sleep and set the alarm clock to 1.30 am and woke up to do this little update. Tomorrow I will pay the domain bill. So you'll have to suffer for one more year of onechord. I'm deeply sorry. Well actually I'm not sorry about that because this is the greatest website ever...

Ok. that last sentence didn't sound like me at all.

Take care


MAY 23, 2005

2 am

News updated

That is all for now. Tomorrow some reviews. Maybe other things as well.

If you are into The Posies (and everyone should be), there is a long interview at kexp.org. It's over 40 minutes long interview where they also play a few songs live and you can also hear few songs from the upcoming album. So go and listen to it. You know you want to. After all, It is the greatest band ever...And remember that the new The Posies album 'Every Kind of Light' is coming out on june 28th on Ryko discs. Ryko has now lots of info about the album and the band. Not Lame's pre-order page on the other hand, has five one-minute long samples from the album. It all sounds perfect and amazing of course. And The Posies live at Ankkarock on the 6th of august. See you all there. I know everyone will be there.

The Posies interview at KEXP Website
The Posies at Ryko Website
Every Kind of Light pre-order page with sound samples at Not Lame
Wonderful The Posies Website
Jon Auer Website
Ken Stringfellow Website

Take care



MAY 15, 2005

9 pm

News updated (Laurila, Vallin, Tapes tour / Datarock tour)
Reviews updated (TFC, TBS, Viola, The Capstan Shafts)
Whatever updated (I had a weird dream where Norman Blake was signing Cats on Fire's song 'Higher Grounds'. I surely have been listening to the song a lot if things like that happen in dreams and therefore Higher Grounds surely deserves to be the best song of the world right now).

Some other reviews are also coming up. At least Josh Rouse and ultrasport reviews are almost ready and will be here quite soon. Probably some other ones as well. I've been also working with that band section, but nothing new there yet.

I've forgetten to mention this also. The new Tullycraft album is out on Magic Marker Records. So if you're ready for great twee pop, get this one. It will make you smile. It's a whole lot of fun. Check out one full song on Magic Marker's website.

Tullycraft Website
New album at Magic Marker Website

And if your searching for more nynnypop, this band called The Boy Least Likely To seems really interesting.

The Boy Least Likely To Website

But now to the night shift. That's great.

Take care


MAY 14, 2005

1.30 am

News updated (Astrid Swan, Red Carpet, Cats On Fire)

That's it for now, but more updates are coming during the weekend.

How have I been able to miss this one. Sloan has a new compilation out and available. Looks like a good powerpop spring / summer. New releases from Teenage Fanclub, The Posies, Sloan, Brendan Benson, Fountains Of Wayne, Weezer. Ok. Some of them are compilations, but still. Don't know will I even buy this one myself. It seems pointless, when you have basicly all the songs. There is a deluxe edition with a DVD full of music videos, concert footage, TV appearances etc. That would of course be interesting. But it is good introduction, if you are not familiar with this great canadian pop group (hint: if you like Sweatmaster's song 'Kid' you like Sloan..hah). Or maybe it would be more wise to just go for their real albums. Those are really great. I've heard rumours that one stupid boy has even stolen the name for a finnish pop site from them..

Sloan Website

Lately I've been listening to Teenage Fanclub, Teenage Fanclub and Teenage Fanclub. Well also a bit of Hal and Decemberists. They rule too. But it's just hard to get TFC out of the cd player.

Take care


MAY 11, 2005

3 pm

I wish I had as good news everyday when I get home from work. First Teenage Fanclub's album waited me in the mailbox. Secondly I found out that The Posies will play in Finland in august. Well they will play in Ankkarock and I would have prefered Tavastia. But I don't complain. It's still so great.

Ankkarock website

And now headphones on and Man-Made into cd player.

Take care.

MAY 9, 2005

11 pm

Today it was released. The new album by Teenage Fanclub. Yee-haw. My copy is still in the mail and I can hardly wait to get it. Thanks to Mikko, I can still enjoy TFC today, because he was so kind and sent me Scotland on Sunday's TFC article and the six songs exclusive cd that came with it. A biggest thank you ever for that.

Pitchfork reviewed Weezer's new album and gave it rating 0.4 out of 10. That's almost funny and can't say it was a surprise. From Pitchfork it was maybe even expected. Well I don't really trust Pitchfork anyway. I believe it will definitely be a good album, if not a great one.

Pitchfork's Weezer review

Back to watching the hockey game

Take care


MAY 9, 2005

1 am

The following are now in the band section

Beacon St Radiants
Goodnight Monsters
Likeminded
Pocket Knife
Props
Regina
Ultramariini
Underwater Sleeping Society
Volter

And I apologize that they are still badly under constuction. Feel free to hit me with a baseball bat next time you see me. This was all I managed to do tonight. But it was still easier to add them all at once so I don't need to play with that menu so often. Some more might come later, but first I need to get these in shape. I didn't have time left for reviews, but some will be here in the not so distant future. Maybe now because I have morning shift at work, I could get something even done. I try to. And good stuff will be released this week, so there will be news entries also.

I'm still excited about that Cats on Fire demo. Really good stuff. Especially that second song is truly wonderful. I would want to release that if I had a label.

But again it is sleeping time. Mornings are fine otherwise, but I will never get used to that waking up at 5 am thing. I guess it might help if one would go to bed sooner than 1 am.

Take care


MAY 7, 2005

3 am

Goodnight Monsters added to band page, but I have not updated that menu on the left side of the band pages yet. I'll do that when I get all the new bands uploaded. Meanwhile you can say goodnight to monster only by going through that first menu that is on the bands.htm page (I'm really bad at explaining simple things.). Beacon St. Radiants is also basicly ready, so that will be on the site probably on sunday night. The current plan is also to add the following: Pocket Knife, Likeminded, Regina, Ultramariini, Underwater Sleeping Society, Volter, Props. Maybe Romantic Vision should be here too. I don't know that much about them though. Not really my kind of stuff, but I do like the samples on their website. Enivei. I've started making those I mentioned before RV. So they will eventually be here. Will it take two days, two months or two years is another thing. Two years is probably the best bet. Knowing how lazy guy I am. And we'll see am I crazy enough to add Sweatmaster. The new album is still so mindblowing.

I'm always excited about something. Today it has been mostly the new Cats on Fire demo I got in the mail. It's really really really good. The band is really getting better all the time. Should I go to Turku on 14th of may to see them at Kerttu (that was also added to gig calendar). Well I can't, but I would like to see the live.

Cats On Fire Website


The Lucksmiths' album Warmer Corners is great. So great.

And I forgot Hal the other day when I mentioned bigger new releases. They seem like a great band.

Hal Website

Oh and Turku boys had been really excited about Bookends' concert in april's Flavour Of The Month club. Remember the name.

But now yours truly goes to bed and then in the morning goes to Keuruu to see Mom and Dad. After all, it's mother's day and everything and I'm a good boy. Or at least want to be a good boy. Well that's truly interesting info to all the two readers. But on sunday evening more stuff. Maybe a review or two also. That section has been dead for a while and I have million things to review and I'm bloody ashamed and stressed that I have not made the reviews. I feel like the worst person in the world because of that. Ah. It's probably true anyway. But let's not get to my low self esteem, shyness issues again. Everyone hates that whining. Even I do.

Take care



MAY 5, 2005

1 pm

Can I give more than five hearts to Sweatmaster? Can I add them to a pop website? Vähän niinko paras levy ikinä. They give me too much happiness, I don't know if I can take it. Perhaps I need to pass it on to someone else.

Sweatmaster website

ultrasport's album now available at poppolar.com. My favourite indie/twee pop online shop in the world. Extremely highly recommended. And the price is only 14 CAD (that's not even 9 euros). And usually the records arrive to Finland about a week after placing an order. Fast and great service.

ultrasport website
Poppolar website

But now last eight hours of work before a long weekend. Which is nice.

Take care

MAY 5, 2005

1.30 am

No updates.

Tonight I've been mostly listening to Red Carpet. If Society was so kind that they send the two songs that will be on the seven inch single (due to be released on 13th of may) on a cd to me. And oh boy. oh mama. The songs are so good. Well I guess everyone knew that without saying. I have not listened anything else than these two songs after I got back from work at 10.30 pm. Especially that first one called 'Blood, Sweat and Tears' really melts my heart. Veli has a beautiful soft voice. And that b-side by Petri is almost equally great. And when you add the fact that the new song by Samuli (that is on their website) is also a damn good song, it is easy to say that all the three songwriters of the band are in good shape. Really looking forward to the album due out in the autumn.

Red Carpet Website

Also bunch of interesting bigger releases are out or coming out very soon. All the good stuff don't come on tiny bedroom label. So don't be too hardcore indie guy/girl.

Weezer -Well I didn't like Maladroit that much and I'm not very excited about the first single. So I'm a little bit worried, but probably for nothing.

Eels -New double album out now. Must be a great one eventhough 'Beautiful Freak' is still his finest work to me.

Ryan Adams -A bit worried also, because 'Rock'n'Roll' was not that good. But on the other hand, Love is Hell EPs were really good. But you can listen the album on his website. I listened few songs yesterday and it did seem like Ryan was back on the right track and if the rest are close to that I definitely will buy the album.

Tom Mcrae -The previous one was a really good album. I have not yet focused on his new effort, but he also seem to have one of those album samplers on his website. So that's something I need to check out soon.

Kathryn Williams -Still don't have any of her albums eventhough I've liked basicly every single song I've heard from her. Perhaps that is something I need to rectify when the new album is out on next monday.

Weezer Website
Eels Website
Ryan Adams Website
Tom Mcrae Website
Kathryn Williams Website

And probably millions of more. But at least those interesting ones have been (or will be) released lately. Teenage Fanclub's Man-Made is of course the most important upcoming release. At least until new The Posies album see the light in the end of june. Btw. The Posies is playing in Norway in august. That is so close that Merimaa and co. Take a hint. We need them here again. The Posies at Tavastia. One more time please. But meanwhile let's start shouting. TFC! TFC! TFC! (and heck, TFC to Finland too. Now that would be a dream come true)

But now sleeping is the only option. But I'm really going to do some other onechordstuff than this worthless blog thingy later this week. This helatorstai gives an three day weekend and I have to make the most of it. Otherwise I hate myself too much.

Take care


MAY 4, 2005

1.30 pm

Nothing happening. Except that I just made seven new band pages. Well just sketches at this point and they are not online yet. A picture, line-up, some discography. Like I didn't have enough difficulties to keep this up-to-date before this. But anyway, you can expect bands/artists like Pocket Knife, Regina, Beacon St. Radiants etc to the band section sometime in the future. I do not give any dates this time, because I won't be able to keep them. Probably I put the pages online soon and then they will stay under construction for the next year or two. Isn't that how it has happened before. I'm so worthless and lazy. Or I could still just forget it and not pay the domain bill at the end of the month.

I'm ashamed that I have not written anything about Regina. They were really good at Jyrock and after few songs I already decided to add them to this website. They have some full songs on their website. Check them out now. More about them here later.

Regina Website

Turku trip during the weekend was really lovely and Boomhauer was once again in top form on friday's concert. And that new album. It is bloody fantastic.

Is it weird that Sweatmaster reminds me of Sloan. That song called 'Kid' on their new pretty perfect album Tom Tom Bullet have some moments that could just be from ''Action Pact' for examples. Well perhaps it just me. But christ, how good this album is. There's two songs that I don't like that much, but the rest. Oh my. Oh my. And it is almost pop at times. It's so melodic. Damn good stuff.

Otherwise I've been much into Bob Dylan. The new albums from The Lucksmiths, Wan Light and Astrid Swan are also really good. And that Dusk at Cold Parlours album by Norfolk & Western that I mentioned some time ago still makes me cry. It is so beautiful music..

But time to sleep now. Working in the evenings this week. I hope I can get some onechordstuff done during the weekend. I should have some time now.

Take care

Regina photo: Bubi Tuomala

APRIL 28, 2005

9.15 pm

News updated (Popsters, TFC, All Stars)

Again it is time to get to work. So that's all for now.

Take care


APRIL 27, 2005

9.30 pm

News updated (Drowsy)

There was more news, but I ran out of time. Nightshift at work starts at 10 pm. So probably a few more news entries tomorrow. And I know that I've been again really lazy boy, when it comes to updating. This kolmivuorotyö have kept me busy and tired.

Lately it has often been over 150 visitor in a day. 184 on monday. Scary stuff for a shy boy. But it's nice that someone is interested about finnish pop music.

But now lovely work thing between 10pm and 6 am. Well actually I prefer that shift eventhough it is rather hard to stay awake during those last few hours.

Take care.

APRIL 20, 2005

11.30 pm

News updated (Beacon St. Radiants, The Sugarrush and Ben's Diapers on 8 1/2, Marian Valinta)
Whatever updated

Still almost crying because of that Pocket Knife concert. It was so magnificent. But today I'm mostly listening to Beacon St. Radiants. The new songs are now online and they are very impressive. So thanks to Pocket Knife for recommending them to me.

Take care.


APRIL 18, 2005

1.50 am

Pocket Knife! The greatest thing ever. Saku totally captured the audience. Probably more than an hour of perfect pop songs and I believe everyone wanted them to continue longer. Pocket Knife and Kolmonen just were truly on fire. Songs that would make Jeff Tweedy and Evan Dando jealous. Boomhauer is bloody fantastic, but Pocket Knife is totally unbelievable. We truly need some kind of release. The songs are too amazing to be left on some demotapes that a few friends can hear. And that voice. It is so beautiful and he can truly control it. Pocket Knife is ready to stole the show and your hearts. I love him as much as a straight man can love another man. And Dino's aka Janne Henrik Rinne Kolmonen's basslines made everything even more perfect. I love him also that much. Let's hope that they are not too hot to handle for Jyväskylä, because they are currently in the nightlife storming from one bar to another. Yours truly was too scared to join them and just stole their car and instruments and drove back home. It remains to be seen, will I get any more sleep because of this decision. I'm probably too excited about the concert and will spend the night cherishing the memory of it.

But obviously Pocket Knife was not the only great thing at Jyrock. Sweatmaster was the other perfect one. Those two really standed out and left really good ones like Regina, Joose Keskitalo and Suburban Kids with Biblical Names in their shadows. But I really need to get some sleep and write more later. Nice waking up is ahead in three hours. But I don't really mind. That concert was so worth seeing, even if it would meant that I had to stay awake for three weeks in a row. Now it is just one night. If your organizing a club, book Pocket Knife now. If you have record label, sign Pocket Knife now.

Take care.

APRIL 16, 2005

5 pm

News updated
Fraction discs added to links

It really seems like a good spring in music. New The Lucksmiths album Warmer Corners is now out and available. While I'm waiting for it to arrive to my doorstep, I've been listening to the old ones. I still don't have all of their albums, which is like a bloody crime against good pop music. The opening track of the album 'Why That Doesn't Surprise Me' always make me smile.


"I could never understand you
Hating music to hold hands to
Sometimes something you can dance to
Is the last thing you need"

The Lucksmiths Website
Songs from the new album at matinee

But now. I'll get ready for Jyrock's second day. Well third actually because there was an opening club on thursday at Vakiopaine. Yesterday wasn't that great, but today Sweatmaster, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names etc. Tomorrow Pocket Knife and Joose Keskitalo. So it's getting better. Waking up on monday at 5 am, will not be fun though.

Take care

APRIL 13, 2005

11.30 pm

News updated (Ultramariini, Beacon St. Radiants, Red Carpet)

I'm tired. So damn tired. Waking up at 5 am isn't my cup of tea. But still nice to be back working. At least I have more money to buy records that I don't have time to listen to anymore.

Take care.

APRIL 8, 2005

3.30 am

News updated
Plenty of gigs added
Reviews updated
Scaramangas, Viola, Boomhauer, Roger pages updated

Well guess what. Only The Sugarrush review is ready (and I don't like it). But those other things took an hour and a half, so I guess don't feel too bad about it. At least I did something and didn't just spend the evening by doing absolutely nothing.

But now I continue listening to Townes Van Zandt. I've been listening to him for years, but one can never praise him too much. Wonderful storyteller, Great country songwriter. The early albums are just magnificent. Sometimes bloody miserable stuff though.

'"t's plain to see, the sun won't shine today
but I ain't in the mood for sunshine anyway"

But I don't mind. I still love sad songs, eventhough I'm not sad anymore.

Take care


APRIL 7, 2005

3 am

News updated (Boomhauer, Sweatmaster)

Tomorrow night another update. Then there will be few reviews also. A shame that this is a very busy week. Futsal and Boomhauer + Sister Flo concerts will keep me busy. I just should have done a lot this week, because just heard today that I will get back to worklife again on next monday. Which might have some kind of effect to this website as well, because I don't have as much freetime then and I am always dead tired because of that getting up at 5 am thing. Well I guess this cannot get any worse. Well month and a half until the next domain bill. I can just quit then and not renew it. But I won't do that. Because I love this too much.

Lou Barlow will play at tavastia on 18th of may. It's a damn shame that I can't go though, because it's on wednesday. It would have been nice to see another one of my heroes. Eventhough Lou Barlow isn't quite as big hero for me as Evan Dando for example. But I do love Sebadoh. So go there and then make me miserable by saying that it was the greatest gig ever. Btw. Is Lou Barlow's new solo album a great one?

Lou Barlow Website

Southern Culture on the Skids is another great band that will play in Finland in may. I don't know much about them myself, but some say that it's one of the best live bands there is. They play at Ravintola Kaisaniemi, Helsinki on the 6th of may (Club Wipe-out) and Ellivuori, Vammala on the 7th of may (Rock'n'roll Jamboree).

Southern Culture on the Skids Website

But tomorrow more...more about the greatness of The Sugarrush. And some other things as well.

Take care


APRIL 3, 2005

11.30 pm

Whatever updated

There's two new previews from Boomhauer's album on their site. My pants are really on fire after hearing that song called 'Lake Norman'. I Almost fainted. It is so wonderful.

Boomhauer Website

Also got the ultrasport album earlier this week. I love it so much. Of course I knew the songs even before, but it's so great that they are now on a full-lenght and sounding better than ever. I think it is fairly easy to guess that how many hearts it will get when I will review it.

This was another week that truly flew by. But I was happier than in ages. So I don't really mind that it just flew by. Every week should be like this as far as I'm concerned.

One of the best new finds for me has been Norfolk & Western. 'At Dawn or After the Dusk' is like the best song ever (' Faith is just for those who need it most, and the rest pretend that they’re all blessed'). At least their 2003 release Dusk in Cold Parlours is just totally amazing and beautiful album. Perfect morning record. Around thousand hearts from me...

Norfolk & Western Website

Yep, I didn't do anything onechordwise. Except killed my nerves when I tried to make a decent The Sugarrush review. I should never say any dates. Now what a fuck is that 'just few days' on Tunes page for example. Didn't I wrote that weeks ago. I'm hopeless case. But The Sugarrush review will be here in the next few days. I'm off to Keuruu for two days. So after that. Probably wednesday. Viola, ultrasport and Goodnight Monsters also sometime soon. And some other ones as well. Where can I go and buy some self confidence before that.

Take care

MARCH 29, 2005

4 am

Happy Couple review added

That's it today. More reviews will come this week, but not during the next couple of days.

I had a country easter. Of course I was in the countryside, but I was also mostly listening to country and folk music. And Townes Van Zandt, Byrds, Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Flying Burrito Brothers and Jackson Browne are still playing in this apartment of mine. I should get more of that stuff. Feel free to recommend if you know albums that are as stunning as 'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo', 'John Wesley Harding', 'Our Mother The Mountain', 'Grievous Angel', 'Gilded Palace Of Sin'... but aren't so well known.

Take care


MARCH 24, 2005

4 am

News updated (IPO, All Stars, Kevin etc)
Ben's Diapers photo changed to a new one
ultrasport discography updated


Downloaded this new Sweatmaster song 'Dirty Rabbit' from their website today and I've listened it about 15 times. And it's bloody fantastic. Kind of had forgotten how great they are. I was a big fan in the early days, but somehow have lost the track a bit lately and haven't bought the recent singles/eps. I guess I've been listening to too much of those nynnypop acts and haven't noticed that I might still be a demon that loves rock'n'roll too. And those vocals are just so damn impressive. I have to buy the second album 'Tom Tom Bullet' when it hits the record stores on 4th of april. That and the new amazing and wonderful The Sugarrush EP will probably keep me jumping up and around the apartment until I pass out. Salute the boys.

Sweatmaster Website

And God it is great that Miettinen and Pekka Laine now take turns in hosting Kitarama. It is like the good old days (can 26 year old say that), when you now can turn the radio on on a wednesday evening and listen to Miettinen for two hours. That's something I've missed. Pekka Laine is a helluva good radio DJ too, but Miettinen will always be the best there is for me. I learned so bloody lot about music just by listening to Räkärodeo and back then found most of my new fave bands from that show. The best thing in Räkärodeo was that you could hear stuff like MC 5, Julie London and The Posies in the same show. Every kid should just listen to Miettinen and forget the MTV. Without Räkärodeo my music taste would look totally different. So that's why it really is great that during this year Miettinen has been back on air every other week. That half an hour thingy earlier just wasn't enough.

Take care

MARCH 23, 2005

3 pm

Just notifying that Viola put the opening track Sad Eyed Disco Dancers to their website. Go and check it out.

Take care


MARCH 23, 2005

4 am

News updated (Viola, All Stars)
Jadecroon + Ethel Suspense gig added

That Brendan Benson website has been redesigned and now you can also preview the whole album there. Sounds great to me. I hope the postman brings my copy soon. Also good news is that Eric Matthews is back with a new solo album. The latest one 'Lateness Of The Hour' was released back in 1997 so I guess one could say that it is about to get some new material. The new album titled 'Six Kinds of Passion Looking for an Exit' is already out and available. If you don't know the guy, he (well at least used to) plays orchestrated pop music. Beautiful and emotional songs. Made two great albums in the 90's, collaborated with folks like Jason Falkner and with Richard Davies he had a somewhat legendary but shortlived duo called Cardinal.

Eric Matthews Website

I also had totally missed that there is a new Ivy album out. That deserves a mention too. A really good group that one. Albeit, not even close to the greatness of Adam Schlesinger's other band, Fountains Of Wayne. But I like Dominique's voice and the new album sounds really good. Their label gives full songs in ra format. Which is nice.

Ivy Website
Listen Ivy at Nettwerk's website

And like Think Small and other good places have already adviced you, you can watch The Go Team concert and The Pipettes concert free of charge at www.myvbx.com. At least you should check out The Pipettes, because everybody loves them already and their debut 7" isn't even out yet (will be very soon though). Seems to be something like the next big thing in the small indiepop world. But their demo that was available for free download sometime last year, indeed was really really good.

Watch the concerts
The Pipettes Website
Unpopular Records (will soon release that 7" by The Pipettes)

But not forgetting those finnish ones. Soon out also lots of excellent finnish albums that may not be so "pop" but will still be great. So look forward to Ville Leinonen & Valumo, Sweatmaster, 22-Pistepirkko, Boomhauer etc.

I'll write some reviews during the easter. Some updates might be here before easter too. But now I go offline and off to bed. It was a nice day. Suburban Kids With Biblical Names and Pocket Knife to Jyrock. That information made the day even better. Love you all. Love is all.

Take care


MARCH 22, 2005

1.30 pm

News updated (Jyrock!)

More news tonight about new releases.

Take care

MARCH 19, 2005

2 am

News updated (ultrasport!!!!!!!)

Getting tired of being sick. I still have this bloody flu. It haven't gotten really bad, but it's still frustrating. I would much rather be really sick for a couple of days than to be a little bit sick for a week and half. But luckily just thinking the current release schedule cheers me up..

First Brendan Benson's new album 'Alternative To Love' came out this week. Well UK release was this week, US release is on the 22nd of march. You can preview some of the tracks on his website and watch the new video 'Spit it Out' which you may have seen on MTV too. It's one of those albums you don't really need to preview, because you know it's going to be at least a really good pop album and it's very likely that it is great pop album. I already ordered my copy. I hope it will arrive before the easter.

Brendan Benson Website


March 22nd is a great day for Kill Rock Stars, because the label will release two great albums on that day. These are 'Picaresque', the new album by The Decemberists and Robot Ate Me's 'On Vacation'. Just visit the label's website and mp3 songs from both of the albums will jump right at your nose, go through it and have reached your heart before you have been able to build up the catenaccio defence.

Kill Rock Stars Website
Decemberists Website
Robot Ate Me Website

The upcoming Matinee releases have probably been mentioned here already, but a little reminder doesn't do any harm I guess. That really good Happy Couple EP is already out and in april we'll get three awesome indiepop albums. Brazilian Pale Sunday will get their debut out. The ep was mighty excellent and now we get more of that cute and jangly pop music. The Young Tradition will also get their debut released, which is a great thing because I've certainly listened that song called 'California Morning' several hundred times. So nice to get a bit more. Not that I have gotten tired of that song. I probably never will. And last but not least (my brain must be in the cliche mode), a new album entitled 'Warmer Corners' from the australian indie legends, The Lucksmiths is coming out on 11th of april. You can listen 3-4 full songs on Matinee's website from each of the albums.

Pale Sunday: Summertime release page
The Young Tradition: Northern Drive release page
The Lucksmiths: Warmer Corners release page

But of course the biggest release of the spring will be Teenage Fanclub's new album Man-Made that will come out in may. How can I wait that long. Well perhaps those above will make the wait easier. Plus there are already plenty of good stuff out and available. For example Josh Rouse's and M.Ward's albums are really wonderful. And that Antony & The Johnstons album might be spectacular. I do not have that one, but christ that song that is on the label's site is out of this world. Well to be honest, I didn't like it much at first, but when I got used to the vocals it really is impressive and it really gets under your skin. Especially when you just put headphones on and just listen to it.

