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14 Down, 1 To Go: One Chord To Another Turns 14!

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happy

One year to another. OCTA is now fourteen years old. That’s already a far longer time than I ever expected, but there’s still work to be done. Ok, you might have noticed that nothing is really happening right now and I feel extremely guilty about it. I just don’t really have enough energy for this at the moment. I apologize. Maybe things will get better soon. I doubt it, but at least I’m a bit more hopeful today than yesterday. Anyway, fifteen has been my goal and I intend to keep this thing somehow alive until that point. What happens after that I’m not entirely sure. The wise thing would be to organize a little anniversary concert / memorial service for the blog and go out with a bang. It’s also possible that I just don’t have the heart to completely stop after doing this for so long and this turns into one of those dreadful “one more year” things where a person with a decent track record (well lousy track record in my case) just doesn’t know how and when to quit.

Anyway, I’ll figure out 15 when I get there. Now it’s time to celebrate the 14th birthday (the actual birthday is actually tomorrow on the 17th of September, but I don’t have time to do this then) and I’ll do that by doing what I always do. Posting three songs that I really love at the moment.

Christopher Paul Stelling – Dear Beast

Hezekiah Jones – The Dark Heart’s Out

Joan Shelley – Over and Even

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Featured, Finnish music, Headline, News

Maanvaiva & Hate Paper Doll

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maanvaivaa

My favourite song yesterday, today and probably tomorrow as well is Kalpeanaama by Maanvaiva. There isn’t too much information available on this internet thing, but what matters is that their debut release Tuuli / Kalpeanaama 12” maxi is now out and available on Gearwheel Records. I like both songs, but my favourite is definitely Kalpeanaama. Jukka Melametsä plays the guitar and Tom Stenman sings his heart out. I sure love that combination as a long time fan of The Refreshments and Mental Market. The maxi single can be bought from them directly (you’ll find the information on their Facebook) or pick it up from your local record store. At least Levykauppa Äx has it in stock.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ1fSTMlcSM]

Maanvaiva at Facebook

hatepaperdol

I have a good opportunity to turn this little blog entry into a Tom Stenman special and I can’t let that opportunity to pass me by. There’s a new band called Hate Paper Doll out there. A name from a Husker Du song and a line up of Tom Stenman, Näkä Hyle, Teemu Horto and Kim Kannussaari. What’s not to love. These guys have really delivered with their earlier bands and I’m 100% sure they are going to do that again. They have just started playing live and haven’t released more than demo, but here’s Afterlife from that demo.

Hate Paper Doll at Facebook

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Featured, Headline, International music, News

A Reminder of the Brilliance of J.E. Sunde by Daytrotter

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daytrottersunde

Well I suppose I didn’t really need a reminder of the brilliance of J.E. Sunde (or Daytrotter for that matter), but I’m so grateful that they made another session with him. I’ve been a huge fan since I heard his utterly wonderful solo album Shapes That Kiss The Lips Of God. A way too unknown masterpiece that can get through all the layers you might have build around your heart.

This new Daytrotter session once again shows that J.E. Sunde writes the most inspiring and moving songs and I could listen to this all day long. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m crying a little when I write this. I haven’t been completely able to feel my left arm and leg for almost a year, but these songs. Man, I can feel everything about them. The songs are so vulnerable, but still they contain more strength than an army of wrestlers. It just rips off all the armor I’ve built around me. There goes crippling shyness and so long low self-esteem. Sure these things will come back to haunt me, but even when the armor is closed and back on me, there’s a certain light in there somewhere and that was planted by the songs of J.E.Sunde. That light reminds me that all these human weaknesses aren’t really weaknesses at all. They are just..well.. human. This was all very naive and cliche-ish of course. The point just was and is that I extremely highly recommend either picking up his album Shapes That Kiss The Lips Of God or listening to this brand new and totally magnificent Daytrotter session. You need to be a member to be able to hear the whole session, but you can hear a few songs for free as well. Subscribing is definitely a good idea, because for a fairly small annual or monthly fee, you’ll get more great music than you’ll ever have the time to listen to. Also the most stunning moment of this session, the song Rabbit Rag and I is for members only.

J.E. Sunde Daytrotter Session
J.E. Sunde Website

And here’s A Blinding Flash of Light one more time from that album mentioned above. It was my favourite song of 2014. In fact, it very well might be my favourite song of the current decade.

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Featured, International music, News

Tedo Stone – Marshes & T.Hardy Morris – Drownin’ On a Mountaintop

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tedo

Let’s turn it up a notch. Atlanta’s Tedo Stone will drop his new album Marshes into my heart on September 18th. I have high hopes for this one, because I’ve been really digging this first single of the new album during the past month. The previous album Good Go Bad was already very good one, but this new one might be something really special. This is To The Marshes from the forthcoming album.

Tedo Stone Website

hardyy

Staying around the same neighborhood in Athens, Georgia. T.Hardy Morris released his new album Drownin’ On A Mountaintop in late june 2015. I’ve been a fan of this guy since the previous album Audition Tapes that even entered my best of the year list. However, T.Hardy Morris does challenge my taste a bit, because being a total pop wimp, some of the loud rockers do get on the edge of my comfort zone. I think that’s mostly a good thing, because I do need someone to kick me out of my constant self-pity and/or sad bastard moments and T.Hardy Morris is a good man for that job. It might not look convincing on paper, but garage rock and country music do work well together. This is Shit in The Wind from the new album that’s out now on Dangerbird Records.

T.Hardy Morris Website

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