The reason why I started making One Chord To Another was the fact that I had totally fallen in love with Finnish guitar pop / power pop bands and wanted to make them better known. Nowadays onechord.net seem to cover a lot of obscure country bands from all over the globe, but Finnish pop was the starting point and still is the main reason this website/blog exists. One Chord To Another becomes 10 years old on 17th of september, 2011. It’s been a long journey and therefore I think I’m allowed to feel a little nostalgic. This not-so-cleverly named 10 years & 10 reasons writing series is meant to select 10 albums/releases that were a huge reason why I either started making One Chord To Another or why I’m still making it. So basicly just 10 finnish releases that will always have a huge place in my heart. One every month I think, so it will be december until the nostalgia is over. Bear with me.

Bridget: Rusko – Mynämäki & See Ya’ Jamie (demo EPs)

I’m cheating a bit, but I can’t decide which early Bridget demo I should pick, so I’ll put them both here. If I have to choose the best band in the world, my choice will  be The Posies. If I have to choose the band that is dearest to me, it gets a lot trickier and the end result will be a tie between The Sugarrush and Bridget. It’s impossible to decide. Maybe it’s slightly weird to be so completely in love with a band that has officially released one seven inch single plus featured on a couple of compilations, but I’ve just been totally into Bridget ever since Miettinen played Souffle from their Rusko-Mynämäki demo EP on Räkärodeo (summer of ’99 I think?). Later on Räkäpiknik I found the courage to tap the lead singer Janne Kiviniemi on the shoulder and ask if it was possible to buy the demo. A few days later Rusko-Mynämäki arrived to Keuruu and I just kept listening to it over and over again.

A couple of months later I was on my way to Turku to see Bridget, Since November and Belmondo play at Celesta Cellar(?) indiepop festival (at Dynamo) and met all those lovely Turku people that became so dear to me. That whole “Turku pop scene” (not sure were there ever really a scene, but it felt like that to me) was a huge reason why I started One Chord To Another. And even though this entry is mostly about Bridget, it was never just Bridget. All those bands like Ben’s Diapers, Since November, Boomhauer, Hundred Million Martians and Big White Monkees were/are extremely important to me. An extra special thank you to Tomi Mäkilä and Mikko Lappalainen who were always kind enough to give me a place to stay during my early visits to Turku.

Sometime next year See Ya’ Jamie EP entered the picture. I remember how Miettinen once again played Bridget on Räkärodeo. I taped the show (like I always did) and spent the next night listening to Bridget’s new song Needless. Ok, maybe not literally the whole night, but yeah.. a lot.. helluva lot. I don’t think I’m lying if I say that I listened to it at least 25 times during that night. That’s how badly addicted to Bridget I was back in the day. And well still am. Bridget was definitely one of the biggest reasons I started making One Chord to Another. Here’s some early onechord description of the band from 2001 I think.

“Criminally unsigned. That is what comes to mind, when we are talking about this brilliant pop group. Their demos and live performances for the past 2 or 3 years have been simply stunning. Janne Kiviniemi writes songs that touch your heart and soul. Their music is beautiful, heartfelt and as lovely as your girlfriend’s eyes. Songs about relationships and friendship. Things that really matter in the end. And Janne always sings like an angel. His voice isn’t strong, but it sounds so cute that it breaks my heart every time. They sound a bit like some Scottish pop bands (Bmx bandits, Teenage fanclub).”

Listen to Needless:
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/963420″]

The first line up Janne Kiviniemi, Saku Krappala, Janne Rinne & Jami Helmiö went on to release one truly wonderful 7″ single on Rhythm Barrel Records and featured on a couple of international pop compilations. Some years ago Bridget returned with a new line-up and the magic was still there. The first line-up is the dearest to me due to nostalgic reasons, but the new line-up made equally fantastic concerts and Heidi Horila’s harmony vocals added a new dimension to the music. I’m not sure what is the current status of Bridget, but they’ve been inactive for a year or two now. It’s a shame, because the latest pack of songs was so brilliant. These songs form an album that has criminally never been released. If I had a label, I would release it in a heartbeat. It’s such an amazingly beautiful pop album. Sure it’s a little demo-ish at times and if they had recorded it after the new line-up had really taken shape, it could have been even more perfect. But I love it even as it is now. There’s only problem. I’m ashamed to listen to it in public places. I’m afraid I look like a biological freak, because I’m aware that honey will be pouring from my ears all the time if I listen to Bridget. This next one is one of my favourite songs from that unreleased album and the song title fits well to this blog entry. A perfect way to end this first chapter of 10 years & 10 reasons. Bridget and a song called Dearest.

[audio:http://onechord.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/03-dearest.mp3]

Bridget at myspace
Bridget at facebook

Next month: The hardest rockin’ pop band in the world. Until then..