Teenage Fanclub Website
Josh Rouse Website
Antony & The Johnstons Website
Secretly Canadian Website (listen antony)

Well what was the point of all that. Dunno really. Just mentioned some of the releases that I am waiting for. Dunno should I continue doing things like this. Anyway that didn't include finnish ones. Plenty of those are also coming out. Next week All Stars and Viola. Boomhauer in april. But more about those later. Today it's ultrasport. yee-haw. and The Sugarrush too. The new EP is again so great.

Take care.

MARCH 11, 2005

11 pm

Just having a sick day, but even that is fun when listening to these power pop anthems that those freaks from Vaasa have created. And hugs and kisses to that person who had voted for The Sugarrush in Rumba's top 500 bands ever poll. I was so lazy that I didn't vote. But nice to notice that there were several great bands on the list. Of course some really weird ones too like Uniklubi and Teräsbetoni. But who the fuck am I to judge. It's a personal thing this music. After all, my list would have contained The Sugarrush, Bridget and Office Building and most would be willing to send me into a mental institution if I said those are the best bands ever. But for me they are the most important groups along with those more obvious ones like The Posies, Teenage Fanclub, Sparklehorse, Trembling Blue Stars, Matthew Sweet, Big Star...

Anyway, I have nothing to say really. Just killing some time while trying to shake this fever out of my body by listening repeatedly to The Sugarrush EP for the last five hours or so. Well to be honest, I also did spent a while listening to other new additions to my record collection. These were Happy Couple's new really really good ep that is out on Matinee, A new Trembling Blue Star EP 'Bathed in Blue' (Glad to see Bob Wratten being so active nowadays, third TBS release in less than year) and Nixon's cdr 'Snow Day' (finally got something from them. That Snow Day is such a perfect song). And huge thanks to world's best indiepop mailorder store poppolar from Canada for these. They surely have an amazing service.

Happy Couple Website
All the songs from the new TBS EP in real format
Poppolar Website

Also finally ordered that Between The Lines -EP by Swedish Sambassadeur. I really like the songs I've heard from them. And I'm also thinking of buying those Stiv Bators reissues that Bomp released a while ago. Most of his stuff might be too punk or rock for me, but damn that solo material he did after Dead Boys in 1980 or thereabouts just totally gets under my skin. And anyone who says that songs like Not That Way Anymore, It's Cold Outside, Make Up Your Mind and Last Year are not great, has to be either deaf or dead. And apologies for putting Stiv Bators and Sambassadeur into same paragraph. They don't really have anything in common. I just happen to like both of them. I guess I have weird taste.

Sambassadeur Website
Bomp Records Website

Take care

MARCH 11, 2005

2 am

News updated (The Sugarrush)
The Sugarrush discography

Yeah. We rock heavy. New The Sugarrush ep now in stores. Had to mention it here too.

I have the playoff fever. I mean literally I have fever. Not just the normal excitement. I hope it goes away before saturday. I mean of course I will go to the game even if I am sick. If I can walk, nothing can stop me from going. But it isn't very comfortable to watch a hockey game when the body temperature is above 38 or something. I know that by experience.

Take care


MARCH 10, 2005

2.30 am

News updated
Whatever updated

I should make a difference with this "blog" and the news section. Most of the actual news about finnish pop music has just drowned into this personal nonsense. Therefore I did add some news that had been only here.

Cool things right now. The Sugarrush, M.Ward, The Sugarrush, Hockey playoffs starts on saturday, The Sugarrush, McCarthy, The Sugarrush, That last song on Plain Ride's album, The Sugarrush, The Eyes of Winona, The Sugarrush, Happy Couple, The Sugarrush and you.

Not cool things right now. Trying to find a job. That (and life in general) would be so much easier if I would be a social person. Thank god there is The Sugarrush. No stress around while listening to them.

Take care



MARCH 8, 2005

1 am

Gigs updated

Back in the game. Now I have a beautiful ten years old 15" monitor. I hope this temporary solution will last until I win in the lottery and will be able to buy a new one. Well at least it works and that's damn nice after trying to destroy my eyes by watching that fucked up monitor for a couple of weeks. Because obviously I'm such a netaddict that I had to check my mails and such even with that monitor.

Anyway..tonight I updated the gigs section which had been in a really bad shape for a while. I'm sure something is still missing, I can't know all the concerts. I'll continue tomorrow or wednesday. That news page must be updated then, because so much nice things are happening. But now a bit of sleep.

And remember that friday is the release date of the new The Sugarrush EP. Listen the title track here. I've listened it few hundred times, now is your turn.

Take care


MARCH 5, 2005

3 pm

I try to get a new monitor (or some used but still working monitor) early next week. This one is totally fucked up. Meanwhile you can for example read Think Small where Martijn is doing a good job praising ultrasport and their upcoming debut album.

Think Small Website

I kind of like that Green Day song that's playing everywhere. After you have stopped laughing, try to think that it is a song by some band noone has ever heard of, it's the b-side on some seven inch vinyl single that is limited to 50 copies, all handnumbered of course and the song itself would sound so bad that you would assume that it was recorded through a telephone line or something. Then you might like it too.

Take care

FEBRUARY 28, 2005

8 pm

Just a quickie, but an important one. Got back an hour ago from my trip. Evan Dando was really amazing, wonderful, magnificent, awesome, perfect...etc. I don't have time to write much now, but I already have to mention some wonderful news that has been confirmed while I was away. More about these later. I know I will be praising these for the next six months or so. But here's a bit to start with.

The Sugarrush. The Sugarrush. New ep Useless Information will hit your heart on 11th of march. It will be released by a new label called Kinkt Records. You can already listen the title track Useless Information on the label's website. A true five heart song. I know that my winamp play count of this song will go over hundred before tomorrow evening. But I love the song. I love the band. You should too.

Kinkt Records Website
The Sugarrush Website

ultrasport. ultrasport. It's now official. Debut album 'Nothing Can Go Wrong' will come out on japanese Quince Records on 19th of march. Now how cool is that. You can listen some of the songs on their website.

ultrasport website
Quince Website

All Stars. All Stars. New promo single out now (which you can also buy) and album Older! Slower! Softer! coming out on march 22nd. Whoa. And the promo single contains that Winona song by Arttu. An additional Whoa for that!.

All Stars Website

Anyway. A better update later. I was too excited not to mention all this stuff right here right now. It was just perfect to read all this after coming home and I had to share it at once. Eventhough most of you knew this even before me.

Take care.



FEBRUARY 24, 2005

3 am

News updated
Liekki discography updated

That was all. There's really something wrong with this bloody computer. I guess I should just throw it out of the window. Perhaps that might fix it. But I guess I just try to sort out the problem after my pop trip sometime next week. Perhaps that is a wiser choice than just throw it out of the window. At least I should open the window first. Otherwise It might get cold in here.

Anyway. Now is not the time to worry about that. Evan Dando at Tavastia tomorrow (well today, because it's 3 am now) and Flavour of the Month club in Turku on friday. I should just steal one of those student cards and use that to get some discounts. Well of course I won't, but it is freakin expensive to travel without one. Just that JKL-HKI-TKU-JKL travelling will cost over 100 euros I think. Plus tickets, eating, drinking etc. I better try to avoid the record stores and thankfully drinking at Tavastia is way too expensive anyway, so that's easy to skip. Well who cares anyway. It's just money and I would pay even more than just this vanha tonni to see Evan Dando if I had to. And I think I've complained about this travelling thing way too often. I'm just a loser so why...or perhaps I should try hitchhiking. Because it looks like I need to travel quite often.

But now a bit of Lemonheads to my headphones and then to sleep. See ya tomorrow. Or should I just stay at home. What if something's on TV and it's never shown again..

Take care.



FEBRUARY 22, 2005

4 am

Bono estente. Two reviews added. That's basicly it. If you don't count those small changes in the whatever section. I just seem to get worse in that reviewing thingy. I guess one could assume, that one gets better at it but that does not seem to be the case. Which is a shame.

But isn't Death Cab For Cutie fantastic. Listened Transatlanticism through today after a while and still loved every second of it. Well the first song 'The New Year' is rather boring, but the rest is awesome. Besides that I've been mostly listening to Bright Eyes, Bonnie Prince Billy, Chris Waddle and Lemonheads/Evan Dando.

On Labrador's site, you can download a free single from South Ambulance. Also new EPs from Sambassadeur, Radio Dept. and Acid House Kings are now out and available. Well actually I lied. Acid House Kings ep is not yet out, but will be released next week.

Labrador Website

I'm getting cross-eyed if I keep staring at this monitor just after switching it on. Something is wrong, because it keeps twisting the screen borders or something. Well hopefully it doesn't get worse. And if it doesn't totally break down before thursday there will be one little update before my trip to Tavastia.

I'll get me coat.

Take care


FEBRUARY 21, 2005

4 am

Howdy-ho brothers and sisters, it's not time to testify, but there's The Tunes review for you to check out in the ..surprise.. review section. Ben's Diapers and Underdogs reviews tomorrow night and maybe a few more before I pick up my "Bridget -Big in Japan" shirt and travel to Tavastia to see pop god Evan Dando. Hallelujah for that.

No hallelujah's for alueraadit that didn't give points to Firevision in the finnish final of the eurovision song contest. Not that I expected them to win it. Kuopio's alueraati was the only one going forward by adding some FF phrases to live television. For other voters..vopite kaikki..Sorry I think I lost the plot. I wouldn't strenghten anyone. and I woudn't want to face Andy J. in a dark alley. At least without an iron five. He looked almost as scary as this norwegian female cross country skiier. Albeit I think that girl has bigger muscles though.

Now is also a good time to notify that Starflower has a new website. They will be playing at Pikku-Torre, Turku on 25th of feb with The Phonies. The event is of course the ever lovely Flavour Of The Month club.

Starflower Website
Phonies Website

What else. Old Cartoon Tree documentary that was made during the recordings of their debut album is available on their website. So go there and watch Miettinen, Dom Mariani and Cartoon Tree talking about the band/album in this little documentary which was directed by Julle Takanen (from Ethel Suspense). I believe it was some school project or something. Nice thing anyway and the boys look young and cute..well of course they still do..

Cartoon Tree Website

Boomhauer's second album is coming out in march and their website contains two songs from the album. Mixed, but not mastered..and will be deleted some time soon. So be fast. But I did already totally fell in love with This Town Means Well. That's the kind of Saku I love the most. Especially the verse is just amazing. I truly hope that he will also get that Pocket Knife stuff released soon. Saku and pop songs with an acoustic guitar is like the best thing I could ever think of. That and Bridget album of course. The loveliest guy ever with a perfect pop sense. Because as much as I love Boomhauer, his pop songs are the ones that really move me. So I may have to beg, steal or borrow all that Pocket Knife material, if it's the only way to hear it. And even if it would be just some crappy demotape, to give anything other than full five hearts would be impossible. That's how much I love his pop songs.

Boomhauer Website

I can't hear a thing to dance to. But I never dance. So I don't mind. And the loneliness I threw away, haven't found its way back. Which I believe is a good thing. I can't say a thing that makes a sense today. I'm too tired for supporting Ronnie O'Sullivan in the Snooker competition. Probably the best sport to follow after the obvious football. At least easily beats hockey if that idiotduo with orange jackets are on. Those guys should be punished for trying to destroy hockey. If they still get the rights for SM-liiga after all that shite, I'm totally dissapointed and disgusted.

Aden's album Black Cow still rocks my world. But I don't want to be rocked, so let me rephrase that one. It moves my simple heart and brings more softness to already very soft boy. Very simple stuff actually. Might give nothing to some other person, but gives everything to me. Simple relationship lyrics, 90's indie rock sound..something like the softest Pavement and a bit of pop melodies. Me likes very much. Me loves very much. I want the other albums too.

Aden Website

I think that is enough for now. Sleeping might do me some good. And no one wants to read more of this nonsense. And I don't even want to write more. Not now. Tomorrow perhaps. Remember that every heart will someday be a star. So keep your eyes bright, hug the person next to you and come on feel the Lem....sorry Evan Dando.

Take care.



FEBRUARY 18, 2005

1 am

Remember to watch the Finnish final of Eurovision song contest on saturday and vote for Firevision/The Sugarrush combo. It might kill their indie credibility, but it was nice to get some rock to that event. And the song is a good one and definitely the best one there will be. I think it is safe to say that even before hearing all of them.

Likeminded has a website. Well I don't know is that a new thing or not. I just found it from The Sugarrush guestbook. Anyway, it is a band that I've always been interested in and thought that it probably should be listed in the band section as well. Unfortunately I had heard only one song before this in räkärodeo? ages ago. But now they have a new demo and the songs are on their website. Sounds really good to me. Check them out. Olli is lovely.

Likeminded Website

Goodnight Monsters is a two man pop band of Valtteri Virtanen (Jennifer Ever) and Matti Jasu. They've recorded an album by themselves. I have not heard it, but those little sound samples on their website are really good and lovely. Well worth looking into.

Goodnight Monsters Website

(I suppose stuff like that above should go to news page or something. Somehow these news flashes gets grouped with my personal mumbo jumbo which is not a good thing..because I'm boring)

Plan is to write/finish some reviews during the weekend. A few might even be here tomorrow. I've had plenty of difficulties with my web connection..like it was dead most of thursday for example, so if this dies again I might not be able to update. So there might actually be other reasons than my laziness for the lack of updates.

Less than a week and then a heavenly pop trip. First Evan Dando at Tavastia, Helsinki and then Starflower and The Phonies at Pikku-Torre, Turku. See ya there. (I will miss JYP's homegame, because of Evan though but in this case Evan is far more important. I think I can let myself miss a third homegame since season 1993-1994 due to other reasons than the ricilous time I spent in the army.)

Take care


FEBRUARY 12, 2005

5.30 pm

Reviews updated

Well this almost is morning for me. But now after recovering from a slight hangover, Jadecroon review was added. The Tunes and Ben's Diapers reviews will follow sometime next week.

And well done Firevision feat The Sugarrush who went through to the Finnish Eurovision song contest finals.

Take care

FEBRUARY 10, 2005

7 pm

Just a bit of tuning in the gigs section. Like the fact that Jadecroon will play with Tigerbombs at Kipsari, Helsinki on the 18th of feb.

One or two reviews tomorrow evening or saturday morning. Just had to remind you already that even if it might sound crazy, it is true that Firevision with The Sugarrush as their backing band will be tomorrow performing in the Finnish semifinals of the Eurovision Song Contest. So watch that tomorrow on YLE2 and don't forget to vote.

I think I should get Plain Ride's album asap. I can't say that Janne Westerlund's earlier bands Sweetheart and Chainsmoker have meant that much to me. But Plain Ride is something that could make a huge impact on me. I've only heard two songs though, but those have been really beautiful & sad folky songs. Also the reviews and opinions that I've heard have all been very positive. I think I need that album.

There's again too much interesting releases out and available. I did buy Bright Eyes wonderful folky album and Bonnie Prince Billy's new one, but also the other BE album, Low and Mercury Rev seem irresistable. But I'll wait a while before continuing into those (..oh well..at least for some days.)

Take care

FEBRUARY 5, 2005

3 am

The Tunes added to band section. I'll add the description within a few days. I'm still very much excited about their album.

And the obligatory hockey part. Jarkko Immonen & Antti Virtanen were my heroes today. Should I see a doc, when two hockeys player signing contract extensions can make me this happy. But it is great. So great to see them staying eventhough all the bigger teams would have been more than eager to sign at least Jarkko.

Take care

FEBRUARY 4, 2005

3 am

News updated
Silverbullit gig added
Whatever updated
Ben's Diapers, Jadecroon, Liekki pages updated (well basicly just discographies plus that currently part by changing a few words)

Another small update as you see. But I did found The Tunes album. Actually Anttila had it, the real record stores didn't have it yet. And the album is just as amazing as I thought. Wonderful sunny guitar pop. Monstrously highly recommended.

Otherwise I've been mostly listening to reissues. Those three Field Mice albums I've already mentioned a few times and the first Pipas album that came out on Matinee.

I probably should get the reviewthingy back on track. I even have a few of those I started before christmas and have never finished them. But at least I now need to get these new finnish releases done sometime soon.

Oh. and there's two new songs on Puumaja's website. And really good songs I might add. Go there..now.

Puumaja Website

Take care. The foolishness we create through love is the closest we come to greatness.



FEBRUARY 2, 2005

3.30 am

News updated (The Tunes!!)

That's all for now. The Tunes was the reason to update now. And a damn good reason I might add. I'm expecting a five heart album from them. At least something very close to that. It's so my kind of music.

And thanks to everyone I met at Pikku-Torre on friday. It was a lovely evening and I had really great time over there in Turku. Something tells me I might see you again soon. I don't think I have any reason to miss Starflower when it's so conveniently on the next day after Evan Dando's concert at Tavastia on the 24th. And remember that if you do not go to see Evan Dando you must send me that note with your mother's signature at the bottom that explains the reasons behind such ludicrous decision.

I'll do at least a few minor things later this week. Hopefully before the weekend. Also The Tunes will soon end up to the band section. I said already a year ago that they will be there when the album is out. And now it is. Yee-haw. And major thanks to Kitarama hosts for playing a lot of tunes from The Tunes album (I'm so funny..) lately.

Take care

JANUARY 26, 2005

3 am

News updated
Gigs updated

That's all for now. It will be quiet now at least for a few days, but I probably see some of you at Pikku-Torre, Turku on friday where The Sugarrush, Ben's Diapers and Jadecroon will be playing their hearts out.

277 visitors during the last two days albeit nothing has been going on lately. I guess I should write something for them to read. Although probably some of them are largely dissapointed because I've noticed that some recent search words include the likes of "Cheerleaders in diapers" and "Cheerleaders getting fucked". And actually when I now wrote those words together probably makes that kind of search even more possible. So my apologizies if you were looking for something like that and instead ended up on a site where one silly romantic boy/man praises music that have brought tears into his eyes and sunshine into his heart.

Take care. There's a heaven and there's a star for you.

JANUARY 25, 2005

4 am

Links, Whatever updated (few other things tue-wed night..)

Yours truly has again been lazy and I also haven't bought much records lately. I even tried to stop it for a while, because I noticed some of those I have recently bought haven't gotten enough of my attention. It would be a shame if my music fan thing turns to just collecting records. If I buy too many albums, some of them will just end to my record shelf without me giving them enough love and care. Then the records would feel lonely and I definitely don't want that. Someone may have injected all their heart and emotions in those songs, and it would be just cruel if they just turn to background noise for a few days and then get buried into the record shelf while thinking something like "hmm.. that was quite good, now what other pop bands there are that I don't know yet". I've been doing that too much. I must stop that. Record collecting sounds too clinical and unpassionate. Well it's ok, if you remember to love the albums and the music in them. Treat them like treasures. Not just owning them by the sake of it. After all this rant I know I will still be buying too much records. And even just bought albums few days ago because at least poppolar and darla have now those Field Mice reissues in stock. Well these were "must have" albums and records I will truly love. It is Bob Wratten's (Trembling Blue Stars) older band and like you very well know, I love that man. One of the all time best songwriters for me. Again I truly mean that on a personal level. The likes of John Lennon and Brian Wilson are absolutely magnificent and in music history they are on a totally another level...but they have never touched me as deeply as Bob Wratten has. Surely some might say that his music is just too sad, but for me it isn't. For me it's comforting and actually makes me feel good. Yes, it might make you feel broken for a tiny second, but after listening you realise that everything looks so much brighter now.

Matinee's year 2005 seems wonderful. Re-issue of the first Pipas album, debut album from brazilian Pale Sunday who made a great ep a year ago, debut album from The Young Tradition whose earlier California Morning was a stunning pop song and a new Lovejoy album. And little records from australian indie gods The Lucksmiths, The Happy Couple (german duo that seems fantastic) and Maths and Physics Club (and I know nothing about them, but I think they must be great if they are on Matinee). Pipas is the only one that is already out, but you can already listen full songs from all of them. Based on what I heard, I know I will buy most of them.

Matinee's sound library

I should really find a way to buy CDs/CDRs from this swedish band called Nixon. A month or so ago indiepages.com had this song called 'Snow Day' in their sound section for download and I've listened it almost every bloody day since that. I even have it on my desktop, so I don't have to search for it whenever I want to hear it. And that is very often. I've probably listened it over hundred times. Just wonderful bedroom pop song. I need moore. roger.

Anyway. That is all for now. I'll continue a bit more tomorrow night. The week looks great with Ben's Diapers, The Sugarrush and Jadecroon concerts and such. That is something one can't miss. Basicly a record release party for three great finnish guitar pop groups. Album from Ben's Diapers and EPs from The Sugarrush and Jadecroon. I'm not sure are all of them already out this week. At least Jadecroon is, probably Ben's Diapers album too. Haven't heard info about The Sugarrush's ep. but those releases are a great start for the year 2005.

But now to bed. More tomorrow

Take care


JANUARY 16, 2005

8 pm

Review added (Flannelmouth)

Office Building was again wonderful. Really wonderful. Loved every second of the concert.

Anyway, got to go now. Just a quick entry.

Take care


JANUARY 14, 2005

4 pm

15.01.2005 Leaky Soles, a spokane, Pocket Knife -TVO, Turku

Go there. I would probably go too, if Office Building wouldn't be here in Jyväskylä on the same day.

Take care


JANUARY 12, 2005

2.30 am

Apparently nobody told me that it's already 2005. Because those latest entries still had 2004 as the year).

Hello! Surprise is a new website that is your guide to swedish pop music. A bit like this one, only swedish bands of course. And it already covers a huge amount of those great bands and it's only very early days. So check that out. It is a very welcome and helpful website, because there are probably more good pop bands in Sweden than anywhere else in the world.

Hello! Surprise! Website

The Arrogants are not really that arrogant. Instead they are so lovely. I praised them months ago and nowadays I have both of their EPs and I love them dearly. Jana has so amazing voice and their dreamy pop music just move me into tears. I've just been listening to them for three hours in a row with headphones and probably will continue to do so for a while, because 'Your Simple Beauty'- EP causes insomnia. I never can sleep after listening to it. For several times, I've been wide awake at 5 am just repeating it over and over again. Well I do that a lot. I can spend two hours listening to just one song over and over again. But still it's just too beautiful. It's amazing. But there's one annoying thing though. That little laugh in the end. I mean c'mon, when the music stops it has drifted this romantic loser into a state where he could promise everlasting love to a teacup and walk to hell and back just to see someone smile... and then comes a little laugh. I mean no..that's is not right..haha. But I'll let it go, because Jana and the whole band of course are wonderful. Oh..that voice it's too perfect. This music could turn a guy too cynical for love into a blushing romantic. Well I'm a blushing romantic anyway..so don't know what it does to me. But both of these would easily get five hearts if I would review these. And you can still download all the songs from their website. Because like they say 'You might as well rip us off, we all have day jobs because this doesn't pay anyway. But if you are into it buy it'. And I'm totally into it and bought both of the records. And now a full-length is also coming up sometime this year. Really looking forward to that.

The Arrogants Website
The Arrogants at myspace

and don't forget this ridicilously long best songs and albums of 2004 list.

Take care

JANUARY 10, 2005 (hups. I think it's 2005 now)

5 am

Well now it's done. The making of those end of the year lists I mean. So click the link below if you (for some weird reason) are interested.

My favorite albums and songs of the year

Oh and Maxwell Smart agent number 86 is back in the finnish television. Would you believe that it's like the best thing ever.

At least few reviews (Flannelmouth etc) later in the week, but now I need to sleep. This got so late again. I was suppose to finish those lists early in the evening after JYP's hockey game. But I was so upset after that disgraceful performance that I couldn't. Are we really that bad. I know that JYP's powerplay has been a bad joke for the last ten years, (Well there was that short period of time when Risto Kurkinen was the assistant coach and got some sense to it.), but still it was beyond bad now. And of course when I then started to add those links and stuff that was missing, I noticed that spanish La Liga has also founded it's way to finnish television and there was just no way I could miss that madrid derby. So that's why this was a nighttime update again. But I believe this is a music website, not a sport website. Sorry.

Take care


JANUARY 7, 2005

4 am

My brain has been on a holiday mode, but those end-of-the-year lists should be on the website sometime during the weekend. Not that those lists are interesting to you. Still it's fun to do those little lists if you don't take them too seriously. After all it's quite impossible to put albums into order... but luckily Nothing Can Go Wrong when one tries to choose his favorite song of the year...

Take care


DECEMBER 31, 2004

7 am

(no other updates, this is just craptalk, My albums/songs of the year lists and perhaps some reviews will end up to the site sometime next week)

I won't make any new year promises, but here's some dreams and wishes I've once had for onechord. Probably none of them will ever come true. Some ideas are just silly and rest won't happen because i'm a) fucking lazy and never get anything done b) fucking shy boy without no self confidence. I should try to improve that first part but that shyness is almost a medical state and it's just too huge part of me (although I shouldn't use it as an excuse for everything. It just is sometimes difficult if you are scared to say 'hi' to the shopkeeper when buying milk or even just online behaviour like writing mail to a person you don't know might make you feel like you've stopped breathing for a few minutes. Not to mention that then the unanswered mail or not speaking to some person in a store then haunts you for years, because you realise that you've acted rudely towards someone because shyness has paralysed you and then you keep thinking that Hitler was probably a nice bloke if compared to you..)

Well first site related..

