In the late 00s, surrounded by snowy fields in a small red studio building in Ostrobothnia, Joensuu 1685 started recording their second full-length album ÖB. However, that album was left unfinished when the band suddenly took a break in 2010, a break that ended up lasting eight years. The band made their return at Flow Festival in 2018, and after that performance Mikko, Markus and Risto Joensuu also returned to their unfinished album. The finished ÖB is a little different to the version they left behind them in 2010 - they re-recorded the songs and freshened up the lyrics, arrangements and compositions. But the final version stays true to the original vision of the album. The songs on the album have parts written across a decade, some from back in 2009, as well as new touches added in 2019.
The album is the second full-length from the cult heroes Joensuu 1685, a band that inspires a lot of devotion in indie circles. Interest in the band has only increased over the years thanks to the band’s work during the break, with internationally-acclaimed albums coming from Mikko Joensuu’s solo project and Risto and Markus Joensuu's band Siinai (Moonface & Siinai, Jagjaguwar).
ÖB is a concept album that explores in its songs the story of Peter Krook (born 1685), a supposed common ancestor of Mikko, Markus and Risto (while Mikko and Markus are brothers, Risto is no relation). The narrative finds Krook imprisoned in an intermediate space in the plains and stagnant landscapes of Ostrobothnia, with no place to go and nowhere to return to. Krook seeks a savior in the lights of the city, in the arms of the sea, in the skin of his lover, in his dreams, on the shelves of the market, and in his visions. The album serves as a metaphor for the journey the band has taken, from the first steps in writing it to the moment its last chord subsides in the listener’s ear. It’s about an hour long, but contains a decade of beginnings, endings and life’s constant changes.
"When we returned to record ÖB, we were allowed to re-immerse ourselves in the stream from which we drew and continue to draw. It is a great celebration of returning home, and feels completely unique to release something that has been honed in the waves of our minds for so long, and to finally give it to listeners.”
credits
released October 9, 2020
Produced by Mikko Joensuu, Markus Joensuu, Risto Joensuu & Jonas Verwijnen Recorded by Jonas Verwijnen, Antti Joas & Mikko Joensuu
Mixed by Eetu Henrik Iivari
Mastered by Pauli Saastamoinen
Music and lyrics by Mikko Joensuu, Markus Joensuu & Risto Joensuu
All music performed by Mikko Joensuu (voc/keys/guitar), Markus Joensuu (drums) & Risto Joensuu (bass)
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