What is exciting about the music is the ways in which the kindred spirits in the band are so happy to push rhythmical and musical boundaries, without becoming completely untethered from the idea of melody, structure, and harmony
Self released
Freysteinn Gislason: double bass; Helgi Rúnar Heiðarsson: saxophone; Hrafnkell Gauti Sigurðarson: electric guitar; Óskar Kjartansson: drums.
With all the power of roaring geyser, this Icelandic band blow a hot mix of psych-rock and jazz. At times, the music involves experimentation in the sounds produced by the various instruments. So, on the opening ‘Bylur’, the sound of the electric guitar is scrabbled, stretched, distorted and wrung out before it engages in a duel with saxophone, until the music relaxes back into its opening bars. Following this, the title track begins as a conversation between bass and drums.
The patterns of rhythms that develop from this conversation sets the tone for the other instruments to make their own points, even when the drum has other ideas on rhythm. Next comes an very nicely structured piece of post-bop ‘Brotsjor’, which opens with a complex ensemble piece and then drifts into a saxophone ballad of disarming simplicity and tenderness, which the guitar picks up and develops.
Around half-way through the guitar signals a single note morse-code to return to the opening ensemble piece which builds to the tunes rambunctious ending.
What is exciting about the music is the ways in which the kindred spirits in the band are so happy to push rhythmical and musical boundaries, without becoming completely untethered from the idea of melody, structure, and harmony. Certainly, a group of musicians to keep an ear out for and an album that is highly rewarding.