Interviews -Bands basicly, finnish and foreign. Then there would actually be some interesting content here. And some well written as well, because I could use direct quotes. Probably won't ever happen, although by using email it would be possible. If I had the guts

Sound library -Gather direct links to all the free/legal mp3/rm -files or music videos to one page. It might be helpful to someone, but I'm somehow against it. I do love when others do that. It's easy to check out music like that. But I just don't want to take anything away from the band websites. I want people to use this as a stepping stone and go to actual official websites. Plus of course it would be difficult to keep it up-to-date.

History section -Pansies, Refreshments, Poverty Stinks, Going Public..or the almighty Karkkiautomaatti. Bands like these shouldn't be forgetten and some kind of history section would be useful addition. It would be difficult for me be though, because I wouldn't know the small gems that existed in early 90's for example. I found finnish pop music late in the nineties through Lemonator and popatak bands..

Other crazy things..

Samplers -The most stupid dream, because nobody would care (because usually I don't even myself spend much time listening to some label samplers etc). Anyway, Meet the scene compilation was the best thing ever, so sometimes I've dreamt that it would be a perfect to make little finnish pop cd-r samplers. Of course it could be only demo bands (because of teosto, legal hazzle etc), but even then one could easily make a pretty good sampler once or twice in a year. Like 20 songs from 20 bands, some handmade artwork to make it look interesting. Then give them for free for people who like good music, radio hosts, webzine writers, just normal pop fans etc. And if I would put there in the corner octa-0001, I could even pretend that I have a label. But the whole thing is pointless, because it would take a lot of time and some money too (sending them, discs) and it probably wouldn't help at all.

Pop club -This I should do. It would be worth it. I don't know would anyone care in Jyväskylä though. But at least I would get to see myself the likes of Le Futur Pompiste, Baby Sweetcorn, Cats On Fire, Treeball if I would be able to arrange them here myself. Every town should have a poppikerho or flavour of the month or Club Limousine etc. I love what they are doing. And it even creates more interest if it would be some sort of "club" and not just two pretty unknown pop bands. Don't know if I ever arrange anything but if I will it's damn sure that there will be The Sugarrush and Bridget (and a possible third one) playing on the first night if they would be willing and able to come (hmm.. I don't think I even start the indiepop festival dream, because that would clearly have to be in a bigger town.)

Well that's all for now. I've been silly enough for one night. There would be more dreams of course. But I guess the most important thing would be to just keep it like it is, update it frequently, write more and more. I don't seem to able to do even that, so why to dream about more. But perhaps this helps you understand why I think this site sucks. Because it could be a lot better if I just put more effort in it.

Take care


DECEMBER 23, 2004

8.30 pm

I'm on my way to the countryside. So just a short entry to point out that Flannelmouth's debut album Rain Inside is now officially out and available. And it does seem to be a great record. So there's a good last minute christmas gift, if you left shopping as late as I did.

But now for about third time. Happy holidays to everyone.

Take care. Make love with your hearts, not just with your bodies.


DECEMBER 23, 2004

6 am

Melpo Mene. Just one 22 year old swedish kid. But whoa. This guy is just wonderful. On same label as Jose Gonzales. A bit like Elliot Smith, Kings Of Convenience, Badly Drawn Boy or Jose .. And even better than the last two.. Ok maybe I'm too hasty, because I don't have the album yet. But I've been listening to the sound samples for an hour and I'm stunned. I'm gonna order the album today.

Melpo Mene Website


DECEMBER 22, 2004

8.30 am

Now that was a perfect night. It was awesome. F**ing awesome. Ken was again so damn good. A great musician and a damn good show man. But now more sleep after not-so-comfortable bus ride back to Jyväskylä in the middle of the night.

(and Evan Dando tickets are now available. Go and buy at once. Everyone who doesn't come to that concert needs to send me a note that explains the reasons with her/his mother's signature at the bottom)

Take care

DECEMBER 21, 2004

7.30 am

News, bands, labels, releases, whatever, links, gigs, reviews updated

So there you have it. Onechord's season greetings is this little update. It doesn't look like much. I'm amazed that what did I do with all those hours I spent sitting here. I almost lost the will to live when I was going through the band websites at 6 am adding all the possible gigs into this site. It really didn't seem like worth it. Perhaps one person reads them anyway. But then I somehow got listening to Ethel Suspense's song Too Many Times about twelve times in a row (which was not too many) and remembered why I do this. Why I bother to try, eventhough I don't know much about music and I'm not able to write well. Because I just love this music and if I can get even one person to go and listen such unknown gems then all the hours I've spent are worth it. But anyway, the update doesn't look like much, but it was all I was capable of. I wish that I could have some confidence to make a better one, but like you know I have a dilemma. This is the only worthy thing I've recently done but I'm also fucking stressed because of this all the time.

Then what did I manage to do during the past nights that seem to end around 7 am. Well not much. There's 14 new reviews. Very short ones though. Not that it matters because there's never any information even in the longer ones. I still have a huge amount of stuff I've bought and not yet "reviewed". For example the latest albums by Delgados, Wojciech, Jim White, Sufjan Stevens, Call & Response, Matt Pond PA, Dear Nora, Mirah, Walker Kong, Of Montreal, Rachel Goswell, Architecture In Helsinki, Kevin + Human Television's ep, We are Soldiers We Have Guns -ep, some Labrador singles, some finnish stuff. It totally breaks me that some releases just have went so unnoticed. For example TV-Resistori's stunning album. Hundred Million Martians album and what else. I should improve this department. Because even if I can't write anything that makes sense it might be still be worth it to write something. I mean at least a few people might know that such releases exist and search more information from somewhere else. I mean there's over hundred visitors per day, so this little tribute to music I love might even have some minor value and (probably only in my dreams) this might even help some band if I kept it going and actually believed in what I'm doing

(Or then again. I could just stop this, invest all my money to copies of Sister Flo's album and send them to every indiewebzine / magazine I know abroad. And if someone would say that they don't like it, I would fly over, tie them to a chair and play Tragician's Hat until they know what is missing from their life (and tender slap to face to everyone who thought the missing thing in this case was 'Freedom', not Sister Flo)

What else. Some gigs/concerts were added. Delphic, Gashopper, Nature Sucks Anyway and Marsu on paras were added to Labels-section (still quite worthless, because there's not much info, basicly just the logo and link to website).

Then the band section. I went through them all, but changes weren't very big. In most cases just checked out whether there had been some new info on their website that I hadn't yet mentioned. I did a bit of tuning on some of the descriptions (mostly with the ones that have released something during the last 6 months). Also added three new groups, Puumaja, Ethel Suspense and Bookends. So now there's 65 bands on the website. Those needed to be there eventhough adding new bands is like shooting myself to the foot. Because I'm sure you at some point will get dejavu thingies when I complain that the whole bloody section is again in bad shape. Of course it would stay in shape if yours truly wouldn't be such a lazy boy and always updated instantly when something new happened. But I'm lazy. Hey why am I whining. This is a whiner's bio. I love making this and probably that 65 isn't enough. At least The Tunes will be added when they get the album out.

I think those were the main things that was updated (well the release page was updated too, and I added a few links too..Friends Of Heroes, Delusions of Adequacy, Le Manchester). Otherwise I've tried to to put those albums and songs of the year -lists together. It's more difficult than ever, because I think I have around 60 albums that were released in 2004. Most of them really good as well. Should I be cruel and rule out Sun Kil Moon, Shins and Architecture in Helsinki, because they were released somewhere before 2004. Not that it makes the task any easier. But the top 2 is easy..Sister Flo and Viola. Not sure in which order yet. I'm almost thinking of cheating and just share the first spot. Because I've fallen for both of those albums so badly. But I'll finish the lists during the christmast break and they'll be here within a couple of weeks (not that anyone is interested about my choices).

And I didn't believe the hype when Franz Ferdinand, Killers and Interpol got a lot of praises in the media (no I'm not saying they are not good bands, I like all of them..just not enough to go and buy the albums..those are just not making exactly my kind of music). But I think I believe the hype when Arcade Fire is concerned. At least I did order the album.

I think that's all for now. Sufjan Stevens, Dear Nora, We are Soldiers We Have Guns and Wojciech reviews would be almost ready, but sleeping 3 hours before going to Helsinki seems much more appealing right now. Thanks to both of you who red all of this. Now a few hours of sleep and then I'm off to Helsinki to see Mr. Ken Stringfellow on stage at Tavastia. See you there.

Take care. Merry Christmas. I love you all.

(and my apologises for all the mistakes I made. Most of these were written between 1am - 7am and I've already noticed plenty of silly mistakes (for some reason I write "wish" when I mean "which" or "could" when I mean "good". Funny mistakes. Don't let them bother you too much.if you find things like that.)


DECEMBER 16, 2004

9 pm

Evan Dando to Finland! Mr. Palsa had noticed that on Luger's site. And yes, according to that site Evan Dando is touring here in the north in february and he should be at tavastia on 24th of february. Hopefully that is accurate information, because it would be a dream come to true to see him on stage.

Luger website

The updating continues. A bunch of reviews are ready and I'm working on some more. And if Blackburn wins the premiership title tonight than I could fully focus on onechord.net :) Only problem is that I've seem to have lost letter "c" from my keyboard. It just don't bloody work and it is kind of slow to copy-paste all the needed "c-letters" to my silly writings..heh.

Take care

DECEMBER 14, 2004

4 am

Main thing first. Flannelmouth's debut album Rain Inside should be out very soon on Grid Records. So better not start compiling those albums of the year lists yet.

Flannelmouth Website
Sound sample on Grid records website

I'm trying to do some kind of website about Finnish pop music and I still haven't said a word about Husky Rescue. That's a crime I think. I haven't been that much into atmospheric soundscapes ala Air and that's why I haven't given them enough attention. But after watching those music videos and listening to the sound samples on their website, I'm starting to fall for this one. I think I need to buy the album.

Husky Rescue Website

And all the critics seem to love Underwater Sleeping Society's debut album Future on a Plate. I haven't really made up mind yet. I think I need to go and sit in my car for an hour or two, because there seem to be the only player that wants to play the advance-cdr I got. (Yep it was a huge mistake once to buy a crappy dvd player to use also as a cd player). But anyway, there's a song called Madrid in mp3 format at newmusiccommunity.org. So check that one out if you are interested.

New Music Community Website

Also got Language Of Flowers album today. If you are into Heavenly, you'll find it quite impossible not to love it. They've really captured something same there. Other things I've been into lately are Human Television (often compared to Wedding Present) and Robot ate me (psychedelic lo-fi pop from San Diego). I don't have anything from Robot Ate Me though, but I love those songs that are on their website. If you like Decemberists for example, it might be worth checking them out.

Language Of Flowers Website
Human Television at Gigantic Music
Robot Ate Me

And Joe Algeri has recorded another christmas song for you. He seem to do that every christmas. This year the song is called Surfin Santa. That one and all the earlier christmas songs like the excellent I Saw Santa With a Gun are available on his website.

Joe Algeri Website

I continue my updating process. It's been going on for a few days, but Football Manager addiction is quite bad too. I might do a few smaller updates during the week, but I'm sure it will go until next monday, before all the things are ready. "All the things" means something like updated band section with at least two new groups and 8-12 small lousy reviews. But don't expect anything big. It takes time to just go through all those 60 band pages. So the information level stays the same, but at least things should be more or less up-to-date then. It's about time, because this website has been a joke (and not even a good one) since last april... or maybe from the beginning.

But otherwise things look bright. Brighter than.. I can't remember when. See ya at Tavastia on the 21st of december.

Take care


DECEMBER 8, 2004

4 am

Four reviews added (Pas/Cal, Javelins, Phonies, Viola/Iconcrash -ep)

Le Futur Pompiste review was suppose to be included, but I just couldn't find the bloody disc. I might have left it to Keuruu. Oh well, perhaps it will jump to my face from somewhere. I think I can manage a day or two without it eventhough it's a really good album.

13 bks (before Ken Stringfellow). I have thirteen days to update the band section (hopefully some other sections as well)and write a bunch of those lousy reviews. It should be a good target. Just get everything back in shape before christmas. Yep. I think I dedicate the next two weeks to two things. Football Manager 2005 and onechord.net (oh well, at least Sister Flo + Rollstons boys and others who know FM, might think that I won't be spending much time with onechord. But I try not to get too addicted, honestly...).

Oh..and Jim White rules. Oh..and song called Les Os by Unicorns rules too...

Oh..and Labrador has a christmas gift for you. You can download a brand new Acid House Kings songs 'This Heart is a Stone' from their website. They've also signed a new band called Sambassadeur. Seems like another great band based on the mp3 sample. Well I guess Labrador only sign great bands.

Labrador Website

Take care

DECEMBER 5, 2004

6.30 pm

News updated (Viola)
Levyliike Kaakko added to links

Also some photos from friday's concert can be found here:

http://www.onechord.net/violaconcert.htm

Thanks to Bubi for the photos. The concert itself probably wasn't one of their best ones, but the songs are still perfect. And Tearcandy is still a very likely candidate for the top spot on my albums of the year list. I enjoyed Iconcrash too, but I have absolutely nothing positive to say about the last act. I couldn't take more than a couple of songs of that...

Making those albums/songs of the year lists might be extremely tricky this time, because I've never bought so many records (I think my mailman probably hates me). The latest record to shape up the top 10 is Wojciech's Tähtiöitä. I've really fallen for that one. Almost as badly as for Sister Flo and Viola. Am I the only one who think that this is even better than Ystävät, Toverit. I think I have to write another one of those silly and emotional five heart reviews.

Wojciech Website

I really like this group called Pants Yell! Some art school students from Boston making lovely pop music in their bedroom. I like it so much that I'm thinking of buying their cd-r. Oh..who am I kidding here. Of course I will buy it. It's only 5 dollars.

Pants Yell! Website

Another record I probably should get is the new Woven Hand album Consider the Birds. That must be a great one too. Although I think I already have enough difficulties to make those year end lists. Because besides pop music I'm always into stuff like Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Woven Hand, Songs:Ohia etc.

Consider the Birds album page (Bleary Eyed Duty mp3)

This was mostly a Viola and craptalk entry. We seem to lose all the hockey games, so I really shouldn't have bothered to travel back and forth. Well who am kidding, of course I need to see the games even if they all ended 0-10. It's still JYP. Anyway, I still need to go back to Keuruu to help out my dad. I'll get back on tuesday and those 4-5 reviews will be added to the site on tuesday night.

Take care

DECEMBER 2, 2004

1 am

Some gigs added
Some links added
Those favourites on the whatever page updated (although I couldn't yet remove TBS because I listen to it all the time.)

It has not been the nicest couple of days. Car decided to broke down in the middle of the street during a rush hour and such. But that's nothing really. I'm much more pissed off about what happened to Daisy. I mean losing their rehearsal place and almost all the instruments, equipments, recordings because the whole place burned down must be a bloody nightmare. Well hopefully it was just a test before greater things.

Anyway, I'll go back to Keuruu and try to avoid the wolves that try to take over the neighbourhood. Not so nice animals when they get too close.

Viola on friday. That's nice.

Some reviews during or after the weekend.

Take care

NOVEMBER 28, 2004

9 pm

This Scotland Yard Gospel Choir sounds so exactly like Belle & Sebastian that It's almost scary. But I don't really mind. Because if they sound like B&S then they make wonderful music. Some songs available on their site.

The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir Website

Favourite songs of the weekend:

Aden: Why Can't I Make You Happy
Aden: I Knew You Would Go
The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir: Jennie That Cries
Young And Sexy: Scott
Watoo Watoo: Gold Mine

and also bought a bunch of Labrador singles/eps.

I'll spend most of next week at keuruu. Some updates midweek, when I have to come back for a day to play a bit of futsal and see the homegame on wednesday. But still quite slow. But now I'm unemployed again (unfortunately), so I have time and promise to finish the bigger update thing I started long time ago. So unless some idiot wants to hire me or something, that will be done before Ken Stringfellow is in Finland.

Take care

NOVEMBER 23, 2004

1 am

Those three reviews added (Harry Hunks, Bookends, Cheerleaders United)..didn't have time to finish more of them. Le Futur Pompiste, Viola & Iconcrash split, The Phonies are in the working state, but don't know when I finish them. Perhaps after this last week of work (unless I have some time on wednesday) that now again consists of lifting around ten thousand kilos of harkkoja per day..oh and the reviews suck, heh..the records don't..

Take care

NOVEMBER 21, 2004

News updated

Puumaja and Marian valinta were really good on saturday at vakiopaine...

And Antti Virtanen was again a true magician during saturday's hockey game. The most underrated player in SM-liiga.

Some lousy reviews will be up on the website on monday night (at least three, maybe more).

Take care.

NOVEMBER 15, 2004

0.30 am

News updated
Two lousy reviews added
Few gigs added

Jolly Jumpers were wonderful on saturday night. Don't miss them. They are touring so rarely.

I try to get more of those pointless reviews done this week. Now I should have the time and perhaps even the motivation. But now it's time to sleep. Finally aamuvuoro, which means I have time to sleep 4 1/2 hours. But it is still great. Somehow that month of evening work got me totally alienated. Never saw anyone expect co-workers (apart from weekends).

Life is pretty sweet. Especially when you're dreaming.

Take care

NOVEMBER 11, 2004

4 am

Wojciech's album (well it was supposed to be EP, but a guess it is an album.. 9 songs, 33 min) Tähtiöitä out on friday.. jee..

Surprise. No real updates, just praising The Heavy Blinkers.

Some Heavy Blinkers songs available to listen at newmusiccanada.com (Only one from the new one but that Don't Get Me Wrong is amazing). Heavy Blinkers album The Night and I are Still So Young is definitely one of the most beautiful pop albums of the year and it shouldn't go unnoticed. So that's why I had to praise it again. Not that my opinion matters at all. Mushroom Pillow has also released the album in Spain and on their site you'll find another song. And there's also one song on endearing's site. If you're into orchestrated pop and beautiful multi-layered vocals, you must buy the album.

Heavy Blinkers Website (new one)
Heavy Blinkers at newmusiccanada
Heavy Blinkers at endearing
Heavy Blinkers at Mushroom Pillow

And my current album top 6 for 2004 would probably be..

The Heavy Blinkers: The Night and I Are Still So Young
Elliot Smith: From A Basement on the Hill
Viola: Tearcandy
Sister Flo: Tragician's Hat
Ville Leinonen: Suudelmitar
Trembling Blue Stars: The Seven Autumn Flowers

Not in any order. That six felt like the right number. There's been plenty of other great albums, but somehow these have been the ones that have amazed with their beauty and I've almost forgot to breathe while listening to them. The list might change, but these are all perfect albums.

Take care


NOVEMBER 8, 2004

1 am

News updated (Viola & Iconcrash & Marian valinta)
Whatever updated (added some pointless reasons this time)

That's about all. The band section updating is going on but so bloody slowly. I don't think I will give any dates when it's done, because it kills me if (and looks like when) I'm not able to keep them. But sooner or later it will be ready. Probably with a couple of additions (well Puumaja at least after their jyväskylä concert). Some reviews will be up sometime this week, but otherwise the evening working is killing rest of my social life and is making me lose even that little bit of motivation I have left.

I really cannot stop listening to Trembling Blue Stars. The whole new album is totally wonderful. There's not one bad song and the highlights Moonlight on Snow and All Eternal Things are out of this world. How can music really touch so deeply..

Another current obsession is Velocette's song called Unkind. I recently fell in love with Comet Gain, so I've got also interested about Velocette because it has same members. Pitchfork review says that Unkind is on the record in case if you wondered what Stereolab might sound like if they were boring. Well I seem to like even boring Stereolab.

And The Phonies album is a really good one. After a few days it seems like the best thing they've done since Fresh!. And I really liked Mental Market too.

Take care.


NOVEMBER 4, 2004

4 am

I love Bob Wratten. I love Trembling Blue Stars. Everyone who has been reading this craptalk section knows that. But I had to say it again, because now I finally have this new album The Seven Autumn Flowers. It's pop heaven again (impossible to say whether it's his best effort, because he has done only wonderful albums starting from the Field Mice days). Romantic and honest pop music. Dream pop.. Sadcore.. ..Indiepop..well whatever.. but it gets at least 23 hearts with my review scale..

Guild League's album sounds really good too, but I haven't yet had the time to focus on it. Also looking forward to Language Of Flowers album. I will order that once it's available at poppolar. The mp3 songs at shelflife's website are wonderful. Probably a must album for everyone who likes Talulah Gosh and Heavenly for example. The Pipettes are also really wonderful. And I also so really enjoy Galactic Heroes song Coffee and Pastries. Sounds like a whole lot of fun that Galactic Heroes. Perhaps I should get to know them better and buy the latest album.

Shelflife Records Website
Language Of Flowers Website
The Pipettes Website
Galactic Heroes Website

Take care


NOVEMBER 2, 2004

2.30 am

No updates

Yep, like you may have noticed, I didn't keep my deadline. Shame on me...again. I better start doing these updates and not wait until I have more time, because this job that was supposed to last only one week might last til mid-december.

The reason for this entry was just to notify that Jolly Jumpers has now a website. It's not a pop band, but like everyone knows, they are simply marvellous and one of the very best bands in Finland. I've been a fan for a long time. You may call it desert rock or finnish americana. If you like Calexico, Giant Sand, Dead Moon etc, Don't miss Jolly Jumpers. The website also contains mp3 samples from the upcoming seven inch singles Suki Suki and Bebop City. And they are touring quite a lot in november / december. I'm really looking forward to that, because I haven't yet seen them since Arimatti Jutila joined the band. And they were damn good even before that..

Jolly Jumpers Website

A bit of october stats. Highest number of visits per day: 137. Average number of visits per day: 87,71. Unique visitors: 1492. About 65 % from Finland.

Take care


OCTOBER 30, 2004

4.30 am

News updated (Harry Hunks and The Phonies info)
Whatever (those useless, current favorites lists)

Another work week behind and similar one ahead. So a guess I better start updating during those nights after work, because it seems that this might last even further than next week. Well I'm not complaining. It's not like I have a life anyway. So all I miss in the evenings are JYP's home games (not that it isn't a huge loss..).

And remember to listen those new ultrasport songs on their website. Nothing Can Go Wrong is like the best song ever (yep, I have many of those..actually all songs ultrasport have made might fall into this "best song ever" category).

ultrasport Website

Take Care

OCTOBER 28, 2004

4.30 am

News updated (that's all)

New marvellous Harry Hunks website now up and running. New ep Revolutions From Pink To Pale will be released on friday 29th of october.

Harry Hunks Website

And if nothing seem to happen here, go and read Martijn's new english blog at thinksmall.nl. That website is one of the finest indiepop sources in the wonderworld of the internet. The difficulty is that most of it is written in dutch, but now there's an english blog. So it's quite nice to actually understand what he is saying. The reviews are still in dutch, but I do still always check out what has been reviewed. Because I always want to find new pop bands and if Think Small has reviewed a record that I know nothing about, it's probably worth checking it out. Oh.. and Think Small is a perfect name for an indiepop website.

Think Small Website

Now playing Architecture in Helsinki's album Fingers Crossed. Finally got the album yesterday. Actually Think Small had a part to play about reminding me about this album, because this was Think Small's cd tip a while ago. At least half of this is simply marvellous. But this australian band really needs to come to play to Finland. With that name it's obligatory.

Architecture In Helsinki Website

Take care.


OCTOBER 25, 2004

1 am

no updates.

Well it was a slow week. Just like I thought. When getting home from work around 10.30 pm, onechord.net was not on the top of my "what to do now" -list. This week might be almost as slow, because I have another evening shift at work. I said almost, because three new finnish releases will be released during the week. So at least news page will be updated a few times. The releases are of course the debut albums from The Phonies and Cheerleaders United and the new ep by Harry Hunks. We'll see can I keep up my deadline with the band section updating.

Btw. The Phonies were really good on saturday night. It was a damn difficult choise between Sweatmaster + Nieminen & Litmanen at Lutakko vs The Phonies at Bar 68. The Phonies won this time, because I had seen Sweatmaster around ten times and I had never seen The Phonies.

Last week I was mostly listening to Comet Gain, Elliot Smith, Death Cab For Cutie, Bedhead, Holiday, Le Futur Pompiste, Free Design, Office Building, Harry Hunks and Cheerleaders United. There's too many great records. I'm having difficulties to find enough time to really just listen to all of them.

Oh. and the new album Seven Autumn Flowers by Trembling Blue Stars is now out and available. Can't wait to hear the album. It should be a real contender for album of the year (currently Viola and Sister Flo share the first place on that "list"). The album was released last week by excellent and almost legendary spanish label Elefant records. More about the album on their website. Including a music video of a song called Helen Reddy etc.

Trembling Blue Stars at Elefant Records

And Guild League's new album Inner North also sounds absolutely marvellous to me. But hey, Guild League is led by The Lucksmiths frontman Tali White and the album is released by the ever lovely Matinee Recordings, so how could it not be great. There's four songs available on Matinee's website. I didn't need to hear more. I ordered it with the Trembling Blue Stars album from canadian Pop Polar Records, which continuosly surprise me with their stunningly fast and wonderful service. That online shop is a heaven on earth for indie/tweepop freaks (and also now Le Futur Pompiste's album is there on the front page.)

Guild League's album at Matinee Recordings

Oh. So I started talking about Le Futur Pompiste. So let's not stop. It's a really good album. Who could not love their sound. Yeah. I know. Stereolab. That's what everyone says. And it does sound a lot like Stereolab. Throw in a bit of the feel of sixties pop like Free Design and you are not million miles away from Le Futur Pompiste. They've also put their old ep's available for downloading from their website. Those include several songs that also appear on their album. But if I'm not completely mistaken they did re-record those songs for the new album. So those are different versions then on the album. And I've also seen the album at least on the number three spot on Darla's top sellers list, so it seems that at least the pop underground loves them.

Le Futur Pompiste Website

Take care.

