Office: A Night at the Ritz
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might already be aware of my fondness for Chicago (yay!) collective Office, who most recently was signed to Scratchie/New Line Records. I thoroughly enjoyed their now extinct Q & A album, which was quite well-executed and well-produced. But upon listening to Office’s official debut, A Night At the Ritz, it’s not that I don’t like what I hear (I love it!). It’s just that I’ve heard nearly all these songs before! It seems that Office took the route that most bands would take, and ended up putting several “old” tracks that had already been on Q & A. Now this is understandable, but I was just jonesing for some new content.
But about the album: imagine Coldplay with higher seratonin levels. Imagine all the boringness and staticness that you connote with the word “office”, and you’ll get the complete opposite. Under the unassuming name, Office blends excellently crafted pop melodies with some neat vocals and a whole lot of fun. “Big Bang Jump!” is reminiscent of “Crocodile Rock” in its instructive dance content, while “Wound Up” and “Dominos” have a more carefree, laid-back feel. The new tracks like “Suburban Perfume” and “Paralyzed Prince” don’t really have the pizazz of some of the older tracks, but “Plus Minus Fairytale” and “The Ritz” both have the edginess of that Office has been delivering for quite some time now.
So go and get a copy of A Night At The Ritz.
Listen to “Big Bang Jump!” (4.8/5)
Listen to “Dominoes” (4.8/5)
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