Review Summary: "To Remember"
The inspiration for Marketa Irglova’s second album Muna is the natural beauty of Iceland. When Marketa first visited Iceland with her original band the Swell Season, she became infatuated with the simple majesty of Iceland’s wilderness. Becoming one with herself and nature really helped her creative process, by finding admirable musical traits in the peaceful wild. Muna’s elegant instrumentals and gorgeous vocal harmonies paint the ancient Icelandic landscapes to a tee, proving Marketa’s prowess as a solo artist.
The record begins with the chiming of bells announcing the new year and spring’s awakening. It all starts plain enough, but soon all sorts of extravagant and tastefully mixed instruments are introduced into the record. Muna was a large undertaking of an album with a cast list of 27 musicians contributing to the project in some shape or form. The swelling of the strings and percussion sections on the album creates sense of urgency to Marketa’s lyrics. The bass drum creates a consistent pace and tempo that keeps all the other musical elements in balance. The expertly played piano lines are incredibly vibrant and whimsical, adding onto the already rich musical textures featured throughout. Muna also takes influence from a vast assortment of cultural music, like a clear Middle Eastern influence heard on the track “Fortune Teller”. All these intricate details come together to create something bigger than the sum of its parts. The musical elements coexist, all are of equal importance and Marketa wouldn’t have it any other way.
Marketa must be an angel, because the vocal harmonies are heavenly. Her incredibly caring hushed singing complements the warm and comforting strings blissfully. Her nurturing tone feels comforting, and serves a guide through the trials and tribulations of growing up. The Vocal arrangements are very well done, with many glorious buildups and satisfying vocal climaxes involving Marketa and her sister Zuzi harmonizing off of each other. The song Season Change features a children’s choir which is nice change of pace that relates back to Muna’s overall lyrical meaning. The highlight of the album “This Right Here” includes Marketa’s shining moments vocally, starting and ending the album on this hauntingly optimistic line:
“You can have whatever you can dream of, you can have whatever you can dream off…”
In Icelandic Muna means “to remember”. Muna’s overarching theme of growing up correlates with the nature’s own seasons. You may make a few mistakes along the way, but Muna reassures the listener that they will find the right path. There are many lyrical parallels to be found between self-discovery and the ritualistic cycle of nature on Muna. Another theme prevalent throughout the album, is the humanistic need of love. While soul searching we often long for others with similar problems, or someone to at least confide your problems in, and Marketa writes a number of relatable and heartfelt confessions on Muna. Marketa’s longing for companionship is a sympathetic plight, that’s intertwined well with the album’s main theme. Marketa also conjures up vivid natural landscapes and scenarios that seamlessly blend in with the string sections and realistic sounds of natural events like the sound of rain on the track “Seasons Change”.
The mix of the album is masterful, with every musical moment getting it’s time in the limelight. Everything sounds crystal clear, with musical intricacies becoming more and more apparent after repeated listens. Muna transports the listener to Iceland’s detailed environment and luscious landscapes with ease. The one problem I originally had with Muna, is that the vocals seemed a little too low in the mix. But now I love how the strings and vocals balance each other out. Marketa Irglova had such a strong vision for this album, which is apparent from the beginning.
Muna will undoubtedly be remembered by every music fan that’s lucky enough to stumble across this hidden gem. It’s lively string section and dazzling vocal harmonies sweep the listener away. With Muna Marketa Irglova has successfully stepped out of The Swell Season’s shadow by penning a collection of endearing and heartfelt tracks that sympathizes with the listener’s journey to adulthood through the innocent beauty of Mother Nature’s own life.