OCTOBER 18, 2004

1 am

Plenty of gigs added

The important stuff is of course that according to theposies.net, Ken Stringfellow plays at Tavastia on 21st of december. Now that's a christmas present.

Other important thing is that Kevin's wonderful new music video is available on their website. Also don't forget the new ultrasport songs and new Harry Hunks songs that are available on their websites.

Kevin Website
Harry Hunks Website
Ultrasport Website

I finally started updating that band section. Went from a to c, but didn't upload them yet.There's still a long way to go. Anyway I set myself a deadline til end of october. Seems like it's the only way I get those done. It really bothers me to see Wojciech page for example. I should have updated that months ago. When have I become so fucking lazy. Well probably I've just always been lazy. But anyway, if there's some new info that you want me to put here, feel free to say so. Of course, I'll probably find all the info I need from your websites. Unless you update even more rarely than I do. And don't expect any major changes. I don't think I have the motivation to rewrite them or anything. After all, there's over 60 bands, so it takes hours just to go quickly through them. I probably should just stole the bios from their websites. It might be the wisest thing. Then there would be better and more accurate descriptions and I would have time to add all the bands I want to (because there are more good bands, 60 is not enough). But it would boring. And this should be just the stepping stone to the official band sites, not take anything away from them. Because of the same reason, I haven't done that jukebox thing, I mean gathering all the links to mp3 songs and music videos that are available to one page, where they would be easily found. It might be useful to someone.

The most moving piece of art this weekend was Ingmar Bergman's movie Winter Light. I've seen a lot of his movies, but this was probably the best one yet. Even better than Wild Strawberries and Persona. So haunting. It literally hurted to watch it. So much scarier than all the stupid horror movies. Next up, is Scenes From A Marriage. Perhaps a bit different, but probably as great.

During the next week the progress might be rather slow here, well it's always slow here, so let's say even slower than usual because of that 14 to 22 work thing.

Take care.


OCTOBER 16, 2004

4 pm

ultrasport, rattolurps, ultrasport! Two new songs from an upcoming ep available on their website. Yeehaw! And oh boy how great song this Nothing Can Go Wrong really is. Me loves ultrasport. But if I listen this song another dozen of times, I'm soon late from the hockey game..

ultrasport website

Take care.

OCTOBER 15, 2004

11.30 pm

- Releases thingy updated (basicly just this info: New Harry Hunks -ep will be released on 29th of october and debut full-lenght by The Phonies will be released on 30th of october.
- Whatever updated
- Puumaja + Marian Valinta concert at vakiopaine, Jyväskylä added.

Le Futur Pompiste album and the upcoming Harry Hunks -ep are both extremely highly recommended. And I don't think I have yet mentioned that you can listen to two songs from Harry Hunks' ep on their website. And Pompiste album is now available at stupido shop.

But this night has been dedicated to Elliot Smith in this apartment. I ended up listening to the whole solo discography tonight. The new album From A Basement on the Hill is really wonderful. The best Elliot Smith album along with Either/Or. Figure 8 was a small dissapointment for me, but this one is again close to perfectness. I might be just too sentimental, but it hurts to listen to this posthumous album. Such a huge loss.

I try to get something done on sunday. I really should because then I go working in an evening shift at least for a week and that working between 14-22 kind of sucks. Too tired to do anything when you get home and in the morning you're basicly just waiting to go to work. Not to mention that I will miss JYP's home game for the first time since 1998. How will I survive..haha

Bookends and Valley Below were both really good.

Take care. Memories are wonderful thing if you don't have to deal with the past.


OCTOBER 14, 2004

5 am

Finnish lesson of the night:

perkele, saatana, helvetti..

no kotona voitetaan kaikki..

Take care.

OCTOBER 13, 2004

2.30 am

Flannelmouth photo changed to a new one
Some The Scaramangas concerts added

There seem to be plenty of must have releases coming out right about now. Elliot Smith's From A Basement On A Hill and Trembling Blue Stars' Seven Autumn Flowers are so wanted in this tiny apartment.

Listen to Streetcar (ok, I just got this link on the moment I was uploading this update to web. So I don't know much about them, but Sound of Love mp3 sounds quite good to me. Soulful indiepop says the bio.)

And remember poppikerho today. Le Futur Pompiste, The Rollstons and Wojciech. Only accepted excuse for Tampere residents for not going is to watch the football game and even then you must go there to celebrate the victory after the game. There's also Ville Leinonen here in Jyväskylä at vakiopaine, but the football game is probably more important this time. After all I've seen Ville like fifteen times, but it's rare to see Finland beating Netherlands in football (..or do I just really live in a dreamland..) And I can satisfy my need for live music on thursday and go to see Bookends and Valley Below to Jazz bar. Always interesting to see new bands.

This website has been mentioned on the frontpage at indiepop.it and plenty of visitors have arrived from there. So huge thank you for the link. And if some of you lovely italian indiepop fans are browsing this website, do check out bands such as Le Futur Pompiste, Ultrasport, Sister Flo, Harry Hunks, Bridget, Cats On Fire, Cessna, Artisokka..oh well..all the others are equally great..bands like that just might be closest to that indiepop thing. And feel free to recommend italian bands if you want to.

Indiepop.it website

(it doesn't seem to work now though, but perhaps it will work soon. The folks who make it at least seem to have a great taste, because basicly all the bands/artists that are mentioned there are really wonderful. It's written in italian, so that might be a problem.. at least to a boy whose italian vocabulary only consists of movie titles by Fellini, Olmi, Visconti, Pasolini and De Sica..)

During the past few days I've seriously thought about just letting this website completely die. But I didn't found a reason that was good enough for letting that happen, because I love the bands and I love their music. It was more like a question of properly or not at all. And right now this is pretty far from properly. And it might stay that way, but at least I decided to keep it alive because it has become too important for me and it would probably kill me if I just stopped. Even if it had nothing to do with losing the heart and passion for finnish pop music. Because I won't ever lose that. Now I should just found some miracleous moment when I could write well and could put that band section into a decent shape. But probably I just stare at the monitor for a while, go to bed, put headphones on and listen to The Lucksmiths.

I hadn't noticed that ymdb.com is working again. I once did that silly top 20 movies list there, but then the website just went to read-only state. Nowadays it works again. And probably have for sometime now. So I updated my list yesterday. Didn't spend a lot time thinking about it, so I probably forgot a lot. Plus 20 is too few of course.

1. Andrei Tarkovsky: Zerkalo
2. Bela Tarr: Werckmeister harmóniák
3. Jean-Luc Godard: Vivre Sa Vie: Film en douze tableaux
4. Federico Fellini: 8 ½
5. Carl Theodor Dreyer: La Passion de Jeanne D'Arc
6. Charles Chaplin: City Lights
7. Alain Resnais: L' Année dernière à Marienbad
8. F.W. Murnau: Sunrise -A Song Of Two Humans
9. Andrei Tarkovsky: Nostalghia
10. Roberto Rossellini: Roma, città aperta
11. Francois Truffaut: Jules Et Jim
12. Krzysztof Kieslowski: Dekalog
13. Lars Von Trier: Europa
14. Billy Wilder: Sunset Boulevard
15. Marcel Carne: Les Enfants du Paradis
16. Shinji Aoyama: Eureka
17. Vittorio De Sica: Ladri Di Biciclette
18. Luis Bunuel: Los Olvidados
19. Woody Allen: Annie Hall
20. Alain Resnais: Hiroshima Mon Amour

Yeah. I know. It looks fucking pretentious. But somehow I find it quite hard to put a lot of pure entertainment movies to a list like this. So there's plenty of artsy crap that have really moved or touched me. Often I do rather watch something starring Hugh Grant than a movie by Tarkovsky but when you start thinking about movies that have really meant a lot somehow Zerkalo comes to your mind before Four Weddings and a Funeral..

But enough of this crap. Now it's time to start waiting nervously for the football game.

Take care. Don't let fear eat your soul.


OCTOBER 8, 2004

0.15 am

Some gigs added

Lovely evening yesterday (eventhough I sucked at football). Mr. Janne Laurila was in town again. Well that's no surprise to anyone. But I wouldn't mind if he was here even more often. He played two sets of truly beautiful music. Mostly new material, but also some great covers like Townes Van Zandt's Waiting Around To Die. And I'm damn glad that after getting back home at around 5 am, I didn't need to wake up an hour later to catch the 7 am train to Helsinki.

And from this link you'll find pop music from New York by finnish Paula Jaakkola.

And then something completely different. They Stole A Million's new song available here. It's a punk rock band, not the typical pop stuff I usually listen. But it's melodic enough, so I don't mind (+ there's also familiar people from Turku pop bands in They Stole A Million too..not that it's the main point).

That's all for tonight. Sorry.

Take care.


OCTOBER 6, 2004

2 am

News updated
Office Building discography updated

For some reason I'm now obsessed with Comet Gain.

http://www.killrockstars.com/bands/cometgain/

For example that song (which also as an mp3 on that page) Why I Try To Look So Bad totally blows my mind away. After listening that song around 78 times during one day, I had to order their records some time ago.

Football is a dangerous game. I had a bit of a clash and my leg didn't like it (puujalka). Well hopefully I can get out of the bed in the morning. Well it shouldn't be that bad really.

That's about it for now.

Take care.


OCTOBER 4, 2004

3.30 am

News updated
Four new reviews added

Should I again said that the reviews are lousy ;) well they really are. And I always end up reviewing the albums I love the most. So I think I need more hearts soon, because I run out of them. Someone should sent some "listcrap" or Radiohead's Kid A (hehe) for me, so I could trash some records. Well I don't think I could do that. I know I'm too kind for being a good reviewer. I don't have the heart to trash anything. Therefore I use those hearts too. So it's kind of an emotion meter and not just the typical 5 stars thing. It's enough for me, if the record moves or touches me. This is not a typical music website anyway. There's no knowledge, there's only heart. A really weak heart, but still a heart. It might not be enough, but it's all I got to give.

But if my weak heart keeps praising music, I should make a database. These lousy reviews get buried too soon with the current method. I even thought of letting that Sister Flo review stay on top, but a guess then some might not notice the new ones. Well I add this to my "To do-list". Too bad nothing gets ever crossed out (that last bit was stolen from someone much cooler than me. I hope everything goes well in England)

Take care. Climb a tree and follow the stars

and last sentence by Circulatory System

OCTOBER 2, 2004

6 am

No updates. I wrote a bit, but mostly I was just listening to Circulatory System. That album is just a flow of beautiful music. A fairytale, a dream. Elephant 6 collective have created lots of wonderful music, but nothing I've heard compares to this. Neutral Milk Hotel's masterwork In an Aeroplane over The Sea don't come even close. And that is one amazing album too. You just can't stop this once you've hitted the play button and this is the fourth night in a row when I've ended up listening to it through. And one time per night has not been enough. And I mean only listening to it. Doing nothing else. Ok, so I have way too much time to live in a dream. Even in someone else's dream.

Elephant 6 Website
Circulatory System info

But the reason to write this entry was to say that there are two songs from Sister Flo's album available now on their website. So if you haven't yet heard Sister Flo's music, now is your chance. So go, listen, fall in love and then buy one for yourself and a dozen more for your loved ones as an early christmas present.

Sister Flo Website

Take care. The foolishness that we create through love is the closest we come to greatness.

(that last sentence is just a title of a song by Airport Girl)

OCTOBER 1, 2004

6.30 pm

News updated (Kevin and Office Building news)
Kevin discography updated

This was just a quick entry here in the middle of the evening. Don't know if I write more during the night. Yes, almost all the progress on this website still happens between 1 am and 4 am. At least I'm going to finish those couple of reviews I've started sometime during the weekend. But if I don't do them tonight it will go until sunday evening/night. Tomorrow JYP-Kärpät and Kevin-Ultramariini will keep me busy.

Take care


SEPTEMBER 30, 2004

3 am

no updates.

Nice to see that great foreign online indieshops have Le Futur Pompiste's record already in stock. At least canadian Pop Polar + Tone Vendor and Darla in the states have the album. It's even on Darla's top sellers list as a number 10. Don't know do you have to sell many copies to get there, but it's cool anyway because they sell only very good music. Plus there's one song in mp3 format on Darla's site if you want to hear a sample. Sounds totally wonderful to me. Now, will I wait until Stupido has it or do I use Pop Polar which have amazingly fast service (last order came in 5 days and there was weekend in between). Well a guess it might be a bit stupid to buy finnish pop music from Canada.

Today I've been mostly listening to Postal Blue's debut album International Breeze. It's not so surprising that also Postal Blue plays soft and beautiful indiepop. Many of the bands I recommend seem to do so. Lovely material again from this brazilian pop group. This might be even a bit too sweet in an album length. But good stuff definitely. Often compared to Sarah Records bands such as Orchids. Perhaps I should try to learn more about brazilian pop music. I only know two bands, Postal Blue and Pale Sunday..and both are really good.

Postal Blue Website
Album's info page at Shelflife records (inc. Stand and stare mp3 from the album)
Pale Sunday Website

and other than that I've been listening to awful lot of Death Cab for Cutie. Just trying to convince you that I don't just listen to cute and cuddly music...oh well.. heck with it.. The Relict's Tomorrow Is Again is still the most beautiful album right now.

Next update sometime on friday probably. Well it's a must actually because Kevin's album will be released then and that definitely deserves to be mentioned.

Take care

SEPTEMBER 29, 2004

3 am

Some "reviews" added
Some gigs added (like next FOTM-dates)
Some links added
Whatever updated
A bit of tuning on radio/clubs thing. but a guess this should be either removed or completely rewritten. Same goes to the labels thingy (at least I should add Delphic, Gashopper, If Society and others).

Still plenty of reviews missing. I added six now, but I noticed I still need to review something like 15 albums or singles if I want to get reviewed even most of the 2004 stuff I've bought or received since june or so. At least a few more will appear before the end of the week. I'm so fucking ashamed that Rollstons and Mikuli Hansen reviews are still missing. And just because it's turning into a habit when speaking about reviews I need to say this. All those six reviews are really lousy. I wanted to make a good Sister Flo review, but I ended up just staring the monitor for an hour. How come music always give you a range of thoughts, echoes and emotions while listening to it with your eyes closed on the floor, but when you jump up you just can't put that feeling to your writings. But a guess you don't need me saying how wonderful it is. The fact that Sister Flo rules is probably common knowledge they already teach in the kindergarden nowadays..

And so that the new links I added won't go unnoticed I'll put them here too. These are worth checking out.

Delphic Recordings Website

The label founded by Nick Triani and Jyrki Tuovinen. The current roster is Sister Flo, Astrid Swan and Manboy. And you'll find the Delphic's Production side from the same link.

Ethel Suspense Website

I mentioned this band earlier when I was wondering whether they are back or not. Well they are back, a new demo is out and all the songs from that one and the earlier one are available on their website which is not yet ready though

Cheerleaders United

Just noticed that these guys have a website too. And the album is also coming out within a month or two. Some early samples I heard sounded really good. Looking forward to the album.

Hey. What is this big deal with Interpol. The finnish music mags seem to really love Antics. Should I love them too. I never know these hyped artists. Strokes were alright but not good enough, I don't know a thing about Rapture, Franz Ferdinand have some great moments but one single is enough for me. Well Thrills made a really good debut (is the new one worth buying). But a guess I need to check out Interpol. These real music mags don't give full points as easily as I do. Although I won't rush into record stores yet. And I do know that Turn on the Bright Lights is a really important album for many indie kids. I just have been living in a closet listening to acoustic softness or cute indiepop. So better not listen to anything I say. I know nothing.

But who gives a shit about music anyway. Football manager's beta demo is out and available for download. Another version of the most addictive game ever. Sleepless nights ahead of me. Or perhaps I can wait until the game is out. Or perhaps I can't. Well I know I can't.

Take care



SEPTEMBER 24, 2004

2 am

News updated
Le Futur Pompiste discography updated

It's a home game day tomorrow and after that I probably go to Keuruu for the weekend. So you may stop hitting the refresh button and go wherever your heart takes you. There won't be anything happening here for a couple of days. But I do have computer there, so the plan is to write something there. I really should get those Sister Flo, Rollstons etc reviews done while there. Somehow I always end up in trouble with albums that are significant and really count, because I'm not able to write reviews those would deserve. What can I say about a song like Guillotine. There's no words to describe how much I love that song. At least there aren't in my english vocabulary. But you've heard this all before. Like a week ago. So let's not turn this into a whiner's bio again..

Should I finally jump into the Jens Lekman bandwagon. There's obviously too much hype going on around him, especially now when the album is also out in the states. But a guess he might be one of the few who actually deserves it, because he does have some great songs. And his website rules..or I might just be pleased there are still pages worse than this. But in a way I like it and especially his comments in the diary where he said that lots of web designers had contacted him and said it looks horribly ugly.

Jens Lekman Website

And here's tonight's soundtrack aka songs that make the world brighter right now.

Sister Flo: Guillotine
Saturday Looks Good To Me: We Can't Work It Out
Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism
The Relict: Letters (or any other one)
Saint Etienne: Hobart Paving
Circulatory System: Joy
Dump: Clarity
Coastal: Her Reflection in Chrome
Acetone: Stray
Low: Sunflower

Some old, some new faves. All are beautiful, some are sad. Another night of listening to only songs like these. Is that healthy in the long run? Well don't know. But at least they give me some temporary comfort and warmness. Sometimes that's all you need.

But next update on sunday at earliest. Might go until next week.

Take care.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2004

2 am

News updated.

Tonight, the soundtrack for my dreams is The Relict. So very quiet, so very sweet. Well what can you expect from a london-based collective which is founded by ex-clientele member Innes Phillips and there's people like Alasdair from Clientele, and Lupe from Pipas appearing on the record. The music is very soft and quiet indiepop. Very much like The Clientele. But sometimes it feels that The Relict might be even better than Clientele..

The Relict Website

And the new Saturday Looks Good To Me album also arrived to my doorstep, but haven't yet had the time to really focus on it. Interesting to hear what have Fred Thomas come up with after wonderful All Your Summer Songs. At least there are again trumpets, saxophones, clarinets, glockenspiels, cellos, violins, harps, harmonicas, organs... and several vocalists on the record, so it should be at least very interesting. But the bloke does seem like modern day pop genius, so he might have been able to make it all work again.

Saturday Looks Good To Me Website

Christ, I sound like a bloody snob who always praises some weird indiebands and never give any credit for mainstream stuff. I apologize. I just know very little about indiebands, but I don't know anything about actually popular music, because I don't watch TV or listen to radio (or when I do it's some indieshow like 8 1/2).

Take care.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2004

5 am (so why on earth I am still awake)

No updates

The trip to Helsinki went fine. Kings Of Convenience were great and I didn't even manage to spend all my savings on records. Best find was Skindeep by The Forresters for 2 euros. Hard to beat that price. And it's a really good record if you happen to like a mixture of alt.country and Teenage Fanclub inspired power pop. It's an australian group led by Anthony Bautovich from Orange Humble Band and last year the album featured on many top ten lists compiled by powerpop freaks. And easy to see why. Very good songs, lovely harmonies, not million miles away from something like Grand Drive for example. Nothing that will change your world, just damn good and beautiful country pop.

Forresters Website

But a guess I should now get back to the updating process. Meanwhile check out new finnish duo Bookends. They come from Rovaniemi and play gentle pop music. Well their name might already give you clues about what to expect. You can download all the songs and the artwork for their ep titled Lovechainletter from their website. And it's definitely worth downloading.

Bookends Website

Take care

SEPTEMBER 18, 2004

1 am

Updated:

- Gigs
- Upcoming releases thingy
- Puny (new photo added, and I know that the description should be updated too, that is the case with several other ones like Wojciech, TV-Resistori, Tigerbombs..well basicly with all who have released something during the last four months or so. I try to fix those in the near future)
- Treeball, Sister Flo, Jukka Takalo, Office Building discographies updated
- Some new links added
- Five new and lousy reviews about great albums added

(Sister Flo, Rollstons and plenty of others aren't there yet, I seem to have a huge pile to review.. I try to be more active on that sector. Eventhough I kind of hate it, because I haven't been pleased with anyone of the reviews I've written. Not anyone of them seem to hold any information, only my own ridicilous and emotional and feel-based opinions. Not to mention I only give good grades, but a guess part of the reason for that is that I buy most of the albums I review.. plus of course I'm a music fan not a critic.. a guess I should change it to something like Opinions instead of reviews. Or then the reason why I think none of the reviews is even half-decent is that I don't even have a self esteem and don't generally believe in myself in anything, haha)

But in the morning I'll jump to bus or train and go to Helsinki to see Marian Valinta, Samae and Kings of Convenience. It should be fun. See ya there.

And two games, two wins...that sounds like more like heaven to me than any pop music..

and 116 visitors yesterday. Scary..

Take care.


SEPTEMBER 17, 2004

2 am

News updated.
Whatever updated.

Just thought I throw that in now. Some other things, like pointless reviews also coming up before I head on to Helsinki. Nothing to look forward to though. Well there never is. And still the number of visitors keeps rising all the time. People are weird.

After that last craptalk entry I ended on Edith Frost's website and noticed that there is a free, internet only album of her demos available for download (artwork and mp3s). I only have the second album Telescopic which is really good.. and so are these demos. It's not pop, but very beautiful songs nevertheless. My kind of stuff definitely. Quiet, soft country singer-songwriter material. And Jim O'Rourke producer her debut and she has work with Songs:Ohia too. But let's not start that namedropping. Edith is my kind of countrygirl. Who cares with whom she has worked with. Beautiful country music. Sure these are only demos, but it doesn't matter for my lo-fi heart. Sometimes I prefer demos.

Here's the album

And the season started. So life is sweet again. But more sometime tomorrow.

Take care.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2004

8 pm

News updated

The bigger update of the week will probably be on the website sometime on friday. It will take that long because I probably don’t manage to do enough tonight and tomorrow I’ll be a nervous wreck who can’t concentrate on anything before the game.

Seems like I’m indeed going to Helsinki this weekend. Sunday is certain if the nice person who went to pick up the ticket for me, didn't have any unexpected problems. In a way saturday would still be even more important, because I would love to see Marian Valinta (and yes Samae too. After all he is the nicest boy on the planet, but luckily I’ve already seen him play several times) But I'm not yet 100 % sure do I manage to find a place to stay for that night. Because I’m not sure do I wan’t to bother my relatives in the middle of the night. A guess it’s about time to end up in Helsinki too. It’s been over a year since the last visit. And if you see a country kid/man/loser/whatever looking completely lost in the big city, feel free to either tap me on the shoulder and say hi or hit me with a baseball bat and tell me to go back to the countryside where I belong. I would prefer the first one of those two. Looking forward to the trip although it will end up being quite expensive. At least if I end up in record stores. Nothing good will ever come with that. So Stupido, Fennica and all the other ones could do me favor and close their doors for a day or two.

Finished writing that list of records I own. Thank god it didn’t yet hit 1000 titles all together, but unfortunately it wasn’t very far. What could I have done with all that money. And the saddest thing was that writing that list made me even more aware of the all the huge holes in my record shelf that I would like to fill.

The first half of Papa M’s album Whatever Mortal is quite stunning. Last night I didn't dreamt I was architecht but instead I listened to that + Iron & Wine + Edith Frost. And I do love that kind of material too. It's not just pop for me.

Papa M Website
Iron & Wine Website
Edith Frost Website

Number of visitors keeps rising so steadily that it's almost scary. Getting close to a hundred per day (98 and 97 during the last two days). Should I finally stop this sometimes way too personal and emotional craptalk. Well you know I won't. Sorry..

Take care. When your heart is ready, you may hear it sing.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2004

11 pm

A weekend round-up. Nothing more. But friday was the last work day so that means that now I have more than enough time to a) fill job applications b) get this website into a decent shape c) listen to hundreds of beautiful songs d) feel sad, lonely and broken. Anyway, I'm going to dedicate a few days for this website once I finished this project of writing a list of records I own. Then somewhere between tuesday and thursday I promise to work my ass off with this useless website and perhaps make a little trip to Helsinki after that. Although it kind of depends of things like a) are there tickets left for Kings of Convenience concert..eventhough in some sick way the main target would be to see Marian Valinta on saturday, I've seen Erlend play, I've never seen Ilja play b) do I find a place to stay. It might be fun to travel a bit, because now I actually have the money and time to do so. Perhaps stopping at Tampere too for example. Or then I might just stay here, sing the saddest songs and be happy.

Kickstart festival was a blast. Well Saturday was, Friday wasn't. I had no chance of seeing Office Building because they played at 21.30. I can't understand that. I know they are bigger in my heart than elsewhere, but surely they would have deserved a better time to play their set. Wasted and Nieminen & Litmanen were good in their own thing, but are not actually meant for me. And I just couldn't take more than about two songs from the last band of the night. Dunno why I even stayed for that long. But then on saturday things were better. In fact everything was great. Good music and lovely friends are everything you need sometimes. Sister Flo was again brilliant and Lemonator brought lots of old memories to surface and made me again realize how huge influence they had for me and the development of music taste back in the late 90's. Needless to say, that the band is still in great shape, if not better than ever before, and I loved their show.

An obligatory band recommendation. It's hard not to get interested if a Melbourne-based indie band is called Architecture in Helsinki. I ended up on their website several months ago and really liked their stuff, but never bought the album. Now thanks to the awesome dutch indiesite Think Small, I remembered the album again and I think this time I'm not able to resist the band anymore. There's couple of videos available if you are interested. At least the animation "Like A Call" is just brilliant.

Architecture In Helsinki Website
Here are the music videos

Another record that I would like to have is Album Leaf's latest "In A Safe Place" (although I have to hold my horses from now on, because I don't know how long this unemployment will last). There's also a great music video "On Your Way" on their/his website.

