2008 Woodie Awards
Office's new album mixes pop influences
By: Cyril Wood
Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
With their first label release, Office blends pop beats with over-driven guitars and bright piano. It would not be surprising if their name sounds familiar because they gained an intense amount of attention when iTunes offered their single "Wound Up" as a weekly free download. The Chicago-based quintet pulled many songs from their self-released album Q&A to put on "A Night at the Ritz," but most of the songs have been reworked for a more professional sound. Hot off the festival circuit, Office offers something far from elevator music.
It's impossible to listen to Office without hearing pieces of bands like Fountains of Wayne and Rooney come through clearly. Singer Scott Masson's voice sounds right at home with most pop vocalists. His singing is relaxed and contains a throaty rasp reminiscent of John Mayer. At other times he sings through a distorted microphone giving the impression of Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse or even Julian Casablancas of the Strokes in his earlier days. In "If You Don't Know by Now," he replicates Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand. He even speaks between lyrics, asking questions to unknown people, like Kapranos does in many of his songs. "The Ritz" sounds like it was pulled directly from Under the Influence of Giants' self-titled album, especially with Masson's falsetto, which mimics that of Giants' frontman Aaron Bruno almost perfectly.
In guitar and other musical style, the same bands come to mind. The rhythm guitar is heavily Rooney, but with perhaps less of the 60s surf sound. Songs like "The Ritz" and popular single "Wound Up" offer rhythm in the form of a repeating riff, which is similar to Franz Ferdinand, or even some David Bowie, like his "Rebel, Rebel." "If You Don't Know by Now" is a complete mixture of Kapranos' "You Could Have it So Much Better," and Rooney's debut in chorus. The bass is not particularly heavy, as it usually isn't in power pop, but fits really well with the guitar. On my songs, the drums do not come through to their fullest until the choruses, and they keep a marching beat through the verses. The synthesizer brings to mind songs by The The, and the piano is always a nice touch, but most of the music here is focused between the guitar and the vocals.
Opening track "Oh My" sounds annoyingly familiar with its catchy beat and sing along hook of "Oh my God / Oh my God / I really need somebody." This song encompasses elements of every other pop song ever heard. In fact, many songs on this compact disc sound as if they have been done before, but at the same time, this similarity is an attractive quality of the band. Nearly every song is catchy, and although they have borrowed elements from other bands, the Office puts all the energy into their music, grasping their audience's attention with these striking similarities.
If CDs could bear children, Office's "A Night at the Ritz" would be the offspring of Franz Ferdinand's "You Could Have it So Much Better" and Rooney's self-titled debut. They take power pop aspects from other bands and blend them together to create their own amazingly lasting sound, a sound that begs the listener to remember it and to keep coming back, if only to figure out who they sound like.
It's impossible to listen to Office without hearing pieces of bands like Fountains of Wayne and Rooney come through clearly. Singer Scott Masson's voice sounds right at home with most pop vocalists. His singing is relaxed and contains a throaty rasp reminiscent of John Mayer. At other times he sings through a distorted microphone giving the impression of Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse or even Julian Casablancas of the Strokes in his earlier days. In "If You Don't Know by Now," he replicates Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand. He even speaks between lyrics, asking questions to unknown people, like Kapranos does in many of his songs. "The Ritz" sounds like it was pulled directly from Under the Influence of Giants' self-titled album, especially with Masson's falsetto, which mimics that of Giants' frontman Aaron Bruno almost perfectly.
In guitar and other musical style, the same bands come to mind. The rhythm guitar is heavily Rooney, but with perhaps less of the 60s surf sound. Songs like "The Ritz" and popular single "Wound Up" offer rhythm in the form of a repeating riff, which is similar to Franz Ferdinand, or even some David Bowie, like his "Rebel, Rebel." "If You Don't Know by Now" is a complete mixture of Kapranos' "You Could Have it So Much Better," and Rooney's debut in chorus. The bass is not particularly heavy, as it usually isn't in power pop, but fits really well with the guitar. On my songs, the drums do not come through to their fullest until the choruses, and they keep a marching beat through the verses. The synthesizer brings to mind songs by The The, and the piano is always a nice touch, but most of the music here is focused between the guitar and the vocals.
Opening track "Oh My" sounds annoyingly familiar with its catchy beat and sing along hook of "Oh my God / Oh my God / I really need somebody." This song encompasses elements of every other pop song ever heard. In fact, many songs on this compact disc sound as if they have been done before, but at the same time, this similarity is an attractive quality of the band. Nearly every song is catchy, and although they have borrowed elements from other bands, the Office puts all the energy into their music, grasping their audience's attention with these striking similarities.
If CDs could bear children, Office's "A Night at the Ritz" would be the offspring of Franz Ferdinand's "You Could Have it So Much Better" and Rooney's self-titled debut. They take power pop aspects from other bands and blend them together to create their own amazingly lasting sound, a sound that begs the listener to remember it and to keep coming back, if only to figure out who they sound like.
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