Oddarrang - Oddarrang

A Closer Listen

The name Oddarrang is a portmanteau of “odd arrangement,” as this Finnish post-rock quintet is known for its combination of cello, trombone and guitar; but let’s not forget the drums, which provide the set’s backbone!  The band has had an incredible twenty year run, building up to what they call their “self-confessed final album,” arriving five years after their last release.  This knowledge lends the music an elegiac quality, especially on the mournful “Sunlight,” which brings the trombone to the fore in heart-stirring fashion.

Odderrang is a patient band, not only in terms of its releases, but in its relaxed tone.  “Sunlight”s languid guitar is played like a banjo, conjuring thoughts of Do Make Say Think, while the wordless singing of “Lull” is a perfect reflection of its title.  The album’s build is not within tracks, but takes place over the course of the entire set.  The first large peak arrives at the center, three minutes into “Winding,” but instead of an explosion the band injects a drone, inverting expectations.

“Mishkan” injects a feeling of holiness.  Also known as the tabernacle or “portable sanctuary,” the mishkan was used by the Jewish people for worship in the wilderness.  The cello sounds like the whipping winds outside, the trombone a call to prayer.  The entire album builds up to “White Wall Pts. I & II,” which offers a loving, heartfelt goodbye.  In the last frame of “Calvin and Hobbes,” Bill Watterson left his characters in a field of snow like a “big white sheet of paper;” the same principle applies here.  But before they go, Oddarrang will leave its fans with an energetic quickening and one long, final, delicious crescendo, the culmination not only of the album, but of their career.  If this is how they end, it’s a glorious farewell.  (Richard Allen)