Album Leaf Website

Woohoo! Getting excited about the upcoming hockey game. No, I don't mean the world cup final. That's great too, but quite frankly if I would have to choose either Finland winning the World Cup or JYP winning the first game of the season on thursday, I would without a doubt take JYP's win. World Cup is just a bit of warm up before the really interesting games start. But a guess I promised not to bother you with hockey before the season is in the final stage..

Oh and the only positive thing about working until 10 pm was to drive back home through a dark and beautiful city listening to Sister Flo's new album. Came to conclusion that perhaps Guillotine is the most perfect song on the album...or are there different levels of perfectness...

Take care.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2004

midnight

Some gigs updated
Tink & Lemonator discographies updated
A really good Sister Flo photograph added to their page
A few new links added
Whatever updated


If Society's website seem to contain one song from the upcoming Echo Is Your Love album. Check that out.

If Society Website

Still going very slow here. Well perhaps it either gets better after a week or then I lose the rest of my self belief and let this completely die. One week of work left and then I have to find something else to do. Perhaps I should finally gather a group, hijack radio jyväskylä and turn it to something like Radio Helsinki. Anyway, too bad the last week is an evening shift. It gets pretty tight to get in time to Kickstart festival on friday (not to mention missing Armenia-Suomi football game on wednesday). Well Office Building better not play early in the evening. Luckily most of the other artist I love to see play on saturday night. That will be one awesome evening with Sister Flo, Magyar Posse, Lemonator, Tigerbombs etc. Looking forward to that.

This Circulatory System's album is just beyond beauty. Surely I shouldn't love it so much because there's plenty of weird things, sound collages, experimenting, loads of psychedelia, song structure isn't actually "normal". And usually I love simple things. But a guess there's plenty of that too in vocal harmonies that might be too much for cynics ("You can still believe in joy, even in a world that's full of hate" or "We will live forever and you know it's true"). Definitely my favorite album at the moment along with The Rollstons and Sister Flo. That Circulatory System's self-titled album was already released few years ago. So it's not a new one. I just seem to always find these late. Pitchfork seem to have given it a 9,5 out of 10 in their review, so a guess I'm not the only one who likes it.

Label's infopage about Circulatory System
http://www.elephant6.net/mpeg/cloudreplace.mov (music video/short film/animation)
Pitchfork's Review

Dunno why I'm praising these bands here. I should focus on things that matter like Finnish pop. Noone is interested about which weird indierunkkuneverheard artist/album filled my heart with warmness on some particular day. Still I cannot help it and must also say that Saturday Looks Good To Me's previous album All Your Summer Songs sounded even more perfect than I remembered when I listened it through a few times after preordering that upcoming album. That Fred Thomas really is a modern pop writing/arranging/producing genius. A song here and there don't do justice, but the whole album really stands out. Might even work for those who don't actually like pop music that much. Looking forward to get the new album.

But enough of this bullshit.

Take care. Don't let love pass you by, you can only blame yourself if you don't try

SEPTEMBER 2, 2004

11.30 pm

News updated

New The Rollstons Website

If you are interested about emo rock, you might want to check out Jermaine. I listened their EP once with miklap at turku. So don't know much about them, but it sounded quite alright to me.

Jermaine Website

Moving on to other great countries. The new Saturday Looks Good To Me album is around the corner. A true must have album for me. And should be that to everyone. You can check out a song titled The Girl's Distracted from the upcoming album on the Polyvinyl's website. Out on september 15th (not that this has even a chance of being the best album released on that day. I mean how could anything be better than Sister Flo's album)

Saturday Looks Good To Me Website
Polyvinyl Records Website

Circulatory System's song called Joy has been playing in my head all day. I kept singing that during the whole work day today. Extremely beautiful stuff by Olivia Tremor Control's Will Curt Hallen.

Also Masters of Hemisphere and Holiday have currently a place in the playlist of my heart.

Take care


AUGUST 31, 2004

11 pm

Important things first:

Kings Of Convenience to Finland
Four Tet to Finland

Also a few other gigs added like Flavour Of The Month's 6th year anniversary (I would love to see Pocket Knife there, but kickstart festival here in Jyväskylä is unfortunately on the same weekend)

Turku trip went fine and I had plenty of fun. Like I always have when I'm there. Thanks to Laplanders and JK & Tiina for places to stay. Also thanks to The Sugarrush for dedicating a song for me with that so-called vittuiluvälispiikki. Just a practice game boys. Just a practise game...

Take care

AUGUST 26, 2004

11.30 pm

"but I ended up just like them, the people I despise, the people who never make a difference and never get anything done" -Airliner

Well I don't despise anyone (except myself occasionally) but hey, when did I became so fucking lazy and don't get anything done. Anyway. Time for the trip to Turku. See ya there.

Take care.

AUGUST 22, 2004

2 pm

Nothing updated. Just needed to praise The Like Young. I don't actually like rock, but this blows my sick mind away (And someone said that you should listen to rock, when you are sick, it helps, well perhaps it did, because I'm starting to feel better.) Anyway, Short songs, awful lot of fun, Weezer is a band that the "namedroppers" seem to want to compare them to. The band consists of just one married couple but they can make a lot of noise and really good songs. Well they made excellent music already in an indie band called Wolfie in the 90's ("I know, I know, I know" by Wolfie still rules) so a guess it's no wonder that this sounds so damn good too. I already went and ordered the debut. The second and probably even better album came out in january. Both released by the excellent Parasol records.

http://www.sweetthunder.com/TLY/TLY_OutToGetMe.mov (a great video, a great song)

http://www.thelikeyoung.com

Take care, You must have for every tear drop, a smile for someone

(+ that useless whatever section updated later in the evening..and I've watched that 1.10 long Like Young music video today probably something like 30 times. A damn good song..or then it might be that the girl is just way too cute....ok..the boy is too..so it's a cute couple making really wonderful music..)

AUGUST 20, 2004

4 pm

News updated with info about the new Tink ep.

Ok. So perhaps it was not that wise to work being a bit sick. Because now I'm really sick and there was no chance of going to work today. So the fever keeps rising, but how can I still not feel good when I have an advance cdr of the upcoming Sister Flo album playing in my stereo. Viola is probably the only one that have caused the same first impression this year. Even "God" didn't send as much shivers through my spine with his bloody marvellous album.

I apologize if there was even more "broken english" in this entry than usual. Just needed to make a quick update eventhough the state I am in, isn't actually perfect. Well better to be sick now then next week when I'm going to Turku. I might miss a Janne Laurila concert tomorrow though, if the fever doesn't go away before that. That would be a shame eventhough I've seen him play probably well over twenty times.

Take care

AUGUST 17, 2004

11 pm

The Rollstons discography updated
A few gigs added
Eugen added to Finnish band links (Rabbits is a really good song btw, available on their website)

Today, I've been mostly listening to Taping Trees, The new album by The Rollstons. It's a damn good album. No doubt about that. Well done boys. Still waiting to hear Mikuli Hansen's solo effort. Other than that I've been listening to awful lot of Mates Of State. Organ, drums and vocals. What else do you need. Well this California based duo doesn't need much more. Especially "I Have Space" from the debut and "The Kissaway" from the latest album are wonderful songs.

Mates Of State Website

I think I'm sick. The Lucksmiths should change that great song T-Shirt weather to something like Pitkät kalsarit weather. It's been bloody cold in the mornings and a guess I didn't dress properly, because I can feel the fever rising. This is just not the time to be sick. I've been getting paid to do basicly nothing for a week and it would just not be fair for the employer to take a sick holiday now when we can finally continue to do things we are supposed to do. We are so fucking late in the schedule. So hopefully the fever stays away. A bit of sore throat doesn't matter that much. Well it's just three days to the weekend. And guess who's in town again. Man with the green guitar with beautiful music in his heart and plenty of hockey statistics in his head. Mr. Janne Laurila surely plays often in this city, but I'm not complaining. Then next week it's time for the Turku trip.

I saw four football games last weekend. All of them were rather boring. That will not be the case tomorrow. Who gives a shit about the olympics, as long as Finland wins the game tomorrow. It will be difficult though, but one got to believe at this stage. I was kind of pissed of that in today's urheiluruutu someone said that the minimun goal is fourth place. For christ sake...

But I think I'll pass out within a few seconds. 5.4.3.2.1....

Take care.

AUGUST 11, 2004

midnight

News, releases updated

How come the evenings fly by so fast? Well a guess sleeping four hours after work might have something to do with that. Bugger.

No pop right now. Tonight's soundtrack is Spain. The band not the country. Found a cheap used copy of their debut Blue Moods Of Spain, which was the one that I didn't have yet (well there is a compilation, but it's rather stupid to buy compilations anyway and it's incredibly stupid if you have all the albums). So now I finally heard Spiritual. Probably one of the best known songs from them (if any of their songs is actually known by anyone). I liked it although I'm not quite sure is it that healthy for me to listen Josh Haden singing "Jesus, I don't want to die alone" over and over again for seven minutes..haha. But I do really love Spain in small portions. Sometimes even an album might be too much at once, but it's the perfect music for sunday mornings after a few nights of not-so-healthy life. Beautiful, tender and moody.

Spain Fansite

Take care.

AUGUST 9, 2004

midnight

Gigs, reviews, releases, whatever updated

Been listening to a lot of this singer-songwriter bloke called Kevin Devine lately. I should take a closer look on his music. He might have something there that will heal or break me. Not that far from Bright Eyes for example.

Kevin Devine Website

Tonight's Wratten quote:

"Applying the brakes may well protect you;
boundaries in place will keep a heart safe.
But I think love should come with madness,
that there is no road you should not take.
Surviving isn't everything:
I'd rather drown than not dive in.
But what does it matter what I think?"

The song is of course Maybe After All by Trembling Blue Stars. Some would say that it's just stupid and extremely naiive, but I just love it. I nearly needed to stop and cry when that song floated from car speakers the other day (I make these mix-cds for car trips, then lose them and make another one). A simple song, simple lyrics but it still moves me. "You wanted love you could live without"...

Take care, close the curtains and dream all night (or was it day).


AUGUST 9, 2004

3 pm

Howdee. A quick weekend round up. A couple of reviews and updated gig calendar late in the evening once I've added some links to them. I wasn't able to do that before because my internet connection didn't want to work after friday evening. Apparently there was something wrong with Funet and of course they didn't fix it before monday. A terrible few days it was. Oh well.. my net addiction ain't that bad that I couldn't live without it for a while although I do spend too much time emailing and reading all kind of music and sport forums. At least I finally had the time do something more sensible like adding a couple of extra shelves for my record shelf..heh.. Too bad half of the extra space will be instantly filled with records that are around the place. Now if someone would just put them all to alphabetical order and made a some kind of list out of them. I'm just too lazy...

The long-waited Maryland concert was really marvellous on friday night. They just get better and better..

(that "long-waited" was a sort of inside joke. I heard about the gig when I got a text message from friends who asked whether I was going or not approximately 9.40 pm on friday evening. I'm losing my "pop credibility" in their eyes. I kept hearing about it all night and I'm guessing that might continue. I mean here I am trying to make some kind of finnish pop site and then friends who are not music fanatics need to inform me about "home town" concerts. Shame on me. Somehow I just forgot to check out Bar 68's gig calendar, because it's been so rock-orientated lately. The boys were so stunned about me not knowing about the concert that they swore that they'll never read this website again. But if you didn't keep your promise, thanks for the information. The concert was a blast and it would have been a shame to miss it.)

But now a bit of sleep after work and then a bit of football.

Take care.

AUGUST 6, 2004

1 am

Hang Ups! They kind of destroyed my evening plans, I've been listening to them all night. Their "So We Go" album seem to be a guitar pop classic that I've totally managed to miss before this evening. Well a guess it's great that there are always hundreds of bands/albums you don't know anything about that are capable of touching you. Well after spending a long while on this page, I didn't need to think whether or not I'm going to buy it. So a used copy is hopefully soon heading towards my apartment. And I took a bit of Sixth Great Lake to go with them (a sort of country band with members of Essex Green, a great band this Essex Green also). Other than that I've been mostly listening to cute and cuddly girl pop such as All Girl Summer Fun Band, Birdie, California Snow Story, Le Coupe, Marine Research, Shermans, Cat's Miaow...

But on to the bigger updates during the weekend. I think I have enough time to write stuff while trying to avoid the ralliurpos that have taken over the city. Bloody hell. It's 1 am and I have to get up at 5 am. Even with my lousy math skills that doesn't seem to left much time for sleep. Well one can always figth through one friday. It's even the last shitty work day. After that rest of the summer job is so much easier, because we don't have to lift those bloody things with our hands anymore. And after a month of lifting over 10 000 kg each day, that sounds like the best thing ever. It's very likely that the job continues for further two weeks after that original 20th of august, so seems like there won't be any poppikerho for me, but everyone from Tampere must go there. And Turku trip on the 27th-28th is still definitely in plans. But now to sleep.

Take care. From my window, I can see everything, especially the stars at night.

AUGUST 3, 2004

11 pm

just a quickie before going to bed with nothing meaningful..more to come probably on thursday..maybe tomorrow..if we don't play football..

First. If someone is planning to take part into that rock thriathlon, there's been some minor changes because of the environmental disaster (=it's been raining too much). Read more here.

The rally, I totally forgot the bloody rally. I got to get away. This city gets pretty crowded. Well actually because of work, I can't get out in time, so I just better lock myself into this apartment for the weekend. Or go to Tulvafest or take part in Rock thriathlon..Well Turku trip in late august will have to do.

If you want to go know some stats. Here you go. In july there were 1840 visitors from 31 different countries. So average is around 60 visitors in a day (weekends 30-50, weekdays 60-85). Which I think is a pretty good amount for a lousy site with zero promoting or advertising (and I don't want to start doing that).

Still very much in love with The Arrogants. It's causing me sleepless nights. I can easily agree with mr. Bob Wratten (Trembling Blue Stars, Field Mice, Northern Picture Library) who said that there's something in Jane Wittren's voice that he really adores. In a way, there's nothing that spectacular, but there's just something in this dream pop that really moves me. Those stripped-down hidden tracks are just too much for my romantic heart. Just that voice singing the same words over and over again...."I don't know if you ever save my soul, I just know that when I feel this way, I never wanna let you, never wanna let you go"..simple and beautiful. Just the way I wan't it. Like I said before, all the songs from their two cd-eps can be downloaded from their website. Still I need to buy that slightly newer ep also. No doubt about that.

The Arrogants Website

Also listened Clientele's Fading Summer cdep few times today and it again got me thinking about how come that ep is so much better than anything other they've done (well at least what I've heard..A new CDEP "Ariadne" was actually released by spanish Acuarela just a while ago, haven't heard that one either). Don't get me wrong, the albums are really good too. This A Fading Summer -EP is just simply magical and contains one of my all-time favourite songs, Saturday. A guess everyone doesn't like it. Was it Pitchfork's review that thought it was total crap. But for me, it's one of the songs I adore the most and the lyrics are just so so very beautiful...

"and in your arms i watched the stars
ascend and sweep a loneliness away for a while
your fingers white and locked in mine
i kiss your face i kiss your eyes until
they turn to me and softly smile

and empty hearted i walked on
the river flowing to the song
of the evening in the darkness and the rain
the christmas lights were far down stream
the wind so lonely and unreal
i saw your face and i thought you were a dream

but when i saw your eyes what could i do?
what could i say, my love?
your kisses they will hide away the stars"

Take care


AUGUST 1, 2004

midnight

News updated
Lek band page updated
Flannelmouth discography updated (I notice I hadn't added the new single yet)
that useless Finnish releases 2004 thingy updated (still some releases are missing probably)

Other than that I started writing some reviews. At least Puny, Hundred Million Martians and Paul James Berry reviews will end up on this crappy site sometime during the week. Maybe more.

The weekend was mostly spent by watching the rain from the window and listening to the Shelflife discs that finally came in the mail on friday. There's a sale going on at Shelflife records. I ordered this bunch almost two months ago, but obviously I saved more by choosing the surface shipping. How stupid is it that one can waste a fortune on cds just like that, but then needs to save something like 5 euros by choosing a slower and cheaper shipping method and needs to wait two months instead 1-2 weeks. Airmail rules. Anyway, great records. Shelflife equals quality indiepop. Le Coupe album and Arrogants ep especially are really wonderful. I still don't have the newest Shelflife release, Postal Blue's album, but I need to fix that and order it soon. Ei nimittäin voi olla huono.

Shelflife Records Website

Other than that I've been trying to fill a few holes in my indiepop education. There's still plenty of classics missing from my tiny record shelf. I came to conclusion that I just can't live without Cat's Miaow. Also Winter Pageant album will soon complete my The Softies discography. Talulah Gosh's Backwash should drop to my mailbox any day now. Lines & Color by Kissing Book is probably something that's been missing from my life. Been wanting that for ages. I still don't have Brighter's single compilation (I should almost be ashamed about this). My Lucksmiths collection has only two albums (I should be even more ashamed about this..) Good thing that indiepop records don't cost much (less than 10 euros often). Still I should stop buying them. That 300 euros I gained by selling records/dvds that I don't need anymore was supposed to cover my music need for a long long time and now it seems I've blown a third of it in a week. I should really really get a life..well actually I think I need a second life so that I'm able to find the time to listen all of the stuff I buy. A sick hobby this is.

Take care.

AUGUST 1, 2004

2 am

News updated
Upcoming release thingy updated (if there is some false information or some release is missing, feel free to tell me about it)
A few new links added to all the link pages
Le Futur Pompiste & Lek concert added to gig section

A few other things should be on the site on late sunday or monday, because I'm gonna dedicate a few hours to this website on sunday. Probably won't get far, but some minor things at least.

Hey where'd the summer go. It was like warm and sunny for about a week. Was that the whole bloody summer? It's been raining a fucking lot since that. Not very nice. I really thought the weather couldn't get any worse this summer, but a guess it could.

Take care


JULY 27, 2004

11 pm

News, Gigs, Whatever updated

Should I make a conclusion that Ethel Suspense is active band again. I haven't heard much about them since the demo I bought back in was it something like 1999. I really liked the demo though and always wanted to hear more. Now I stumbled across their guestbook message at the other finnish indiepopsite Indiepopmusic.tk. So they seem to have some songs at mikseri. I'm not sure are they new songs, but at least I haven't heard them before. Recommended stuff definitely. A good guitar/power pop band. I think some of them are originally from Ylivieska or thereabouts. At least I've been talking about them with the other ylivieska popsters also known as Cartoon Tree.

Ethel Suspense at Mikseri.net

The weekend was a nice one. I saw Laurila-Jaatinen duo twice and Ville Härkönen solo concert twice. First at Vakiopaine Jyväskylä and then in the middle of nowhere at Luomusa festival. I really loved the concerts like I always do. I've seen them so many times, but I can never get bored when they are on stage. A bit of hockey talk obviously occured during the two evenings/nights, heh. That happens every time. But a guess it's good to know that I'm not the only hockey freak among the finnish popsters. Ville Leinonen & Valumo was also great at Luomusa, but I think everyone knows that without me saying it. So enough about the weekend.

Take care

(minor addition a half an hour later, which was spent listening to Soft Set. A pop band from Texas. Wonderful stuff. Falls somewhere between Velvet underground's softer material and 80's pop bands like Felt and Go-Betweens according to their website and that might be rather accurate. At least that song called "Christmas Lights" is so VU meets indiepop. I think I need their latest album...

Soft Set Website )


JULY 22, 2004

10.30 pm

Lek added to band section. That's all. It's indeed been too warm and sunny for "computer stuff".

On your way to the beach, be sure to pop into a record store and pick up Soft Commands (well Stupido might be one of the few who actually have it). My copy arrived finally on tuesday and oh dear oh dear. I'm totally wrong guy to recommend music that Ken Stringfellow have made, because I love everything his done (well half of Sounds Like Goodbye was crap..but not the song called Too True which is perfect...and Twin Princess wasn't that great either) and I knew I was I going to love Soft Commands even before hearing one chord. Just beautiful pop compositions and soft and clean production. Songs like Je Vous En Prie and Known Diamond are just incredible.

"It's so unfair
the stars they just hang there
they never say nothing to me"
(Je vous en prie)

And tomorrow Janne Laurila and Laura Jaatinen at Vakiopaine. God I need that after another week of this "zero brain activity needed" summerjob of mine. I must have seen Janne Laurila/OB concerts two times more than from any other artist, but still he is always able to move the romantic core of my heart (in a non-gay way..haha). Still haven't decided will I go to see him and Härkönen+Leinonen+Luukkonen to Tuuri as well on saturday. A guess I might. A bit of Soft Commands and sunny pop music to car stereo and to the road.

Take care

JULY 19, 2004

9.30 pm

Some upcoming gigs for the next month and a half added.

What has happened to me. Janne Laurila was playing at Vakiopaine on the 12th of july and I missed it. Just totally bloody forgot it. How can that happen. I should be ashamed. I blame the work thing..well I've seen him probably few dozen times so a guess it wasn't such a big loss. And his here again on friday playing with Laura Jaatinen at Vakiopaine. I got a bit interested about this Luomusa festival which is at Tuuri during the weekend. It's very likely that I will be driving towards that direction (aka Keuruu, because if it's sunny, I won't be staying here in this huge city..heh) on saturday anyway, so perhaps I should just continue a bit further and go there. That road trip might be fun.

Plenty of other cool things are coming up like Tulvafest and the first ever poppikerho. Someone should fix something interesting for the 26th of august to Tampere or Turku. Because If I'm able to (means that if this job ends on 20th of august like it's supposed to and I haven't found a new one yet), I'm definitely going to go to Tampere on the 25th to Poppikerho (Sister Flo, TV-respa) and continue to Turku on the 27th to see The Sugarrush. Then there would of course be TV-Respa again on the 28th in Turku. Just needs something for the 26th :)

But now time to listen through these seven Yellow Mica Recordings cdr discs I bought and got in the mail today. The song called "My Best Friend" by The Javelins still rules so much indeedo. Some proper updates hopefully coming before the weekend. Well hopefully not actually. Because if it stays sunny, I definitely won't spend much time making this. After all there has been like two warm days this summer..

Take care

JULY 18, 2004

10.30 pm

News updated

No other progress. Week just flew by and the weekend was just too sunny and beautiful to waste in front of a computer. It seemed much more appealing to drive to the countryside, swim, sit on a pier/grass/whereever and listen to sunshine pop. Too bad I also noticed that I definitely need more sunshine pop when I spend the weekend listening to artists like Chad & Jeremy, Association, Free Design, Sagittarius. Just so beautiful music. I think I should explore that more, because my knowledge about the whole genre is pretty far from good. I mean I've only heard a few songs from artists like Wendy & Bonnie, Eternity's Children, Yellow Balloon, Sunshine Company, Millennium etc etc and I feel that they might be able to bring so much warmness to my heart and smiles to my face. Perhaps I should invest a bit of my hard earned money to sunshine pop before the summer is over. At least Sundazed records have reissued plenty of that stuff.

Seems like I need to go to Turku on 27th of august to see The Sugarrush. Albeit they would also be in Mikkeli next friday and that isn't very far. But Stoppari and Mikkeli sounds like a scary combination..too scary..so I won't go..heh.(I was in the army in Mikkeli and hated every second of it, and stoppari was the place where people went during the evening holidays, I didn't go, I just spent the evenings listening to Lemonator, Jason Falkner, Posies and DM3 and tried to figure out why the hell I am in the army in the first place...)

Take care.

JULY 13, 2004

11 pm

Nothing updated.

Give me Soft Commands and I will follow them. Today is the release date of the album of the year..haha. Well it's been Viola for me until now, but let's see can Mr. Ken Stringfellow change that. Too bad that my copy isn't here yet and it will take until next week until I get it. I used trusted Not Lame again, but a guess ordering directly from the label Yep Roc would have been a faster choice. Well I think I can wait a week for it. At least when I have so much new music around the place that I don't have even time to listen all of them (I sold records/dvds for around 300 euros, which also means I've bought an awful lot of new ones lately).

Ken Stringfellow Website

The Fairways album and The Young Tradition -EP are here now (Twee Kitten rules..I'm not paid to advertise them haha) and damn that Brent Kenji indeed has perfect pop sense. The Fairways album is a sort of farewell compilation. Damn..I should have found them sooner, because they are absolutely great. As is Young Tradition. The other two songs are really good too, albeit perhaps not quite as stunning as "California Morning". These will be a good summer soundtrack for me. You couldn't make my smile wider even with a chainsaw.

The Fairways at Matinee
They Young Tradition at Matinee

But before this the summer soundtrack has been mostly Heavy Blinkers. I should raise my grade of the album to full five hearts I think. My heart just can't resist those melancholic lyrics wrapped around beautifully orchestrated pop music. Just lovely.

Heavy Blinkers Website

Postman was also kind of enough to drop a copy of Iron & Wine's latest album Our Endless Numbered Days to my mailbox. Not a pop album, but a really wonderful album nevertheless.

Iron & Wine Website

But enough with this pointless crap now. Time to hit the bed. Have to get up in 5 and half hours. Getting used to it though and starting to feel like perhaps one might have the strength to actually do something other than just work and sleep. And I have to because this end up being longer work period then I first assumed. Which is great. Gives enough money to buy records (food, rent??..nah..those aren't important) and meanwhile you can think what to do with your life and search for something more permanent (job opportunities and such).

Take care. Good night.



JULY 11, 2004

10 pm

Some minor things updated such as Puny + Sister Flo discographies, Whatever, Lek and Clumsy added to link section.

Postal Blue's debut album is out now on Shelflife Records. It's a brazilian pop band that I've praised here a few times already. The earlier Weather Sensitive Ep was brilliant, so it's great to finally hear the album. If you happen to like indiepop, you'll like them.

