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Review Summary: Impressively composed, entertaining and distinctive, this album really deserves a listen. An impressive debut act from one of many extremely overseen icelandic bands. The album is mostly an interesting mixture of 90's electro-pop rythms, combined with an abnormally talented female singer. But still, the voice is just one of the aces the band have got up their sleeves. It is obvious that, although this is their debut album, the band members are actually experienced veterans within the rather isolated icelandic indie-scene.
The album kicks off with a simple, but effective beat, supporting Diva De La Rosa's beautiful voice on "Getting Ready". The title greatly describes the track, as it feels like an appetizer of what is to come.
The second track, "Heart of Spades" is logically one of the singles from the record, as it is catchy and warm, and not quite as alternative and almost psychedelic as the rest of the album. It just feels like a great, different, but still poppy song that is quite danceable. While this is a radiofriendly tune, it doesn't feel like the band has sold out on this one. It is easily one of the best tracks on here, together with "Catch Me if You Can" and "Optimal Ending". It is sad in a way to mention them as standout tracks, as there really isn't any weak spots on this LP.
The album, as a whole, contains dark moments ("In Shadows", for instance), upbeat moments ("Færi Fjöllin") and fusions of this and more, like on "Catch Me If You Can", which is why it never gets boring. In fact, if you're looking for an album that can be put on repeat without getting repetitive, annoying or tedious, this is highly reccomendable.
Halfway through the LP is some of the more experimental, down-beat tracks which represents a more psychedelic approach. "Signals In the Sky" is a good example, with lyrics that is almost impossible to understand, with slow vocals and rythms. This is in contrast to the more radio-friendly tracks on here, but still, the style and red thread in the album is maintained.
Perhaps the most impressive achievement on here is the final track, "Optimal Ending". A beautifully composed, dreamy tune about forgiveness and ending a relationship. The heartfelt vocals reaches unknown heights, and makes it chill down my spine. Accompanied by an awesome production and solid keyboard playing, this track really is an "optimal ending".
All in all this album is difficult to critizise. If anything, i would have appreciated if the band had gone a bit more wild on some of the tracks. As a fan of Drum n' Bass, i think it would have suited the album fine with some more heavy moments. But that is just a matter of personal preference. So here is my warmest reccomendations to a very talented band, which is easy to oversee.
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Ok, here's some help to improve your writing:
Hey guys, an icelandic friend of mine told me to check out this awesome band a while ago. After doing so, i can say that i am really thankful for it, because, harsh as the music industry is, i would never have discovered this band without him. I went as far as to buy the album without hesitation from the download site www.gogoyoko.com, which i normally don't do. I thought this band deserved some more recognition, so here goes the review.
For starters, this is completely unnecessary. The reader does not wish to know how you as reviewer got to know the band. Instead, you should describe, especially if the group is not widely known, who they are.
The album is mostly an interesting mixture of 90's electro-pop rythms, combined with an abnormally talented female singer. Some would say that she is a bit similiar to Björk, although i don't think the similarity is that big. But still, the voice is just one of the aces the band have got up their sleeves. It is obvious that, although this is their debut album, the band members are actually experienced veterans within the rather isolated icelandic indie-scene.
This is what you need. You've got some good ideas running here, but never use 'I' in your reviews. Just say: 'although the similarity is not that big', for example.
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The first track is sort of an intro, called "Getting Ready". Unlike most intros, this track is actually worth listening, which makes the album all the more comfortable to play on repeat. The track has some weird changes in rythm, which i think sounds really cool. Other than that, there really isn't much special about it.
This is what you should refrain from at all costs. Track-by-track reviews are very boring too read because they are repetitive. You'll never find different things to say about all the songs and keep it interesting. The description is not clear enough either. You should not use terms such as 'weird changes in ryhthm', and instead stating it 'sounds cool', you could say it 'works well'.
Well, this was my first review, so be nice  Anyway, i can safely recommend visiting gogoyoko.com, as it allows it's members to freely listen to the whole track, as opposed to iTunes. Even better, it requires the band to create a profile too, so it is sort of improving the communication between the musician and the buyer. Fair trade, as they say.
Like the first paragraphy, leave this out entirely, and put it as a comment instead, because it does in no way belong in the review itself.
What you should eventually try to do is describe the sound of the album as a whole, for which you can pull out individual songs to cite as examples. There are also some grammar mistakes in here, and the sentence flow isn't smooth, but that you can only improve by writing a lot. This may seem overwhelming now, but you'll need to use everything I gave you here if you want to be serious about reviewing.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off
Well, thanks for the feedback. I've made a little makeover of the whole review. Hope you'll find this one better.
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