Ochre Room
Evening Coming In
Lumpeela Julkaisut LJ06
Beautiful Lo-Fi Americana from Finland
My eldest son lives in Finland and was taken to see Ochre Room by some workmates; the following day he contacted me and demanded I get a copy of the album. I did some on-line research and liked what I heard so contacted the band who sent this CD by return. It’s a small world at times; isn’t it?
Ochre Room are a 5 piece band who were all brought up on a steady diet of Americana and Folk music which is instantly apparent on album opener My Summer which has echoes of Elliot Smith and Ryan Adams in it’s construction and delicate delivery; plus it has a beautifully melancholic trumpet solo in the middle and end.
Don’t Try is incredibly atmospheric and features a cello, trumpet, acoustic and electric guitars plus some shimmering cymbals as two pitch perfect voices drift in and out of a song that Fleet Foxes would be immensely proud of.
Singers Lauri Myllymaki (male) and Minttu Tervaharju (female) both have such sweet voices and their enunciation makes them sound like they come from the Heartlands of America instead of Northern Europe.
My favourite track is Same Posture; which manages to combine the very best elements of Gothic Americana with the multi-layered trumpets sounding like a British Colliery Brass Band and the song itself is pretty damn fine too.
Because Ochre Room are from Finland; this is music that would normally pass you by; and I urge you not to make that mistake.
The Rocking Magpie 