Shibbster Tweets About: OdeVille's "ROM"
Shibbster Tweets About: OdeVille’s „ROM“
Wheeee! Another full-programme review! Today, I’ll review OdeVille’s new full-length album „ROM“. Why OdeVille? And who is OdeVille? …well… Some of you might know them from their TV-performance on the German Show „The X-Factor“.
I got to know OdeVille during the local heroes contest in 2007 in Hanover. Back then, they had English lyrics and were somewhat ‚harder‘ than they are now. Let’s be honest: Of course in 2007 the emo and scene music was sparkling and ubiquitous. …and influenced bands like OdeVille a little as well. Nonetheless: When emo and scene slowly started to disappear, OdeVille did not. They are still a high-quality independent band from Northern Germany. Maturing as people and maturing as musicians. Their first album „I am Tourist“ (2009) sounded already way more controlled than their live-performances that I saw in 2007. To be honest, after that album I really lost sight and did not really know what OdeVille were up to.
Luckily for me, in the times of the interwebzzz it’s pretty easy to catch up, once you found something again. In the meantime, OdeVille switched to German lyrics, and released 3 more albums: Heimat (2013), Helion (2014) and Phoenix (2016) - making ROM their 5th full-length record. This already is something they can be very proud of. Even the „famous bands“ struggle to make it past album two or three.
…so, I haven't been following them since around 2009 - thus, I am very excited to hear what’s waiting in front of me.
HERE WE GO! (Disclaimer: All the lyrics are written in German. I only translated the song titles for… You know… Reasons…)
01. Königreich (Kingdom)
This song opens up with a staggering simple guitar riff empowered by Hauke’s voice. It really catches me from the very first second. Although this is the opening track, this song is about a goodbye/farewell. I am quite surprised that I got goosebumps as soon as the first chorus kicks in: The verses are performed in a very straight powerful shuffle groove, whilst the chorus opens up to a very emotional 6/8 feeling. Harmonic-wise it feels like it is written in a minor key, but due to the melody and additional harmonies I can’t really tell where exactly it is between major and minor key. This is beautiful. Also, the slow accents that are thrown in every now and then really give the song name its value: It sounds very royal and open. A beautiful opener that does not feel generic.
02. Funkenwalzer (Walz of sparks)
Haha! Although it’s called „Walz“, this song is in 4/4 signature. Personally, I am very happy about that (I am not a big fan of classic walz-compositions). It sounds like a very laid-back, cool pop-ballad. The tasteful use of the piano perfectly merges with the rock band setup. In songs like these, you can really determine how well the musicians can handle their instruments: None of them is playing close to the limits of their abilities. No instrument is standing out here - they all work perfectly together to paint the sparkling picture, that is told with the vocals. The general vibe is somewhat romantic, however there is a slight touch of depression. Of course: The chorus tells us how beautiful it would be to be free in a rain of sparks.
03. Rom (Rome)
The title track of the album. Starting quiet with a piano and a guitar melody that is playing out of the scales that we are used to hear in pop music. But very fitting and spheric. As soon as the beat starts, it feels very dark - and the vocals underline that feeling: the first verse is sung/spoken with a very deep voice. I can’t really tell if it is spoken word or singing. And that’s interesting. It suits the atmosphere pretty well. All in all, this song is rather cinematic, spine-tingling dancing between drama and hope. My personal highlight is the second verse, where the vocals get a lot more vivid while the music is still very mellow. Later on, the song get’s even more dramatic, using the opening guitar melody again. Soaking itself up with energy only to get very calm again afterwards. Which is pretty cool, as the calm part is very unique in terms of key/scale/harmony. Beautifully written.
04. 8 mm (do you really need a translation?)