Postal Blue Website (where you can listen 5 songs from them)
Shelflife Records (label's website)

Take care


JULY 5, 2004

10.30 pm

Lodger updated (I used a bit of self cencorship and edited a longer description that didn't make sense into a tiny and smaller description..that makes sense even less, hah..I'll probably modify this later, but at least there's something now)

Oh and Lodger website has been updated. New songs and new videos there. Go and check them out.

Lodger Website

Have I ever been so tired as I am now. I'll look like Arnold Schwarcxsvdsegger when this small summer job is over. No need to go to the gym in the evenings to lift weights. Lifting around thousand of betoniharkkoa (my english vocabulary sucks) per day for three weeks might take care of that part..not that I'm complaining..

Take care


JULY 5, 2004

1 am

Tink, News updated + website link added to Wojciech page (< that one should really be updated too)

Still not pleased with my Lodger description, so you'll have to wait that one for one more day. Well as everyone knows, I'm never really pleased with anything I write (no skill, only a warm heart..that's how it goes on this website), so I will upload it to the website tomorrow. If I don't fall asleep right on the minute I get back from work :) It's 1 am and I need to get up at 5 am. Not good. But of course I had to watch the football final. And not that I could actually get any sleep before this anyway. My daily rhythm has been so fucked up lately.

Best songs this weekend:

Softies: Sleep Away Your Troubles
TV-Resistori: Näen tanssivan sun uudestaan
TV-Resistori: Tukehtuminen
Magnetic Fields: I Looked All Over Town
Trembling Blue Stars: Ammunition (an old fave, don't have the new ep yet)
Puny: Happy
Young Tradition: California Morning
Fairways: (All three songs I've heard)

And I have a new hero. His name is Brent Kenji. Damn what a sweet voice he has. I praised a song called California Morning by Young Tradition a while ago. His singing that one, but he also has (well had) a band called The Fairways. Matinee's new release is an album called "This is Farewell" by The Fairways which is collection of songs by them. And those three songs that are on Matinee's site are just perfect. I didn't need more to be convinced. The Young Tradition -EP and Fairways album should soon be on their way to Finland. As long as Twee Kitten still keeps doing marvellous job with handling orders. And I'm sure they will.

Fairways album at Matinee

Oh. But yes it's still 1 am and I still need to get up at 5 am, so I think I better go to sleep now.

Take care.


JUNE 29, 2004

7 pm

Reviews, Phonies, Starflower, Supernova Crush updated. Also tomorrow's news added, because I can't update tomorrow (well a guess I could but I just don't bother to do so with the modem connection I can use at Keuruu).

Lodger and Tink descriptions will be my puhdetyö at Keuruu. So those will be up when I get back here later in the week. And I'm aware that some of these bands who have released albums lately, need to have their pages updated. This adding of more bands to the website will come to haunt me sooner or later. But got to try still and make this as complete as possible. At least the number of visitors keeps rising steadily (number of visitors in a day have lately been somewhere between 50 and 80), so a guess people are not yet totally pissed off with me.

TV-Resistori, Risto and Kings Of Convenience albums arrived today and all are really good. Well only listened them once through yet. Well Levy-yhtiön jätkät by Risto is an incredibly annoying song, but I can always use the skip button. And I can accept one crappy song when there's some simply awesome material on the album like that stunning last song for example.

But that's all for today. Me goes to Keuruu now and there won't be any updates for a few days at least. So you may stop hitting the refresh button, pick up a blanket, some friends, a cd player and a copy of Intiaanidisko and have a nice picnic evening outdoors...As long as it don't start raining..again.

Take care. Go with your heart, if you can feel what's in it.

JUNE 28, 2004

2.30 am

A week without updates. Shame on me. Seems like my brain has been totally in football and holiday mode. Well there's nothing here even now, but I will go to Keuruu for a couple of days on tuesday and before I leave, I throw in the bits and pieces, I've managed to write lately. So head back here on tuesday evening if you don't have anything better to do during your summer vacation. This is also the last week of my summer holiday (well a guess I suppose to call it unemployment since I finished my studies in the spring) and then there's at least 3 weeks of work ahead of me. Which is of course absolutely great. Only problem is that how on earth I'm able to get up around 5 am. I've been going to bed around that time for the past month. Well a guess I get used to it. I also have to find another time of the day to make these updates. About 90 % of the content of this site has been written between midnight and 4 am. Well it might be a good thing after all, because the overall mood of this craptalk might be a lot happier if I write these at decent hours and not after listening to hours of songs about girls and realising that I haven't been in love for ages. Too bad that Accelerator don't happen a week earlier. It would have been a nice way to end this "holiday". Don't know am I able to drag my ass to there the next week. There seem to be not much happening this weekend. I kind of miss live music already, because I've never been totally into outdoor festivals. I prefer club concerts. Turku has Wojciech on thursday, but just one band isn't enough. Plus the other semifinal of euro 2004 will be played on that day of course. A guess I just keep listening to records and try to lure myself to Tampere to see TV-Resistori and Risto for example later in july.

Btw. I was browsing an Apu-magazine a week ago and eventhough I knew there are some people with quite similar taste in music writing to that mag, I was still more than a little suprised to find few lines about onechord.net in an article that introduced music sites. Thank you.

Puny's upcoming debut album sounds absolutely marvellous. This one didn't need to grow, it hit my heart faster than that sniper's bullet. I was totally into it before the first song had entered into the chorus part and the excellent trio of Happy, You Saved My Life and Ghostworld in the middle made the feeling stronger. So apparently it was worth to wait this baby for a couple of years. In stores on 30th of june.

Puny Website

Then some pointless rant about foreign pop music.

Trembling Blue Stars are making a fifth album and there's already a new single out on Elefant including 5 songs. 4 exlusively on this one. So I obviously ordered this one last week (haven't arrived yet). A guess it might seem I'm in love with too many bands (still not with a girl... damn..heh), but still I have to say that I'm definitely in love with Trembling Blue Stars. Who could not love songs that might start with just an acoustic guitar and whispering vocals stating "What am I going to do / I don't want to live without love / But I don't want to love / Nobody but you". The debut album Her Handwriting for example is one of the most beautiful and fragile albums ever. A whole album about Wratten's break up with Annemari (fellow band member from Field Mice). It might literally hurt to listen to it, but who could not love and appreciate such honesty.

Listen the whole new ep at Elefant's website (a great spanish label)

Arco's album Coming To Terms have now also found the safety of my heart. The whole album is as good as I expected based on the songs that were on their website. Very similar sadcore as Trembling Blue Stars. Perhaps not as magical as TBS, but still very close. I love the album, but is anyone surprised about that. Probably not :)

Well because it's summer, some sunnier indie pop sounds as well. Pas/Cal comes from Detroit I think and is a new band for me. A couple of nice tunes available on their website. They have couple of eps out that might be very interesting. At least the sound samples are rather nice. Perhaps there's all the indiepop cliches, but the whole production is a bit more innovative than in most of the cases.

Pas / Cal Website

Mojave 3's Rachel Goswell has a solo album out. Song called "Plucked" can be listened on the label's site. Sounds good, but not as good as Mojave 3. But then again what does sound better than Mojave 3. Also a band that would definitely feature on my updated all-time-favorite list. The one on this website is a bit old and some records should be added to it such as Mojave 3's Excuses for Travellers (and no I wasn't planning to add Tearcandy to it ....yet... haha). Anyway. Rachel's album might be a great one eventhough I'm not really ecstatic about this song in particular. So feel free to call me an ignorant bastard and force me to buy the album. I'm sure there are some really beautiful songs on the album.

Rachel Goswell Website
4AD Website
Mojave 3 Website

Finally ordered Daniel Wylie's album too. Daniel is the former lead singer of Cosmic Rough Riders and his album "Ramshackle Beauty" has been out for a couple of months already. Looks like it was only a good thing that he left Cosmic Rough Riders, because now we got two great albums instead of one. CRR made a stunning album without Daniel last year and Daniel responded with a really good solo album.

Daniel Wylie Website

The release date of Soft Commands (july 13th) is getting closer. Now which would be the fastest way to get it. The label Yep Roc is giving a free live cd with Ken Stringfellow's concert at Austin if you preorder it from them. Not Lame on the other hand are selling autographed copies to the first ones. Probably Stupido will get the record to Finland soon too. Really looking forward to this one as you can see.

Ken Stringfellow Website

Was that enough of pointless talk about pop records. I should get better hobbies... at least until Kings Of Convenience, Risto and TV-Resistori albums arrive into my mailbox..heh. Oh and I should also go and buy Hundred Million Martians album. How I've been able to live without that one for a month.... yep I should check into some institution...

Take care


JUNE 21, 2004

6 am

News + whatever + TV-resistori's discography updated.

What a great game between Czech Republic and Netherlands the other day. Without a doubt the best game so far.

Take care and good night...or good morning..


JUNE 17, 2004

4 am

Sister Flo review + news, gigs updated

Not much, but at least something. That review was again too "my kind of" review. So informational level is 0 and emotional level is 100. Sorry. Like I put there on the review page. I'm a music fan, not a music critic..

Today I also ended up on Sodastream's website. It's a band that I've been meaning to check out for a while, but for some reason I haven't. Well now I did. It wasn't an instant love affair, but I liked what I heard. And the website was absolutely cute too. I wish I could make something similar.

Sodastream Website

Take care


JUNE 16, 2004

3.30 am

Didn't get done as much as was planned. Well the good thing at least was that now I officially "graduated" and got the degree certificate today. woo-hoo..

Here's again some foreign band recommendations. Noone probably reads these or check out the bands, but I'm always looking for new music and it doesn't take much time to write a few words about the ones I think are great.

For the past couple of days I've been remotely obsessed with this song called "California Morning" by The Young Tradition. It's just too beautiful and that melody is brighter than the smiles on the face of team Sweden after that excellent team performance yesterday (almost choked into my spaghetti, when I saw Zlatan passing the ball in the first goal, well done). Especially that moment in the song where Brent sings something like "There's a cloud in my heart for you" is so wonderful. Interesting band also. The other guy lives in San Francisco and the other one in Sweden and they haven't even met.

Here's the song:

Young Tradition at Matinee Recordings

(There's of course lots and lots of other interesting releases too. Matinee is without a doubt one of the best labels in the world, when we are talking about indiepop a'la Lucksmiths etc...)

Snow Fairies have also become a new favorite during the past week or so. Very cute indie pop with extremely beautiful female vocals. If you've lost your heart to bands like the ever lovely and wonderful The Softies, you might like this too. I admit that it is very easy to win the heart of this romantic country boy with a cute indiepop song titled Lovers in the Countryside that goes on like "you were sitting by the stream / underneath the big oak tree / you were sleeping / you were dreaming / In my dream I am alive... / and we're lovers in the countryside". So you better judge yourself..full songs available on their website.

Snow Fairies Website

Hopefully tomorrow some of things I've been doing here while not watching or playing football are in a decent shape (like those remaining band descriptions or Sister Flo and Flannelmouth reviews).

Take care

(Just stumbled across to this photo after a couple of years. That Vinnie Jones was such a sick footballer. I think I'm sick too, because that text there on the right still made me laugh. "I went for..)

JUNE 15, 2004

2.30 am

News, Releases, Cartoon Tree page updated...more updates tomorrow..probably..

Tonight I've been mostly listening to the upcoming Kings Of Convenience album. You can listen the album in a jukebox that is available on their website. Wonderful jukebox that is.. with all kind of animations and such (didn't want to work with my explorer though, luckily there is other browsers). And the music..oh dear..more vulnerable than England's defence on the last three minutes on sunday. A must have album. Again so beautiful, so heartfelt. I want to kiss everyone now..

http://www.kingsofconvenience.com

I also want the new Bronco Bullfrog album "Oak Apple Day". People who have heard it, seem to value it. That's no wonder though. It is such a great band too. There's one MP3 song on the labels site. I don't think that this I Got The Rain is even close to their best ones, but I'm sure there are even better treats on the album. And I Got The Rain is a good song...they just have even better 60's/70's influenced pop songs under their belt already.

Bronco Bullfrog website
Rock Indiana website (here's the song)

Take care

JUNE 11, 2004

4 pm

Ok. Everyone to Kipsari this weekend. It seems like it might be the last time you can hear indie music in that place. When the fall comes there's new people in charge and suomirock will drive you to madness. So have fun during the last weekend and thank the ones who've done a good job before this. I'm not sure why I'm pissed off about this, because I'm never in Helsinki, I've never been in Kipsari and so on. There just never is enough places where you can hear wonderful finnish indie bands. And now there is even one less. But hopefully the people who still believe in Finnish indie music will find a new place.

(and yes, I do understand that the owners have to also think the financial side. A guess it all comes down to the drinking capabilities of the audience. So perhaps indie kids have been either too lazy and haven't dragged their bodies to Kipsari often enough or just haven't been drunk enough. Well no matter what, it still sucks..)

Now I feel like jumping to the next train and go to see ultrasport and TV-Resistori. But a guess I won't. I use the lousy excuse of 300 km distance again.

Anyway, sorry for ranting about things that I know nothing about. As I said, I don't really know the situation, because I have never been there.

Take care

JUNE 11, 2004

1 am

Only favorites in the whatever section updated. Also Supernova Crush, The Phonies and Starflower photos were added.

Check out Fonal.com and you'll find a sample from the upcoming Risto album. Everyone who have heard the album seem to think it's absolutely wonderful. Based on that one song, it's too early to make final conclusions, but definitely sounds interesting. So might be a time to preorder both that and the must have TV-Resistori album from Fonal.

Fonal Website

I'm still very much into both Arco and Arrogants. Actually ended up ordering records from both of them. Arco is so beautiful. Some might say it's too fucking sad, but for me it's only comforting. Driving At Night for example is so wonderful, eventhough my romantic brain is highly against words like "it's not that i don't want to, i do / got to spend this life with someone / might as well be you"..heh

And The Arrogants is of course absolutely amazing. Eventhough all the songs can be downloaded from their website, I just couldn't resist and ordered their EP too. I need to get the other one too at some point. Especially The Moment's Gone and Let You Down are marvellous songs. Well the latter one perhaps reminds me of IVY, but a guess that's never a bad thing.

Oh well luckily one can always sell some old cds and dvds and can then afford to buy something new..

However, Tonight the best band in the world isn't Arco or Arrogants. It's Piano Magic. Their album The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic is almost something too perfect. Songs like "When I'm Done This Night Will Fear Me" or "Help Me Warm This Frozen Heart"..oh well actually the whole album is just stunningly beautiful. Besides being obsessed with pop music, I'm very much into this kind of moody music..

Piano Magic Website

This Devics song is also dazzlingly beautiful:

http://www.devics.com/music/stars_at_saint_andrea/in_your_room.mp3
Devics Website

Yee-haw. It's time for Euro 2004 and it also means that after almost five years without a TV, I have to give up and get one (during the 2002 world cup I was at Keuruu, heh). It all comes down to football sometimes. Well perhaps I should return the bloody thing after the finals. And I don't have any "agenda" against TV, I've just kind of gotten used to not having it around. I even watched it too much back "in the old days".

And after praising some wonderful foreign bands, let's still not forget the undeniable facts. Viola's album is still the best album I've heard during the year :)

(and probably will be at least until july 13th...)

Take care.


JUNE 7, 2004

4 am

Tonight, the best band in the world is Arco. I'm sometimes slow, because their album Coming To Terms was released in year 2000. But better late than never. If the rest of the album is even close to as good as songs like Driving At Night, All This World and Alien, It will make this boy so happy. I've always known that I'm such a sissy, but now it feels like I'm starting to make art of it. Somehow fragile and quiet tunes like these are becoming more and more important for me. Arco seem to be compared to bands like Field Mice/Trembling Blue Stars, Clientele etc. So that might give you an idear. Arco is also releasing their new album on their website in mp3 format. One track per month. Too bad I've missed a couple of months. Then an actual cd is released in september. Now I need to buy this Coming To Terms asap.

Arco Website
Arco at epitonic.com (more sound samples)

Other small obsession for tonight was The Arrogants. You can even download their eps from their website with information that says "You might as well rip us off, we've all got day jobs cause this doesn't pay anyway, but if you are into it, buy it..". Well It does sound so great that I might buy it as soon as I get that day job..

The Arrogants Website



JUNE 6, 2004

5 pm

"Gods" are back in town. Well might be old information but just found one new song from the upcoming solo albums by The Posies' tunesmiths. Again so perfect music.

Jon Auer's song here:

http://www.pattern25.com/buysongs.shtml (it's some kind of weed thing, so you can listen to it three times for free and then you have to buy it. So judge yourself, a guess if you want to buy, it needs to install some software, don't blame me. Wonderful song. Too bad my three times went already)

Ken Stringfellow's song here:

http://www.yeproc.com/artist_info.php?artistId=721 (Well there's two songs actually, You Drew which was mentioned here before is downloadable, but to listen the other one you need to register to the website. So judge yourself, is that something you want to do. I'm not sure have this When U Find Someone song been there earlier, but somehow I haven't noticed it.

Ken Stringfellow Website

I would almost give my left foot, if I got those solo albums now...

Take care

JUNE 6, 2004

3.30 pm

Hundred Million Martians discography/page updated + few more links

Take care

JUNE 6, 2004

3 am

Link section updated

I was too tired to do anything that makes sense, so spent a couple of hours updating the links. So most of the dead links are now either removed or fixed with the correct address. My apologies if I removed a link that should work, but for some reason didn't work tonight. Also a bunch of new links were added mostly to the foreign band section. I probably forgot a lot of Iinks, I was supposed to add. At least the finnish band links thing is still in a very poor state and I'm sure some really obvious ones are missing. So feel free to hit me with a baseball bat and tell me to add some links there.

Anyway. It wasn't the most important thing to do, but it had to be done sooner or later. And because tonight I couldn't form a english sentence that makes sense, it was better to focus on things that didn't need much "brainwork". One thing done, million things ahead :)

Today's favourite band is New York based Baskervilles. Their debut might be worth getting. Produced by the legend Mitch Easter and compared to bands like Belle & Sebastian. And the sound clips at cdbaby.com sounds good to me.

Baskervilles Website
Secret Crush Records Website
Song samples at cdbaby.com

Take care



JUNE 4, 2004

4am

First of all: http://www.onechord.net should work now.

So please update your links and bookmarks if you remember. I'm perhaps the wrong person to tell that, because I think there are bunch of dead links at my links section.

veslau@onechord.net will be the main mail address I will use from now on, because people (and me, heh) are probably already used to that "veslau" that have kind of stuck since the school shorted my name that way. I've been thinking of adding info@onechord kind of address too but I might not. It does sound kind of pro and I don't want that :)

and veslau@lycos.com is still perfectly fine too. I'll keep reading that too on a daily basis.

Anyway, hopefully everything works fine, because with my current 0 euro a month income I didn't have much to invest to this.

and then to the update info.

News, releases, gigs, whatever updated

Phonies, Starflower, Tink, Lodger and Supernova Crush added to the band section (all pages totally under construction, my apologizes, it's kind of my ridicilous and sick way to force myself to finish those pages when I put them on the site already, heh).

Some other ones might end up here too. At least groups like Les Enfants Terribles and Puumaja have a guaranteed place on this website (and my heart), but I might wait until I've heard more.

So that's the info about the website. I hope this website will have again more value. If I browse back the last two months or so, it kind of feels like that the only value has been the comedy value of this update/craptalk section. Too bad it was all true. I just sunk so deep that I didn't see the colours anymore. And school was of course just a part of it. But there's again enough of sunshine and warmness in my heart. So no worries anymore..

I've been listening to this song called My Best Friend by swedish band Javelins all over again. I knew the band because ultrasport boys have been praising them and then saw a review and this song sample at indiepages.com. This just makes me feel so good and I can't stop smiling. Just totally irresistable simple chorus "I'm alone in my room / this stereo is my best friend / It's all I ever need / in a small black box / and the hits never end / and my girlfriend says / she can never understand / this obsession of mine..". My apologizes for the long quote. Don't sue me..

Related links

Javelins Website
Yellow Mica Recordings Website
Indiepages.com (where the song is, and it's also one of the best website there is)

And the upcoming Sister Flo ep Proper Kites is also absolutely marvellous. But more about that later.

And EHM is indeed wonderful game. Championship Manager aka Football Manager (yep. nowadays Football Manager and remember that, so next time do not get CM, the original developers of CM don't have the rights to that name anymore and therefore from now on everyone should forget the future versions of Championship Manager) will probably remain as the best and most addictive game ever made, but the whole prospect of having a hockey sim based on CM/FM is mouthwatering. It will kill my social life when I have the possibility to start managering JYP. The game is out on july 2, so if you don't hear anything about me in early july, you'll know what I'm doing. And I don't actually like computer games. I basicly never play anything. These sports sims developed by Sports Interactive are the only exception. I love these games as much as I love Bridget and thats a lot..

Take care

JUNE 2, 2004

10.30 pm

News updated

Probably within a day or two this website will move to the following address

http://www.onechord.net (there's not much there yet)

But these old addresses will still work for a while. Well at least that listen.to/onechord will get you to the right place. If someone is using this easy to remember address http://batman.jypoly.fi/~28752/, you better change your bookmarks, because that one dies quite soon.

But that's all for now.

Take care


MAY 28, 2004

1 pm

News updated.

And yeehaw. It's over and that is such a huge relief. Even this last week ended up being so tiring. Actually I've been up now about 26 hours in a row. But I can only blame myself of course. I had 144 opintoviikkoa two weeks ago and now I hit the magic number 160. These last three mostly out of pity, because my brain still can't handle C++. I was far from convincing today, haha. But now I don't ever want to hear about C++ and I will destroy all the material I have here. I should also learn how to erase my memory, because I think it's overloaded with information that I absolutely hate. I do not recommend letting things just slide and get this late because this was not good for my mental health. Well at least I got up before I sunk into too deep and got through. Just barely. And mostly thanks to other people.

But this was mostly just quick and short update about the HMM album. I try to get the domain thing sorted out during the next week and get the update frequence back to better level. Now I'm going to sleep and don't want to see the whole bloody computer during the weekend (that is pretty hard though in a 20m3 apartment). I've been sitting here like twelve hours a day for ages. Well to be honest EHM demo (CM but hockey, Well nowadays CM is actually FM, but you get the point. Well the ones who know CM, others couldn't care less) was released yesterday, so probably from now on I sit here 15 hours a day.

Take care and good night.


MAY 24, 2004

3 am

Finally a bunch of reviews added.

Not sure are those any good. Well actually I know they are not any good. I'm not sure is there really a point reviewing albums. I mean who the fuck am I to review music that so much more skillful people than me have created. Some of them being even very good friends. Well a guess noone takes these so seriously that it shouldn't matter even if I don't write that good reviews. But I'm not sure are anyone interested in reviews that perhaps identify more my personal feelings than the record itself. Well I might as well keep doing them. It's easy not to read them if you don't want to.

But now, probably not much will happen before friday. My current plan until friday morning is to bang my head against the monitor while trying to learn C++ programming. During that I will be listening to either a) Evan Dando: All My Life b) Mummypowder: Don't Hold Your Breath c) Starflower: Leaving.

Then on the next week, it's time to sort out the domain issues and such.

Take care.


MAY 20, 2004

2 am

Spent like two hours browsing these webhotel services. Kind of frustrating. I mean there are so many of those and really cheap ones too. But most of them looks at least a bit suspicous. I mean do they actually work. Because even if it doesn't cost much, it would be nice if it was even somehow reliable. Otherwise it would be the same to just find free webspace somewhere. Well a guess I have still time to think about it for a week or two. Then I need to move this website somewhere or this stops existing. Not sure would this be such a big loss anyway..

But now on thursday and friday I'm going to dedicate enough time to write the bits and pieces I've promised to write too fucking many times. If the reviews are not here before next monday or so, you can just shoot me. Not sure would I be such a big loss anyway :)

Take care


MAY 18 or 19, 2004

around midnight..

News updated.

Happy happy joy joy. Everything seems so much brighter now and I'm so reliefed. Actually sleeping well for the first time in two or three weeks probably has something to do with that. But back to bed now. 12 hours was not yet enough of sleep..

Take care


MAY 17, 2004

Some very minor updates on TV-Resistori and All Stars pages. Also couple of gigs added.

Oh important stuff first. A huge thank you to If Society for bringing Cranes to Finland. The concert was absolutely stunning. It was so amazing that there's no words in my english vocabulary to describe such perfectness. And damn how much I respect you for doing things like this. That is really the way to go. Not thinking too much about the risks and the "money issues" and just bring bands you love and care about, to play here. It's very unfortunate that apparently the whole tour ended up costing a bit to If Society. But I'm sure pretty much everyone who saw one of the concerts appreciates all the efforts you made. It was totally magnificent.

Sorry. I should really stop making any promises, because I'm not able to keep them. I mean noone can really complain, if I don't update this regularly. After all I'm just using countless of hours of my spare time to make this. But everyone can and probably should complain if I make promises and then don't keep them. So I apolozise and try to stop that. Luckily it seems everything gets so much easier tomorrow morning. I know I won't sleep a single minute during tonight, but then when I get back from school tomorrow, I should have only one school day left ever. If I get through of course. Well it's probably a huge relief even if I don't. At least I can stop being stressed about it and perhaps start doing something that actually makes some sense like starting a career as a cleaning woman. And I'm not joking I think. I think I rather be a cleaning woman than end up into some office staring to a computer screen. I don't want that anymore. Have I ever really wanted to. It would probably be so much wiser to just get an ordinary job, work my ass off day after day. I would be so much happier with that. I don't need a fancy title or a huge income to be happy. I just want to get by, live, fall in love, have children and probably move back to the countryside, heh... And I can tell you that I've listened to Evan Dando's song All My Life approximately 267 times during the last month. Not that I've actually wasted all my life, but it's stupid enough to waste a couple years for just being and doing things you've totally lost all the heart and passion to. I know I should have quitted this whole bloody school a long while ago, but the thought of quitting when you are halfway through just didn't sound like the thing to do.

