In October 2000 Matti and Janne come up with an idea of a band playing slow, dreamlike material. During the winter, some songs were written and recorded. As they needed someone to vocalize their words scribbled down in distress, they asked Mika to try it out. Mika's voice fit the music perfectly and in autumn 2001 this trio gave birth to the first ShamRain release. Pieces EP saw the light of day February 2002.
In 2002 more songs were written and the first permanent guitarist, Kalle, joined the band. Later the band signed a deal with Watch Me Fall Records. The recordings of the debut album, Empty World Excursion, took place during the summer and autumn 2003. By this time, the band's music evolved into a combination of dark melancholic rock and slow, ethereal elements. EWE is put out by WMF in December and gains a lot of good reviews.
The following year, the band recorded a few unused songs written for EWE and a The Cure cover song. These were released on a The Cure tribute album and a 7" vinyl, simply called the ShamRain EP. New songs were written during the spring and summer. In autumn 2004, demo sessions for the 2nd album began and 13 new songs were recorded. At this time a second guitarist, Mikko, was recruited to enforce the band. The deal with WMF dissolves and a new deal was made with Firebox Records. In December recordings of a new album finally started at Akun Tehdas and the sessions stretched to last almost 4 months, before getting the final touch at FinnVox studios. The album is titled Someplace Else and was released in June 2005. It includes some new elements, still being a logical sequel to EWE. And as EWE, Someplace Else also gained a lot of great feedback, including many 'full points' reviews.
During autumn 2005 Shamrain recorded demos of new songs, which together with unused songs from the Someplace Else sessions formed the next release, Deeper into the night MCD. During the winter ShamRain recorded the MCD and finally played their first gigs. Deeper into the night was released April 2006 revealing ShamRain more uptempo than ever, whilst maintaining the quiet and slow moments that make their sound unique.
While getting the songs together for the 3rd album, Shamrain was offered a deal by Spikefarm Records. As soon as the deal was sorted out, the band escaped the summer brightness to the studio. The sessions turned out to be the hardest recording sessions ever. It took a lot of despair and disagreements, not to mention time, to get the album finalized, but it seems to be worth it. The new album represented the band more challenging and varieting as never before. The basic, ethereal Shamrain elements are still there, while the progress was getting the band into more rocking scales in the vein of British legends like Radiohead, The Cure, Placebo and Porcupine Tree. The album is titled Goodbye to All That, released 31.10.2007.
In 2011 Shamrain released Isolation, the first album featuring new female singer Minna Sihvonen
Line-up
Minna Sihvonen - Vocals
Kalle Pyyhtinen - Guitars, keyboards
Mikko Kolari - Guitars
Matti Reinola - Bass guitar, keyboards
Jukka Laine - Drums
Past members
* Janne Jukarainen - Drums
* Mika Tauriainen - Vocals
* Risto Ylönen - Keyboards
Published albums
* Pieces - MCD (2/2002)
* Empty World Excursion (12/2003)
* ShamRain (EP/2004)
* Someplace Else (6/2005)
* Deeper into the Night -EP (4/2006)
* Goodbye to All That (2007)
* Isolation (2011)
Drifter
Shamrain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and thousand nights
like a ghost I was
living from dream to dream
and dying every waken hour
and breaking dawn
I drifted thousand days
like a trash in the wind
through the flow of time
in this empty world
forever left astray
I'm the breeze outside your window pane
I'm the shade beside your bed
I'm the steps you hear on your stairs
the mellow voice inside your head
I'm the breeze outside your window pane
I'm the shade beside your bed
I'm the steps you hear on your stairs
I'm everything, I'm nothing
The lyrics of Shamrain's song, Drifter, convey a sense of restlessness and aimlessness that the singer feels in life. He speaks of having spent "thousand days and thousand nights" in a state of limbo, moving "like a ghost" from dream to dream, never feeling fully alive. He sees himself as a "trash in the wind", adrift in an "empty world" without any direction and purpose. The breaking dawn, which is usually a symbol of hope and new beginnings, holds no promise for him, as he believes that he is "dying every waking hour".
In the second half of the song, the singer takes on the persona of the "breeze outside your window pane", "the shade beside your bed", and "the steps you hear on your stairs". He becomes everything and nothing, an omnipresent force that is both comforting and unsettling. The repetition of these lines creates a haunting effect, as if he is trying to convince himself of his own significance in the world, yet still plagued by a sense of aimlessness. The song overall speaks to the human condition of feeling lost and disconnected, searching for meaning in a world that can be both beautiful and cruel.
Line by Line Meaning
I sought thousand days
I spent an extended amount of time searching and seeking for something
and thousand nights
My search lasted for an extended amount of time, including many nights
like a ghost I was
I existed in a state where I was barely noticeable or visible, much like a ghost
living from dream to dream
I lived out my life existing only within my own dreams, with no tangible reality to ground me
and dying every waken hour
My waking hours were filled with a feeling of death, meaninglessness, or lack of purpose
and breaking dawn
Even as the new day began, my sense of despair and disconnect persisted
I drifted thousand days
I spent an extended amount of time drifting without direction or purpose
and thousand nights
My aimlessness and lack of direction extended to many nights as well
like a trash in the wind
I existed as something worthless, easily moved and blown about by the forces around me
through the flow of time
My wandering took place amidst the unstoppable progression of time
in this empty world
I existed within a world that felt devoid of beauty, meaning, or connection
forever left astray
I was left with no clear path or direction, lost and without purpose
I'm the breeze outside your window pane
I am a fleeting presence, barely noticeable and not likely to leave an impression
I'm the shade beside your bed
I am a shadowy presence that is always present but never acknowledged or engaged with
I'm the steps you hear on your stairs
I am an almost imperceptible sound, heard but quickly forgotten
the mellow voice inside your head
I am a soft, barely audible whisper that exists only within the internal realm of one's own mind
I'm everything, I'm nothing
I am both all and nothing at the same time - a presence that is everywhere and nowhere
Contributed by Ruby P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.