To See Only Shadows

The debut album from the most unique pop group in Finland.

Snowbound issue 4

This peculiar band is something to watch out for. Office Building started out as a more or less lo-fi combo with an evolving line-up. They put out a cassette and a 7" vinyl EP that were welcomed in the underground as refreshing; Office Building was the most innovative band heard for a while! So far their audience has been limited, maybe the new CD release will help get them known. The sound on To See Only Shadows is no longer lo-fi but is now almost polished. This just adds another element of surprise. Long songs strike the listener as small epics of an unusual life. It may be arty and it may not be easy to listen to, but it is sedating and inspiring for sure! I can't compare Office Building to any other band or artist. I just urge everyone to contact Fonal Records for this gem and other similarly interesting releases.
tl

Broken Face #10

I close my eyes and feel no gravitation as Finnish Office Building’s "To See Only Shadows" drifts into my ears and stimulates the pleasure centers of my brain and most of all my heart. This is music for 2:45 AM when the last drunks have grumbled home from the bars just so they can awaken to work and hangovers. I’ll have mine tomorrow after sharing company with a bottle of whiskey and too many of these stirring and fragile pieces. The title track, the album’s opener, is a winding epic that effortlessly combines earnest confession and a sparse, tense soundscape given life by the ethereal and perfectly harmonized vocals from Janne Laurila. Add to that very accomplished violin play and you know that this surely is one of this year’s most beautiful winter soundtracks. The slightly more up-beat "One-Eighty" is a nice bit of folky pop, an enchanting synthesis of simple guitar lines and violin. But it pales in comparison with the gorgeous and plaintive "It All Comes Down On You", a carefully crafted number that’s as soft as snowflakes filled with despair and loss. The resonant production makes the sounds even more fatal, reminding me a bit of the true masters of decay, Red House Painters. On other tracks like "Crazy & Ridiculous", they also prove themselves capable of the most resplendent dream pop homage before the whole thing builds up to a Dirty Three-ish crescendo of sorts, complete with bursting violin. The closing "Cut My Heart In Two" demonstrates the band in their most mellow mode, beautiful guitar lines twirl around each other with Laurila’s appealing voice winding through it all. Simple but very effective to say the least. This is an amazing record intended to be played in Scandinavian winter darkness, but I’m sure will suffice. Recommended.

Mats Gustafsson

Office Building - To See Only Shadows (FR-16)

Download Album

1.		Office Building - To See Only Shadows	5m 29s
2.		Office Building - Lighthouse Girl	3m 52s
3.		Office Building - One-Eighty	5m 30s
4.		Office Building - It All Comes Down On You	6m 49s
5.		Office Building - Crazy & Ridiculous	4m 45s
6.		Office Building - The Driver	7m 27s
7.		Office Building - You right Here, whenever	6m 41s
8.		Office Building - Cut My Heart In Two	5m 8s

We now have mp3 samples available for you lovely folk! Click the play button next to each track title to listen to its preview.

If you do not already have a mp3 player, visit the FAQ page for player tips.