But hopefully I can learn from all this and actually start doing something I care about. First thing is of course to spend the rest of the week doing this website. I mean I probably sleep around the clock after I get back from school. After all it's being 3 hours of sleep last night and tonight zero hours. But after some sleep, I'm really, honestly and truly going to write those reviews and other stuff that's been missing. Also getting that domain will soon be a reality, because I need to move these pages from school's server to some other place and while doing that I might invest to a domain also. After all, those aren't very expensive nowadays.

Take care (and like before, don't take all this crap I write too seriously, they are honest feelings, but some who doesn't know me might get an idear that I'm even more fucked up than I actually am, heh.)

MAY 13, 2004

sometime in the morning, when you can't sleep.

Nothing updated.

Heavy Blinkers. Oh my...how beautiful. Multi-layered vocals and a 24 piece orchestra backing the band (and it still sounds very down-to-earth and modest). I got this couple of days ago and I'm so falling in love with this music. The biggest reason why I love this is the vocals and the harmonies. I'm a sucker for vocal harmonies. It's just amazing how a simple line like "I've been wanting to hold you, tighter tighter / I've been wanting to hold you, longer longer" can sound so touching and moving when you have a group of angels singing it. Well I think my romantic mind went to overload state while listening to this. I want to hold someone. I miss that feeling. Perhaps I should go to some night club and force some nice girl to come and hold me and listen to this wonderful canadian band with me. I might need that closeness. Nothing more. I've never had a one night stand. And hopefully I won't ever have. I don't think I even could have. Not without feeling. oops..sorry..I think this is getting too personal again. The whole point of this entry was to say that this new album "The Night and I Are Still Young" by The Heavy Blinkers is amazingly beautiful. These multi-layered vocals take you to heaven and back (headphones recommended). At least this music made my heart warm. Try that song below for example. Not my favourite song on the album, but excellent one nevertheless.

http://www.endearing.com/artists/heavyblinkers/TheNightandI.mp3

More clips here:

Heavy Blinkers album at Not Lame

And

Heavy Blinkers Website

Now I should try not to buy the back catalogue, because I'm not sure do I afford to.

Take care..and still obsessed with Viola too :)


MAY 12, 2004

11 pm

Only whatever page updated.

Belasco, Wojciech and Mummypowder reviews will be on this site on saturday or sunday. I got them almost ready tonight, but I'm not yet happy with them. Sometimes I feel I should write these in finnish, because my english skills (or the lack of them) puts some limits occasionally and I only get frustrated. Well probably I would be even more critical with my writings if they were in finnish. So I think this english is a good thing. And no, I'm not even considering changing the language.

But now, two bloody busy school days ahead. Luckily today was an easy day here in the middle of the week. But I can only blame myself. I had the whole spring to get these done and here I am in the last possible minute trying to get through these last couple of courses. Well I'm probably not the only student that have experienced this..

Take care.

MAY 10, 2004

11 pm

News updated.

Finnish lesson: Tigerbombs on parhautta.

A nice weekend. Well at least saturday night was. Laurel Music was really good and Liekki played a Karkkiautomaatti cover. But more later. I'm dead tired. I slept like two hours last night. I had to return some school related stuff and of course I left it to the final possible minute.

Take care

MAY 7, 2004

8 pm

News, Releases and Maryland page quickly updated

Also check out new Rumba magazine. Lots of interesting articles there. Tigerbombs and Maryland interviews, Wojciech and Mummypowder reviews and lots of talk about finnish indie music and indie labels.

Take care

MAY 5, 2004

midnight

News updated, a few gigs added..
Tigerbombs page updated (this one still needs a lot of work. But a guess I wait until I've heard the album)

Shopping list:

Powerpop etc:

Jason Falkner: Bliss Descending -EP
Bigger Lovers: This Affair Never Happened
Lolas: Something You Oughta Know
Richies: Forever And Today
Jon Auer: Birthday Party (not "official" release)
Heavy Blinkers: The Night And I Are Still Young
Get Up Kids: Guilt Show
Matthew Sweet: Kimi Ga Suri
Teenage Fanclub Tribute -What A Concept
Cliff Hillis: Better Living Through Compression
Will Owsley: The Hard Way
Sweet Apple Pie: Between The Lines
The Argument: Recess Serenade

and lots of others..

+ lots of indie pop and twee pop too. For example the whole Labrador catalog and everything Pipas have ever done

and the other kind of stuff I love:

Iron & Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days
Bonnie Prince Billy: Greatest Palace Music
Sufjan Stevens: Seven Swans
Lambchop: Aw C'mon / No You C'mon
Sun Kil Moon: Ghosts Of The Great Highway
The Decemberists: Her Majesty, The Decemberists

Not that I actually have money to buy anything. My current income, 0 euros in a month, puts some limits, haha. Well of course I can always sell some old dvds/cds that I don't need anymore. I've spent a bloody fortune on them anyway. Which is so stupid and I still always feel like I have nothing to listen to. But a guess all "music fans" are familiar with that feeling. And of course there's still Viola. Perhaps I should just stick with them. I can't get bored to that one.

Take care and sleep well because I can't. I need to stay up until 5 am or something doing these last school things..

MAY 4, 2004

1 am

News updated.

I'm really losing touch to powerpop. I didn't know that Jason Falkner had a new ep out and today I realized that Bigger Lovers has a new album out on yeproc records. And the previous album Honey In The Hive was brilliant. I should really do something about this lack of new powerpop albums in my record shelf. Perhaps I should sell all those dvd's and invest it all in powerpop. I mean summer is coming. It's warm and everything. I feel fine now and powerpop could be something that's able to keep the sunshine in my heart. I knew about new The Lolas album, but I don't have even that. Isn't not having that like a crime against humanity or something. Such a great band it has always been.

Bigger Lovers Website
Bigger Lovers album info at not lame website
Lolas album info at not lame website

Take care.. ok so basicly this wasn't only about finnish pop music, but at least it was about pop music and not some personal mumbo jumbo..

MAY 3, 2004

10 am

Because I started that medical journal, a guess I should end it too. So now everything is clear and I don't have to worry about it anymore. The main facts. It's quite big (length about 3 cm, width about 2 cm), it would be wise to remove it with an operation, but basicly it can only give me pain and discomfort. Otherwise it's harmless. Don't ask me exactly what it is. I understand like two words about this diagnose. If I use my google skills and try to translate the two last words sakraalinen lipooma, it would a guess be something like ristiluuhun liittyvä hyvälaatuinen rasvakudoskasvain. But I don't know. Well who cares anyway. The main thing is that it's harmless. But I think I will go to that "operation line", because this is literally a pain in the ass, haha. Probably need to wait in that line for months if not years, but it's not that bad now when I know that this nothing worth worrying.

Anyway. Sorry about bothering you with this. I shouldn't use this as my personal blog or anything. Next update will be about finnish pop music and that only :)

Take care


APRIL 30, 2004

4 pm

Ok. Why haven't anyone told me that Jason Falkner have released a 5 song EP. Marvellous songs again, but hey it's Jason..so of course it is great..

Jason Falker Website
Notlame's info about the record

Other cool thing is that this Superdeluxe guy Braden Blake is back with a solo album. I don't know what has happened since that pretty marvellous album Via Satellite that came out back in 1997 or thereabouts. I bought it basicly because Jon Auer played on one of the tracks. I was pretty Posies fanatic back then (well a guess I still am). But I really liked the album and the fact that Jon played on it was just a small bonus. Anyway..This solo material sounds great too. Perhaps I need to buy it right after I win in Vakioveikkaus..

Braden Blake Website
Notlame's info about the album with sound samples

Canadian Heavy Blinkers also sounds more than perfect. Sunny orchestral pop music. A bit like Beach Boys etc.. Me loves..

Heavy Blinkers Website
Notlame's info about the album with sound samples

And this was not a paid advertisement by Not Lame. I just happen to love the shop and it's a great way to keep yourself up-to-date with what's going on in "the power pop world". Plus Bruce Brodeen is probably the nicest man on the planet..

Take care. Now it's time for vappu and Office Building. Thank god there's such a great concert here today, so I don't need to watch the drunken idiots on the streets..now I have an excuse to be one myself too...


APRIL 29, 2004

10 pm

Laurel Music review added.

I admit that part from that review is from an earlier mail conversation. This review was just something I really needed to get done in time before the next week's Laurel Music tour. It would have broken my heart if I hadn't, because I had promised that to a dear friend. So I kind of used a bit of old material, but at least it's done. And yes I know there's still other records that needs to be reviewed like Belasco, Wojciech etc but this was the most important one because of that tour. I'll try to write a couple of more during the weekend, but I won't promise it, because this website unfortunately isn't the first thing in my mind at this very moment. But be patient. The reviews will be here at least when these other things are sorted out.

[medical journal, heh]

So I did follow the doctor's advice (she was nice and helpful, sorry if I gave a wrong image about her) and will now get this "Mrs. Smith" that's inside me examined by a radiologi on next monday morning. It will cost something like 95 euros but I'm happy to pay that if I then get a specific diagnose and not just something blurry like "ei se varmaankaan ole pahanlaatuista". I'm really looking forward to that, because then I can a) Forget all this when I know for sure that this "Mrs Smith" don't have any nasty plans b) if there is something that should be dealt with, at least I know what it is. If I think reasonably about this, there's nothing to worry about and there's only like one in a million chance that this is something nasty. But being weak and all I do admit that at times this is pretty scary. But now I just try to block this thing away from my mind and have a nice vappu with Office Building..yee-haw..

[/medical journal, heh]

Take care and remember that Viola's album is already in stores :)

APRIL 29, 2004

right after midnight

News and Viola page quickly updated

[personal]

and as an addition to that earlier perhaps bitter text just want to say that I'm probably perfectly healthy. So absolutely no need to worry about me. The fact just is that there's something weird close to my häntäluu and no one seem to know what a fuck it is. I'm sure it's totally harmless, but isn't it still something. And that my friend, is something I would really want to know. But this is not my medical journal, so I stop this crap, go to bed and try to get that ultraääni thing setted up in the morning even if it costs a bit. I apologize for writing stuff that has nothing to do with this website.

[/personal]

Enough about Viola for a day. This Mummypowder album is also utterly wonderful. It sure has been a great month if you happen to love finnish pop music.

Take care.

APRIL 28, 2004

5 pm

This is getting very personal, so don't read :)

I did see that doctor. She told me that there's only a very slight chance that this could be something serious, like that ugly word that starts with a "c", but to be 100% sure a further test is needed. And when is it possible to take this ultrasound test or whatever. The answer was maybe in july. Well fuck you. It's not like I need it in july. I know myself too well and I will worry myself to death if I keep thinking for two or three months what is this freaking thing in my body that shouldn't be there. I know that I basicly don't have anything to worry about. Surely if the doctor would have thought it was serious, they wouldn't throw me into the back of the line and let me wait for months. But who will tell that to my brain at 2 am when my mind keeps wondering. And I know it will wonder until I know for sure what this is. Not knowing is not nice and therefore I think have to go and see private doctor, take the bloody test and hopefully rule out even that very slight possibility.

I'm not sure why I'm writing this here. A guess I've kind of learned that if I keep my emotions and feelings only inside me, they will kill me, mentally, and therefore I sometimes write very personal things. A guess the cool way to handle things would be to not tell anything to anyone, but I'm not that strong. I'm weak, sensitive and vulnerable. and also want to be. I rather be a sissy than a tough guy.

But hopefully I can put this small matter soon behind me and concentrate on bigger issues like writing those reviews for this website :)

And now I think I throw myself back to Viola's gentle arms. They will drift away all the stupid worries and just leave the warm and good feelings..

Take care.


APRIL 27, 2004

6 pm

just a quickie..

I've always thought that Ilkka Valpasvuo is a wonderful man who has a great taste in music. This new Viola review at desibeli.net makes this feeling stronger ..

Viola review at Desibeli.net

So it's not just me..

My ass is better than my website, but this Desibeli is actually a wonderful website. A new Maryland interview and lots of other interesting material there.

I think I need to see a doctor.. and not because of my Viola obsession..

Take care

APRIL 25, 2004

9 pm

gigs updated (I hope I didn't forget very many)

I'm still obsessed with Viola. I woke up today at 11 am or thereabouts, hit the play button as the first thing and here I am still listening to Viola ten hours later. So basicly there's been only 30 minutes today when Viola hasn't been keeping me company and that was when I went to pick up a pizza from the local pizza place. but why to worry. The album is great and it's like a good friend for me already. And I do need friends like that now, because someone should lock me up into this apartment and don't let out before I've finished the school things I still need to do if I want to "graduate"..

Take care

APRIL 23, 2004

midnight

updated:
News, HMM-review, mummypowder page, releases, whatever..

I try to update the gig calendar during the weekend. I know there are some shows missing at the moment. If your concert is not there now or in the future, feel free to notify about it in the guestbook or by sending me an e-mail. It's impossible to keep it totally up-to-date by myself. I mean there will always be cancellations and changes that I'm not aware of. But I hope no-one has been in a wrong place in a wrong time because of it.

Oh and I'm still very much in love with Viola. It's a great album. So is Ystävät, Toverit by Wojciech. But I try to review that sometime soon and that Wojciech page should also be updated now when I know more about their music. But I do my best. There's still the small matter that I have to finish my studies within a month and week and One Chord To Another updates are therefore almost only made between 11 pm and 2 am.

Take care.


APRIL 22, 2004

A small Tink review is available in the review section. That's all.


APRIL 21, 2004

Reviews, gigs and scaramangas-page updated

Finally the "reviews" will start floating to this website. Like before they will be rather song- and also feelbased. Lots of personal feelings will be attached to them, because that's how I feel music. And there are always the real music mags if you don't want reviews like this. These first two new ones. The earlier OB review and this new Viola review are the worst case scenarios. They won't be that bad and stupid always. Office Building just has always been too important for me and now Viola is too. So apologizes if you don't want to read stuff like that. And the easy solution of course is that you just don't read them if you don't like them. But you still have to buy at least 15 copies of tearcandy so you can them give them to people you care about. So move on to the review section if I didn't scare you. I have two more almost ready so more will be on this site sometime this week, probably not tomorrow though. So reviews like Wojciech, HMM-single, Laurel Music, Belasco, Treeball, Tink etc are on the way. Sorry it's taken so long in some of the cases.

Take care.

APRIL 20, 2004

Viola's debut album Tearcandy is perfect. The album of the year so far. Honestly. I'm gonna start a Viola bandwagon or something. Music that just goes directly to the target, directly in to your heart. Wonderful emotion-filled songs and great arrangements. I also admit that listening to it makes me want to fall in love so badly that I will probably give my heart to the next girl I see. I hope she will be a nice girl..

Take care

APRIL 16, 2004

News, releases, and Wojciech page updated (so only updates that involved Wojciech)

Sorry. It's been a busy week. Apparently I do have other things in my life too, which is not good for the progress of this website. Well I try to get back to that normal "no life" situation next week and get things done here (I hope no-one takes this too seriously, haha).

But now it's time for Jyrock. Yee-haw.

Take care.

APRIL 13, 2004

Only changed Starflower's song "Leaving" as the best song in the world today. I really do like that song and it definitely deserves to be there on that "not so serious" list . And "How Come The Days Seem So Long" is really wonderful too.

Take care

APRIL 8, 2004

1 am

News updated

I think I should stop using the word "biisi". "Laulu" is much more beautiful as a word. I think I should stop using the word "gig". "Concert" has a better sound in it.
I think I should also stop writing this nonsense down.

Take care and have a lovely easter.

APRIL 7, 2004

1.30 pm

News, releases updated + the new single added to Hundred Million Martian's page.

Went to the library yesterday and when I came back I noticed that I had punch of cds with me. These were from artist like Jukka Kuoppamäki, Laila Kinnunen, Tapani Kansa, Jaakko Teppo, Jamppa Tuominen, Fredi, Sointu and Finnhits compilations and The Folk Implosion. That is rather worrying. Am I getting old or what. Well I blame Ville. Both of them...

The reviews probably won't be up before the easter, so you don't need to nervously press that refresh button over and over again. I try to get all the stuff reviewed before Jyrock. Actually I've promised to myself to do millions of things (not related with this website) before Jyrock, so I could then just forget all the worries and just fully enjoy the greatest event in Jyväskylä and get really really drunk..(well in my case that is like two beers and one cider..)

Take care.

APRIL 5, 2004

2 am

News updated.

APRIL 4, 2004

9.30 pm

News updated

Nice evening yesterday. Ville Leinonen & Valumo and Maryland were playing at Lutakko. It seems that if band has a vocalist/songwriter whose first name is either Ville (like Leinonen, Härkönen) or Janne (like Laurila, Kiviniemi, Lehtinen) I love the band. Anyway. It was great. And it was also great to see Jussi, an old friend and age mate from Keuruu, playing some songs with Valumo after a while.

Take care.

APRIL 3, 2004

3 am

I'm working on the review thing. Already wrote Office Building review. I know I shouldn't have, because like I've said many times, I can't really write anything informative about them. It's too fucking close. My OB writings will always have too strong emotionally charge on them. Which is a bit silly, but I can't help it. And probably don't wanna help it. But somehow you might get a feeling that Office Building is bigger than life or that sort of crap. It's not. It's just music that I love. You may read the review below, if you don't want to wait until I somehow reorganize that reviews section and wrote the other reviews.

Review section (only OB review there, rest later)



APRIL 2, 2004

3.30 am

I'm so in love. Still not with a girl, but with Sufjan Stevens. I almost ordered his album "Seven Swans" after hearing 30 seconds of the first song. Did Elliot Smith come back from heaven and changed a guitar to a banjo. Wonderful. Ok. I'm gonna wait until tomorrow before I make a statement that this is "the record of the year". Haunting, beautiful music.

Sufjan Stevens Website

Listen here:
VPRO'S Luisterpaal (flash)

There's also other good new albums like Phoenix, Picastro etc.


APRIL 2, 2004

2 am

News, whatever, gigs updated

Also I started making the new review page. I will start reviewing all the stuff I buy, but the reviews will be a bit shorter then before. It will look something like this.

Review section

I try to get those reviewed sometime soon. Those grades will change obviously, but those sketches are probably as informative as my reviews will get :)

Thanks to Ville Leinonen and Lasse Kurki for an excellent radio show yesterday. Ville Leinonen played his favourite songs and they talked about all kind of artists from Jaakko Löytty to Kiss. Because of the show, I listened to oldies for the rest of the evening.

So tonight I've been mostly listening to songs like:

Dean Martin -Sway
Bobby Vee - Take Good Care Of My Baby
Penguins - Earth Angel
Frankie Valli - Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Paul Anka - Diana
Pat Boone - April Love
Perry Como - Catch A Falling A Star
The Cascades - Rhythm Of The Rain
Michel Legrand - I Will Wait For You (this is almost too beautiful)
Frank Sinatra - Strangers In The Night
Roy Orbison - Cryin'
+ Gram Parsons, Hank Williams etc

Take care.

MARCH 29, 2004

9 pm

Updated:
News, Releases, Gigs, Montevideo, Office Building discography, Wojciech photo.

What a beautiful day it was. The sun woke me up and I had to change plans. Well meaning that I took out the Aknestik albums from the shelf and drove to the record store listening to Jukka Takalo as loud as possible. I was almost too excited. It's too soon anyway. I bet it starts snowing tomorrow again. It still felt good to listen to Aknestik. There's no spring or summer without them.

"minä kaiversin sun nimes laituriin
sinä rakastuit siihen aituriin
joka oli vain pelkkä juoksija
miksi näin, minkä vuoksi ja "

The new Office Building single is obviously great. Especially "Scar Song" is mighty excellent (I built a cathedral of snow, cause that's how cold I felt). I'm not that convinced about the cover art though. Well who cares. It's the music that matters and this music has given me more comfort than any other art or entertainment. There are bands that I love as much as I do love Office Building. Like those streetgolfers from Vaasa, the band that has a cute name and comes from Turku or the football lovers from the shores of Tourujoki just to name a few. Office Building is just even more personal, because it is always on my side when I'm on my most vulnerable state. It's the background for my dreams. I should rewrite that Office Building description, but I don't think I could ever come up with anything that would please me.

Excellent music day otherwise too. I finally bought Lodger's album and that seem to be really good. Need to listen more, before giving more opinions. Also Cats On Fire's single was waiting for me in my mailbox. Those new songs on the a-side are totally wonderful. Extremely highly recommended stuff. If they have more songs like these two, things look really good. And because these were recorded already some time ago, I'm guessing that they might have even improved since. I'm turning into a Cats On Fire fan, but I don't think that is a bad thing.

Take care


MARCH 29, 2004

4 am
(no surprise, seems like 99 % of this site is written between midnight and 4 am)

Jennifer Ever photo added. That's all.

Silver is a good medal too. I wasn't at the game. Probably a good thing. I would have lost it when Tenkanen's shot hit the post 15 sec before the end. No luck there. Well it was a great final serie. Just the way it should go. And Tappara won the regular season too. So they were the best. No complaints. Now. Finally. Hockey is over. Should I start counting days when the next season starts.

I didn't get Office Building on friday, but now Airon Musiikki website says it's in stock. So I have time to sleep 5 and a half hours. Then at 9.30 I should get up. Ride to city centre with my bicycle and buy the record when the shop opens at 10 am. Am I sick or what?

Take care

MARCH 26, 2004

9 am

Office Building news entry from last night updated with the info about the new website. I was wondering why I couldn't get there last night. So there was the reason.

Ok. But now I'm off to Keuruu. Well of course I first pop into the local store to see if they have the new OB single there already. Well you knew that without me telling..

Take care

MARCH 26, 2004

1.30 am

News updated..

It was one month birthday of this new version. So far 1375 visitors, which is quite alright. It took me a month to get this thing at least somewhat up-to-date. There's still some minor things that need to be done and I'm not at all happy with all of the stuff I've written. But I won't ever be, so why to worry. I try to keep the update frequency decent and also make some new content like small reviews. Also the thought of adding more bands isn't totally out-of-the-question. Although it might be wiser to make a site that have 10 bands really well and with detailed information than a site that has 70 bands and everything is done too quickly and not so well. Well I hope can handle these current sixty decently. Hopefully Eteenpäin on menty...

I think I go to Keuruu in the morning. I'm a country boy and sometimes even Jyväskylä seems too big. Now is one of those moments. So I'm gonna leave the city for a day. It's always fun to be in the middle of nowhere just by yourself. Next patch of updates will probably be available on sunday or in the beginning of next week. I do come back on saturday, but I will either watch football here or travel to Tampere to watch the hockey game. The fifth final game that is. Both have won two games now and the season will end on saturday. It has been great to watch these A-junior games no matter what will be the result.

Take care.


MARCH 23, 2004

4 am

Astrid Swan and Daisy pages updated. (not very informative so I might modify them later on)

There's two songs that I keep listening to over and over again:

Marian Valinta - Kyyhky
Puumaja - Täydelliset Kasvot

Me wants more songs like these..

Movie choice for the night was Victor Erice's Spirit Of The Beehive. I enjoyed it quite a lot although I won't start praising it. My kind of movie still and I can understand why the word masterpiece is often mentioned when talking about the movie. Worth watching definitely. Also ordered two korean movies, because I felt like I want to cry like a little baby again. Those koreans can surely make the most beautiful romantic movies. Movies like Il Mare, Classic, My Sassy Girl, One Fine Spring Day have surely made this boy cry with their everlasting beauty. So full of cliches maybe, but in a good way. Not for cynics though. And not forgetting Lee Chang-Dong's more art house type of movies Oasis and Peppermint Candy (spoiler alert...This is like the most fucking devastating movie ever. Starts from a scene where the lead character makes a suicide and then starts going back further and further to past making you care more and more about this man who seems like a complete asshole in the beginning. A story about losing your innocence, losing the love of your life. The final scene, showing you this innocent boy (and a girl) twenty years before the suicide, is almost too much. If that doesn't make you cry than you're not just dead, you have never even lived..)

Seems like my daily rhythm is rather fucked up again. 4 am again. Well a guess that will have to change sometime. At least if I happen to get a job after I get the papers out from the school sometime is this spring.

Take care you all.

MARCH 22, 2004

4.30 am

these were updated. Some more, some less. And still I'm already thinking of adding more bands. At times it seems I'm not able to handle even these 58 bands.

Band/artist pages:

Cats On Fire
Cessna (discography only)
Crash (discography only, it's not complete yet though)
Jeeves
Jennifer Ever
Frost
Marian Valinta
Spokane
Tv-Resistori
Viola
Wojciech

+ whatever, gigs

And I'm sorry. Feel free to be angry. Daisy and Astrid Swan descriptions are still missing. It's now 4.37 am and I don't think I can write anything that makes sense anymore (can I ever?). But I promise to write those two missing ones during the next night. Then I also try to go though all the band pages and see if the are some errors and such. For example Flannelmouth line-up was not updated eventhough I knew about the change and thought I had updated it. I should try to update everything instantly when I hear something new. Otherwise it's easy to forget..

Take Care.


MARCH 19, 2004

Addition 3 am

Thanks mr. Patonki for telling about this in the guestbook. Very much appreciated eventhough it caused that I'm still up at 3 am, because I had to listen to it about 7 times before going to bed. I'm of course talking about this Ken Stringfellow's new song that is available in mp3 format on Yep Roc's site. Wonderful song indeed.