This song is the second single of this album. And so far, I cannot understand why they chose it as a second single. I can’t help it: If I’d imagine this song without the vocals, it could as well be the background music of a corporate image-film. Meaning: The vocals really save this one although they are not spectacular. Actually, this song does not really catch my attention and I have a hard time not letting my thoughts drift away. Thus, I can’t really say much more about it…
05. Bitte Ja Bitte Gleich (Why yes, please right now)
This song was the first single of the album and the reason why OdeVille caught my attention again: Compared to what we’ve heard so far, this song has such a raw, aggressive energy! But if you listen closely (e.g. on headphones), you can tell that this song is full of intelligent details (productionwise) underlining my above-written statement regarding that OdeVille matured as musicians as well. This - I’d like to call it punk rock song - really gets you going. Listen to it in the morning and you’ll start your day right! haha! Also, this is another example of how well the music accompanies the message of the song: It is very angry and socio-critical. When it was released in August, it caught me.
That’s why I decided to do a cover version. If you’re curious, you can listen to/watch my version (with a little more juvenility) of „Bitte Ja Bitte Gleich“ here:
06. Schwarzfahren mit Hintergrund (fare-dodging with a background)
Nice. This song is very minimalistic. A good contrast to the prior track. Do not get me wrong here, it has its rock parts but they sound very melodic and not aggressive at all. Again: The music builds a very suitable, urban sounding atmosphere for this urban story. I mean, I’m 25 years old now and I can really relate to being lost and I do live in Germany’s capital. I think everyone in my position who doesn’t even speak German would feel the same way about this song anyway. Art.
07. Die Verlangsamung der Zeit (The showdown of time)
This track literally dances between being a pop-ballad and being a rock-dance-track. The female „choir“ (not really a choir as it’s almost spoken word again) really gives this song a different feel. It’s groove and catchy - a song that I can imagine myself dancing to on a concert or listening to it whilst doing the dishes or during a long train ride. Songs that are so multi-serving always make me content.
08. Halb vier (half past three)
Ever imagined a sad man sitting in a narrow side street at midnight while it rains way too much, singing his story? Ever wondered what this sounds like? Listen to this song. Then you know. It is dramatic, deep and really telling a story again. I discover that I keep repeating myself on things like story telling and how well the instruments, vocals and lyrics work together. But I can’t help it. I really enjoy this song as well! It has the same strengths as the songs before, but it sound’s totally different from them. …that’s so cool!
09. Wunderwerk (Marvel)
YEZZZZZ!!! Pop-rock at its best! Without beating around the bush, this song starts into a catchy, nice groove riff. The verse keeps this groove and leaves more than enough space for the vocals. This song doesn’t make use of any unnecessary details - it’s structure is straight and simple and the details it uses (e.g. the organ in the bridge-section) appear to be very well thought through. A very suiting soundscape for a heroic, romantic story! Thank you OdeVille for proving to me that pop rock can still sound authentic without going too far away from the mainstream. IT IS POSSIBLE!
10. Arnim (Arnim)
Another song in 6/8 feel without sounding like a classic Walz. When I think of the countless indie-bands that are around these days, I wish they would sound more like this song. All the tiny melodies of the guitars and piano work very well together. The drum grooves are accompanied partly by percussive use of guitars, which is pretty cool. However, the coolest part of this one for me is the bridge section where the vocals are almost alone and a female background voice appears - perfectly matching with the main vocals. Also, the ending is abrupt. Very abrupt. In the second I heard it, it was irritating but really: A second later I immediately thought „Yes. This suits the arrangement.“
11. Kreisverkehr (Roundabout)
Haaahahahaha! This opening riff with that dead simple groove sounds like someone was trying to jam but had a few drinks too much. But this first impression dissolves itself as soon as the verse starts: The groove remains the same, but the riff slightly changes into something more melodic and also more reduced. However, this „drunk riff“ from the beginning keeps appearing throughout the song while it constructs itself part by part into something more „complete“. It is a beautiful example of how well you can keep a simple beat for a long time (I could learn from this…). Nonetheless, the Chorus is a very strong contrast to the rest of the song: It sounds massive and totally different. This impression is underlined by a very rough distortion on the guitars and background noises. It sounds intimidating - AGAIN: UNDERLINING THE VOCALS! If you want to listen to a steady groove that wakes up you up pretty harsh every now and then, this is your song. What made me laugh really hard was the bridge section: A very nice voice with only a vintage piano in the background. But the lyrics are everything but nice. Everything but nice. This is pure irony. Even the ending.