Ken Stringfellow at Yep Roc.com

2.30 am

Blonde Redhead's new album "Misery Is A Butterfly" seems pretty good. Very beautiful and passionate stuff that probably would need a bit time to really hit one's heart. A bit mahtipontinen for my taste. Stream is available on the website below.

Tenfold Loadstar. Don't ask me who they are. I don't know. But I think they are really good. Beautiful music. And heck it is even dancable electronic pop music and I still don't mind. It must be those female vocals. Well all the songs are not that good, but some are adorable like Sun & Rain and New Young (If you love Neil Young, you might need to remove a herne from your nose afterwards, well I do love Neil and it didn't bother me).

Listen both albums here:
VPRO'S Luisterpaal (flash)

(does that mean listenbooth. Well I don't know. Great place anyway. You can stream full albums from Shins (marvellous album that I already knew), Franz Ferdinand (pretty good) too. There's more too. I don't know how often they change these albums though. Quality is pretty good too. Just browse with those Omhoog and Omlaag words and pick the album. Don't know how I found this. Oh, I think I was searching some samples from the new album by Daryll-Ann which is one of my old favourite bands. Well didn't found but these rocks too)

Here is also weird bandwebsite:

Tenfold Loadstar Website

Tonight I've also been listening to Tim Reid. I heard about him some years ago from Popboomerang's Scott. The songs I heard back then were wonderful. Now the debut has been released and it does sound wonderful. My kind of music. Singer-songwriter, folkpop etc. I do understand if someone says that this it's just "nice", but I do feel there's something more. There's that hint of magic that makes it stand out. CD BABY has good two minutes long samples from each song, so you can judge yourself. I tend to like these stories and songs like "He's Counting Days" are just that kind of material that I find to be truly beautiful. I should probably buy this (unfortunately there's also about 167 other albums that I would like to buy).

Tim Reid Website
Tim Reid at CD Baby Website
Popboomerang Website

Also this Hrududu Factory brough a smile to my face with their song "Tractor Guy"

Hrududu Factory Website

On another note. I listened to 8 1/2 today. It had been a while since I had listened to the whole show, because thursday is a hockey day too. I noticed I had missed Nick's voice and the excellent music he plays on the show. It felt good after being rather stressed with this schoolstuff. Especially when unexpectedly Janne Laurila's voice float from the speakers and went directly into my heart filling it with love and comfort. . Well I got lost again. The point was that 8 1/2 is a really good show.

I should never start searching new interesting music at midnight. I meant to take an early night, so I'm able to get up early tomorrow to do some schoolstuff before starting to work with the band section of this site. And now it's already 2.30 am. Ok. now I think I'll head to bed and just pick something that will guide me into sleep. I think it will be mojave 3's latest album that seem to be a real grower. Excuses for Travellers was a masterpiece (a strong word, but I do think it was), this isn't quite as marvellous, but a great album nevertheless.

Take Care. Good night.


MARCH 18, 2004

1.30 am

Just taking a break from schoolstuff..

Made another useless list with those beautiful songs I mentioned on this craptalk page some entries ago. Am I listholic? Well not really, but It's kind of fun to do them occasionally. Well I didn't need to think long for this list. These were so obvious for me. Here it is.

Finally thought it's time to find out what is all this fuzz about Franz Ferdinand. So watched those two videos at dominorecods website. Quite good actually. I won't rush to record store, but I kind of like it. I usually have my doubts with these "trendbands" and I usually end up not liking them. I've never been into Strokes for example. Thrills is one of the few that I find totally wonderful. And I'm not that bad indiekid that I only love bands who come from botswana and have only released two seven inch vinyl by themselves (which are limited to 50 copies and they can't even sell all of them). I do believe that mainstream artists and "hyped" artist can be wonderful. For example I bought All Saints "Black Coffee" single a few years ago, because I thought it was a great song. Perhaps the main reason why I don't listen to more such stuff, is that I don't know anything about it. I don't listen to radio anymore (well I do sometimes listen to Radio Helsinki in the net, but that's not just radio anyway. It's heaven) and I haven't had a TV in four and half years (so I'm not even able to destroy my soul by watching MTV). So I live in my own world when it comes to music and only check out bands that I've found interesting based on mailing list conversations, magazines and websites. I don't know any of the hits. Just for fun checked out Rumba's last 50 hittiä list and I only knew two of those songs. I may have heard a couple of more somewhere, but couldn't tell for sure. So I'm totally lost when it comes to popular music. I'm sure most of it is crap, but I'm also sure there's some really good songs there.

Take care.

MARCH 17, 2004

1 am

No updates. Apart from the stupid best song thing that is on the whatever page. Started collecting the songs I've so far mentioned, so I can once look back and see what songs were huge for me. It seems like a busy week schoolwise for me (I need to get those papers out during the spring), so it might be that it will be rather quiet here before the weekend. I will probably do some small updates, but I leave bigger things to the weekend. I think I dedicate the whole weekend to two things. Updating this website and supporting JYP in the finals. So you go and have fun at Tavastia while I'm sitting here working my ass off, heh. It's weird that I can easily travel 300 km to see Bridget (I don't even need to think twice), but then when The Jayhawks come, I don't go. Well a guess music is so emotional thing for me. I mean Jayhawks is one of the best bands ever, but Bridget will always be much more important and dear to me personally. Well a guess the main thing is that I've seen The Jayhawks once. If I hadn't seen them, I would definitely be there. It was a perfect concert back then. So I know I'm missing a lot though. so feel free to praise the concert afterwards, so I can then shoot myself to foot as a punishment for not going..

[sorry, it's hockey, couldn't resist]

Yee-haw. We are in the finals baby. I mean the a-juniors are. What a great game it was and what about the attendance. About 2900 people were watching a junior game. Now that's amazing. Plus I have a new hero. It's a joy to watch that #2. He was marvellous in both of the semifinals I saw. Heck the guy is something like 150 cm tall, but always gives everything and is always hitting the guys twice his size. Sympaattinen kaveri. A fan favourite definitely.

[/sorry, it's hockey, couldn't resist]

Take care.

MARCH 15, 2004

2.30 am

News updated

For some reason I hadn't noticed that Ville Leinonen, Ville Härkönen & Tuomas Luukkonen were playing here in Jyväskylä on saturday. Well luckily some of my friends had and were wondering why I wasn't going to Vakiopaine to watch "jollotusta". After they told me who will be there, I didn't need to think whether I was going or not. So I went and it was great like always. Well to be honest. Perhaps it wasn't the best performance from them, but even if they are not on their finest form, they can still create the needed atmosphere and move me with their beautiful songs. An evening at Vakiopaine when Ville L, Ville H, or Janne L is playing is always perfect. I'll continue my "Jollotus kunniaan!" movement and try to fight against the bigger boys who are "mainstream supporters" (men ehkä vähän insidejutuksi. sorry)

Ok. Now I have watched Werckmeister Harmonies about four times. Well not entirely, but I've watched some of the scenes four times. It's still very powerful. It is still haunting me.

I'm thinking about lighthouses, wooden houses, gardens and apple trees. I'm listening to songs that are performed by Marian Valinta and Puumaja. I'm finding it hard to sleep at nights. I'm drinking a cup of coffee which doesn't help. I'm dreaming about falling..asleep..no..wait..I mean..in love. I'm watching first and last scene of WH over and over again. I'm hoping that a-juniors will win on tuesday. I'm writing stupid things into this section which should be removed from this site. (and I'm not trying to be witty or funny)

Take care.

MARCH 13, 2004

No updates. Don't blame me. Blame Bela Tarr. I got the dvd today. I wasn't going to watch it right away, but I thought I check that everything is okay. Watched the first scene of Werckmeister Harmonies and I was hooked and couldn't stop before that 2 and half hours of beautiful b&w photography faded out and the credits started rolling on the screen. A stunning film. It really blew my mind away. I need to watch it again soon. Powerful and slow scenes and so freakin beautiful music. Sadness, madness and beautyness went hand in hand. Eventhough I've seen ridicilous amount of good movies lately, this still stand out. Don't know has a movie really hit me so hard since Tarkovsky's Zerkalo. Well I suppose Eureka was equally uplifting experience. After a few hours I was able to put my mind together and also watched the other Tarr movie that was on this 2 disc set. Damnation was also a really good movie, but nowhere near as magical and original as werckmeister. At least not in my opinion. Perhaps a bit easier and tighter though. Now if someone would just put that over seven hours long Tarr movie Satantango on dvd. I'm sure that would be one helluva experience.

(do note that I don't actually know anything about movies. I've seen only few of the classics, I've seen even less when it comes to modern masterpieces. I just happen to like watching movies. Apparently too much at the moment. Heck, I just spent friday night watching 4 and a half hours of Bela Tarr. That was not my intention, but a guess I enjoyed it more than what I would have enjoyed being in bar and getting drunk. A guess I should start a new website called "one scene to another", heh)

One very sweet girl also recommended Arno Kotro's Sanovat Sitä Rakkaudeksi to me and said I should read it. I did read it in between Tarr's movies. Obviously this girl was very right (as always). I enjoyed it a lot. Full of emotions. Love, pain, heartbreak. Views about relationships and love that were sometimes ironic, always thruthfull and often painfully familiar.

Another good day wasted on something else than this site. Well I think the update frequency at least on the news page has been better than on many other sites. So I suppose you shouldn't be very troubled with that. The deadline with band section is that 21st of march. So those remaining descriptions will pop up then at the latest. Hopefully some of them are here sooner. Then I should continue writing some new reviews too, although I'm not very good at it.

Take care


MARCH 12, 2004

midnight.

News, releases and whatever updated. (also Cats on fire discography updated, but didn't have yet time to update the text in there.)

Listen to Awestruck Dumbfounded. Kind of liked it. At least Lyrebird and Run Of The Mill Boy very pretty cool. Found them from the great Think Small website and their label was so thrilled about them that I just had to listen to them. Here's the bio from the label's site. I apologize for the copy paste.

"Here's what the press says about Awestruck Dumbfounded, the new band sweeping the nation! ROLLING STONE magazine says of Awestruck Dumbfounded, "Never heard of them." INTERVIEW MAGAZINE says "Awestruck WHAT?!" and another beautiful review of Awestruck Dumbfounded from MTV says "Uh, please dont send us anymore from this band?!" And lastly SPIN magazine says "STOP WASTING OUR TIME!"

Awestruck Dumbfounded website
Think Small Website
Shmat Records

Addition at 4 am: I hate computers. Windows is an ugly word.

MARCH 11, 2004

Thanks to Ilkka Valpasvuo (desibeli.net) for sending me some good photos. Two of these are there on the left. More will be on the site soon.

No other updates. Watched Julio Medem's Sex & Lucia and eventhough the movie wasn't perfect, it was able to lay claim to my heart during the last half an hour when the emotions really kicked in. So the movie was much more than just the dirty parts. Those were the least interesting part of it, although as typical male I didn't find it unpleasant to watch those either. Julio is a damn good director. No doubt about that eventhough this isn't one of his best. After the movie all I could do was to start winamp and let Marian Valinta carry on the emotion and guide me into my dreams. This is so my kind of music. Simple, romantic, a bit naiive music that comforts you and fills your heart with warmness. If I was almost crying last night, tonight I am really crying (and hey, that's a good thing. to feel is always good. to feel too much is even better.)

I think I set myself another deadline. I give myself 10 days. On march 21st. The band section must be totally ready and updated.

Thanks to each and everyone who has contacted me, dropped a note the guestbook, made corrections, asked to put some information on the site. That is the thing that keeps me going. Thanks to also for the 822 visitors that have so far visited this new version during the first two weeks. The daily average is around 58 visitors or so at the moment (and yes there are obviously some who visit this on daily basis, there has not been 822 different visitors). Perhaps I will even tell about this site to someone when I'm myself pleased with this (will that ever happen, I mean me being totally pleased with this site, probably not. Let's just say I will be almost pleased with this when I get this totally up-to-date)

Take care.

MARCH 10,2004

1.30 am

News updated.

Jolly Jumpers!! Marian Valinta!! Jolly Jumpers!! Marian Valinta!! These two touched my heart today. You'll find more about marian valinta from the news section so I just concentrate on Jolly Jumpers here and say that I think I'm gonna make a pyhiinvaellus to Tyrnävä this summer. This new Jolly Jumpers album is again so marvellous. This is probably the best band in Finland (ok I seem to have many of those..heh..but like in all the other cases...I'm also now very serious). Who cares about Calexicos and Giant Sands when you have Jolly Jumpers.

[Season over. hockey edited out. JYP still rule]

Take Care

MARCH 9, 2004

News, Le Futur Pompiste page, Releases, Whatever and Gigs updated.

[Season over. hockey edited out. JYP still rule]

Unless. I end up talking about movies..

I Watched Robert Bresson's Diary Of A Country Priest tonight.. Not quite as stunning as I expected, but still a very powerful and wonderful movie. Also finally after a week of thinking went and ordered Bela Tarr's "Werckmeister Harmonies" / "Damnation" DVD. I felt that I need to see these. A stupid guy like me probably won't ever figure out the true meaning of those movies, but a guess I can still enjoy the visual side of those masterpieces. Kind of a shame that Tarr's 450 minutes long "Satantango" is not yet on DVD. I would love to see that one.

Take Care.

MARCH 8, 2004

2 am

Penniless Website now contains full video of the first single "Amen" from their new marvellous album. There's also five over 1 minute long audio samples from the album. Check out at least "Lifeboat" and "Circle Above My Head", because those are truly wonderful songs. Well they all are.

[Season over. hockey edited out. JYP still rule]


MARCH 5, 2004

I love you all.

[Season over. hockey edited out. JYP still rule]


MARCH 4, 2004

[Season over. hockey edited out. JYP still rule]


MARCH 4, 2004

11.50 am

News updated

MARCH 3, 2004

11.40 pm

[Season over. hockey edited out. JYP still rule]

But you may listen to Pipas while waiting. They have a new ep out and like all the previous ones, also this one sounds adorable. Listen to a song called "Jean C" on Matinee's site. One of the best indiepop labels that matinee. Lots of other cool sounds can be found from there too. Like this Fairways that will soon have an album out.

Note to self: Do not lose your bicycle keys. If you do, you may have to run a few kilometres in a hurry and that's not the most pleasant thing to do. At least if you feel a bit sick even beforehand.

Take care

MARCH 3, 2004

3 pm

Ok. So it started bothering me that I named only a few beautiful songs. So I must continue that list with some more (yes, I'm this sick).

Tom Waits - San Diego Serenade
The Clientele - Saturday
Emitt Rhodes - You Must Have
Beachwood Sparks - The Reminder
Neil Young - I Believe In You
Chasing Dorotea - The Anchor Song
James Iha - One And Two
Ken Stringfellow - Lovers Hymn
The Krispies - Lucky Stars
The Left Banke - Pretty Ballerina
Ville Leinonen & Valumo - Enkeli
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - How I Long
The Zombies - Leave Me Be
The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
Tindersticks - Another Night In
Markus Nordenstreng - Still Dreaming
Ron Sexsmith - Strawberry Blonde
Flying Burrito Brothers - Hot Burrito #1
Nick Drake - Day Is Done
Ryan Adams - Oh My Sweet Carolina

So a guess those would make good mix-cd with the yesterday's selections:

Big Star - Blue Moon
Gram Parsons - Brass Buttons
Sparklehorse - Hey Joe
Elliot Smith - Between The Bars
Blackeyed Susans - Be My Medicine

Again these are songs that are very personal and dear to me. You may find it weird to have songs like Chasing Dorotea's Anchor song included, but to me it really is one of the most beautiful songs ever made. If you don't believe me, go to Labrador's sound library and listen to it. Come back then and tell me that isn't one truly beautiful song.

I could name dozens of more obviously. There could be about 15 Sparklehorse songs. And Janne Laurila was left out. Why? I thought he is above this list. The whole debut album by Office Building could be there. It is music that has been hugging and kissing me for years. I could never choose just one song.

And there's of course these two songs. If you ever want to hurt me. Don't hit me with a baseball bat, just play another one of these and I bet you hurt me more.

Teenage Fanclub - Mellow Doubt
Trembling Blue Stars - Sometimes I Still Feel The Bruise

Well actually I love both of these. I need both of these. They once hurted me, now they just remind me of what really counts.

Take Care. Even the longest night will lead to daylight. (Ron Sexsmith - April After All)


MARCH 2, 2004

Another busy day and therefore only minor updates. News and Mikael H discography updated.

Take care. Happiness will come your way and magic comes just not today

(before someone starts complaining I better give credit to the ones who've written those beautiful sentences that for some weird reason seem to end every entry. I'll stop this now or if I'm not able to do that, I'll add the song name right after the quote on each entry. So I've basicly just picked the first beautiful line (from some song that I love) that came to my mind while writing. All are not exact quotes, like Big Star should obviously be "this sounds a bit like goodbye")

Happiness will come your way and magic comes just not today (Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Happiness)
You're the island that I swim to when I need to find a rock (Chasing Dorotea - Anchor Song)
Every heart will someday be a star. (Bridget - Trust)
Hope you're sleeping safe and sound. (The Sugarrush - Farewell)
drink up and look at the stars (Elliot Smith - Between The Bars)
spread a little sunshine and everything will be fine (Emitt Rhodes - You Must Have)
don't let love pass you by. You can only blame yourself if you don't try (Frank Blake - Don't Let Love Pass You By)
There's a heaven and there's a star for you (Sparklehorse - Hey Joe)
This doesn't sound like goodbye (Big Star - Take Care)

All of these songs are obviously more than recommended. Especially those Elliot Smith and Sparklehorse songs have so huge personal value that I feel that they are almost part of who I am. So much tenderness, comfort and beauty are present in those two tiny down-to-earth songs. You couldn't get them out of my heart even with a chainsaw. Just throw in Big Star's "Blue Moon", Gram Parsons "Brass Buttons" and Blackeyed Susans "Be My Medicine" and there's probably the five most beautiful songs ever made according to me (although perhaps I should add about half of the songs that Janne Laurila has written to that list + lots of others as well, five is too few, could I even cut that list to five hundred songs).

MARCH 1, 2004

Only news, release and gigs pages updated. Sorry. Apparently I have other things in my life too.

One sweet girl told me that my writing isn't as personal as it used to be a year ago. Is it so? Well I suppose there was a few sleepless nights when I wrote something totally personal back then. Well this is still written with heart and passion so I'm not worrying. Somehow I feel that my romanticized and naiive way of writing might get rather annoying to someone. So that's why I perhaps should try to keep that way-too -emotional stuff out of here (I don't always succeed in it as you may have noticed..). Well let's hope some nice girl comes, rips the heart out of my chest and throws it into the trash can. It wouldn't be that bad though, because that would mean that I have to fall in love with her first and I miss that feeling. And then there would definitely be some very personal writings in here. Or should I just stick with this happiness thing..

I think I'm getting sick. Not good. I think I drink a bit of some hot stuff. Oh and I think I have a cookie too.

Take care. You're the island that I swim to when I need to find a rock.

FEBRUARY 29, 2004

2.30 am

Spent half an hour cleaning up the code (it still looks terrible). Worked a bit with Viola, a spokane and Jeeves pages but after a while I wasn't able to form an understandable english sentence. So I did just something mechanical stuff that even a tired soul was able to do. Meaning I started collecting those 2004 releases under page "Finnish Release 2004" and added some to the 2003 page. All of these release pages are still far from complete. I'm not even sure are they useful to anyone, because you can find the releases from the band pages. Well it doesn't take a lot time to copypaste them under an year page. I should once learn to make a database about these, but a guess it's alright this way too.

and those three band pages were not yet uploaded, but they will be soon. Not sure about tomorrow though, because I still have some school work left and plan to do that tomorrow.

How come anyone isn't complaining that I haven't told that the new Jolly Jumpers album is out (or is it out, if it is how come I haven't bought it yet, that is a must have album). Isn't Jolly Jumpers like the best band in Finland and Petri Hannus like the nicest man on the planet.

The first page of this site has been loaded about 300 times already. I think that's pretty good amount for an indiemusicsite, because I haven't advertised at all. Don't know should I. Perhaps then when I get this updating process completed. It just feels weird and uncomfortable to advertise something I've made and somehow I also think that if this website is decent enough, the word gets around.

Ermanno Olmi's Il Posto was such a wonderful little gem. Just finished watching it and I loved it. Simple little story about real people. Slightly sad and humorous insights about working in faceless company. A glimmer of hope in a form of an cutest girl ever. Perhaps even cuter than Winona in Reality Bites. The whole movie was like glowing with warmness and humanity. A bit like an Aki Kaurismäki film set in Italy in the 60's. Got to lovely Criterion because of bringing these classics on to dvd.

[Season over. hockey edited out. JYP still rule]

Take care. Every heart will someday be a star.


FEBRUARY 28, 2004

2.45 am

Puhdetyö for this night involved modifying/updating two band pages. These were Le Futur Pompiste and Cats On Fire. I might still need to fix those descriptions slightly, but at least there's now a bit more written about these wonderful groups.

Perfect evening it was. Suudelmitar is such an beautiful album. It felt good just to lie down, stare to the sky and let the warmness and beautiness of that music float through my body. I need those moments when there's no rush and you can just fully enjoy listening to peaceful and comforting music for hours. Movie choice for the evening brought me down from my dreams though. I watched Henri-Georges Clouzot's Le Corbeau made in 1943. It was a rather good movie, but was there a single kind and caring person in it. A guess there doesn't always have to be, but it kind of destroys my naiive belief that every single person is kind and good underneath.

Take care. Hope you're sleeping safe and sound.

FEBRUARY 27, 2004

4 pm

News and gigs pages updated.

Now I will close my eyes for a while and let myself drift into the world of Ville Leinonen. Perhaps more updates in the evening. No promises though.

Take care and listen to Suudelmitar. It's so beautiful.


FEBRUARY 27, 2004

1.15 pm

Made some quick changes on Penniless page, because I'm so excited about this album. I'll probably write something better later, but I already had to tell that the album is good, very very good.

If you're wondering why I haven't raved about the Treeball album, the reason is that I got it before this new version opened. The first excitement about that one happened already a week ago. It's a great classic and melodic pop album though and I'll probably write some kind of reviews about these both once I've updated the band section.

Ok. Now I should fight my way through the snow to see if the local stores already have Ville's album. It would be major dissappointment if they didn't, because I've kind of thought that I just spent the day listening to him, dreaming about girls and breaking my own heart. A guess I could manage to do that without Ville, but it would be nicer if his tender and beautiful songs were here with me. It feels weird to be utterly happy. I can't remember when was the previous time I felt like this.

Take care, drink up and look at the stars

(oops, just noticed that the last word on that ville paragraph was "that". It was not what I meant. Now there's the correct word. And now I have the album. yeehaw.)

FEBRUARY 27, 2004

3.30 am

Rollstons page updated

I thought I wouldn't do anything more tonight, but then ended up re-writing The Rollstons description. Don't know am I perfectly pleased with it and is that last sentence understandable at all. Well now is not the time to worry about that. Let's continue tomorrow with some other updates.

Take care, spread a little sunshine and everything will be fine.


FEBRUARY 27,2004

0.30 am

Some additions to gigs and release calendars + few links

This Penniless album is still marvellous. Should I make a conclusion that I actually like rock. Now that would be frightening, but it does feel so good to listen to this. Well I can soon put this temporary insanity behind me, put the new album by Ville Leinonen on, crawl into the brightest corner of this tiny apartment and let him drift me into my dreams while watching the city fall into sleep. That would be more like me. Or then again. I could just stick with both of them, because I need both kind of music.

[Season over. hockey edited out. JYP still rule]

Take care and don't let love pass you by. You can only blame yourself if you don't try.



FEBRUARY 26, 2004

4 pm

Penniless, Treeball, Ben's Diapers and Daisy discographies updated.

So were going forward slowly but surely. Bare with me a while. It will be up-to-date someday. Now it's time for the hockey game. Penniless still rules.

Take care. There's a heaven and there's a star for you.


FEBRUARY 26, 2004

1.15 pm

Some minor adjustments + Marian Valinta, Wojciech and Jukka Takalo discographies updated.

Yeah. Ossi Alisaari is a hero of mine. It's a wonderful record that new Penniless thing indeed. Can't stop listening to it.

And tomorrow solo album by Ville Leinonen is out and available. Got to rush into the record store in the morning. Happy Happy Joy Joy.

Probably few small updates after the hockey game.

Take care. This doesn't sound like goodbye.


FEBRUARY 26, 2004

2.30 am

I thought I start somekind of update log for two reasons

a) so you don't have to go through all those one hundred html-files to see what have been updated.

b) I could add this information to the news section but I feel that I don't want to drown the "real news" under all that useless information and craptalk like I did before.

First thanks to all the 84 visitors that have visited this site during the first 20 hours. It's always nice to see that someone is interested.

I didn't do much today. Only noticable thing was the photocredits, which I forgot last night. I believe there's still a few photos that I haven't yet ask permission to use. So if you have something to complain about, I can remove the photos or add the credits. Also if someone has photos of these bands, those are always more than welcome.

Updates will be regular from now. You may have to wait a while for new reviews and such to pop up though. I have still lot to do before I'm pleased with the band section. So that will take a while. Obviously the important news, upcoming gigs and release things will be updated regularly starting today. So keep the info coming if I've missed something.

Should I start a diary too. Because I think I now have the urge to use this page to rave about different stuff. As if someone would care and be interested. Anyway I treated myself and bought the new Penniless album. It's marvellous. Go and buy it. I also watched Criterion Collection's double-disc set "Children Of Paradise". What a poetic masterpiece and truly wonderful movie from Marcel Carne.

Take care everyone.