12. Herr der Gezeiten (Lord of the tides)
Starting out as something that could be the soundtrack of a road trip through the countryside turns pretty fast into a something with a strong reggae groove - and then changing into a groove pop chorus again. The vocals perform pretty well during the verses while the kind of pull back during the chorus without being awkward. I rarely heard a chorus sung like that without sounding weak. The general vibe again is somewhat cinematic, dramatic and hopeful. Which again is suiting the story of this song. Jumping between the different playing styles within this song doesn’t sound „all over the shop“. It is intentional and sounds as it is meant to be that way. A pretty cool composition!
13. Gute Nacht (Good night)
The beginning of this song has a totally different soundscape: a marching snare drum with a female choir that’s again singing/speaking right before the band kicks in. A good idea! This song is - from what I understand - about the fear of going to sleep. The „spookyness“ is underlined by the vocals switching between regular voice and falsetto singing in the verses whilst the chorus sounds rather strong. And again - sorry for repeating myself - both the music and the vocals/lyrics work perfectly together as they make it perfectly clear that this topic is dramatic, they both open up for hope. And this is important. When suffering from fears like that it is more important than anything else to not lose hope. And this song can give you that.
14. 70.000 Meilen (70,000 miles)
With a duration of 7 minutes, this song is by far the longest of this album, thus I expect it to be kind of an epos towards the end of the album. Let’s see…
SIDE NOTE: Personally, I find it quite difficult to write songs with a duration of 5 minutes or even more. Thus, of course I was curious.
…given this side note: This song is a first-class example how one could start out with a very spherical long intro that gives the listener time to really fall into the song before they are rewarded with a solid rock song, that resolves itself into a long, spherical outro again. Before you will know it, 7 minutes are passed. (If only 70.000 miles would pass by that fast…)
Nonetheless, describing this song would not do it justice. You really should listen to it for yourself. It’s worth it I promise!
Nonetheless, describing this song would not do it justice. You really should listen to it for yourself. It’s worth it I promise!
The overall impression of „ROM“:
Wow. Wow! WOW! WOOOOOW! Actually, this is the coolest and most versatile full-length record I’ve heard in a long time. Those of you, who know me and were following me around social media for quite sometime, know that I am actually more into heavier types of music like metal/mathcore and the modern heavier manner of pop punk. OdeVille doesn’t get close to this level of hardness. That’s why I find it even more exciting that I love this album SO. GODDAMN. MUCH! This really is a piece of art. During this review, I kept repeating myself regarding things like arrangements, painting pictures, setting soundscapes and how well everything is working together. Like I wrote in the beginning: OdeVille matured. A lot. And them being a rather „small“ band from Northern Germany NOT touring throughout the entire world makes this album even more special I think.
This is high quality on so many levels: The songwriting, the arrangements, the performances of every single musician, the vocalist, and even the women in the background vocal sections performed exactly in a way that was suiting the respective songs. The production is modern and clean without sounding generic. Even if I wanted to, I can’t say I’m not impressed. Because I really am impressed! This album exceeded my expectations by far and I strongly suggest that you take an hour of your time to listen to it in it’s entirety.
My rating overall:
9,5 / 10
strongly recommended!
9,5 / 10
strongly recommended!
Favourite track:
Königreich
Königreich
OdeVille, thank you so much for still being the band you are. I really enjoyed ROM as it was not only good entertainment music wise, I also learned A LOT from this record - really opening up some thoughts that are dead simple but extremely effective. This album is stunning for „regular“ listeners as well as for „seasoned-veteran-musicians“! Definitely one of the coolest albums that appeared this year!
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