Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.07.2008, Síða 25

REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 09—2008 | 25
Since the release of his latest album, Murta St.
Calunga, no more than three weeks ago, Benni
Hemm Hemm has been popping up in venues
around Reykjavík with all the persistence of a
whack-a-mole. Most recently, Benni Hemm Hemm
was sighted at Iðnó, accompanied by the Icelandic
Youth Symphony Orchestra for a pleasant evening
show. Benni Hemm Hemm has always kept a big
reserve of musicians at hand. So, expanding that
reserve to about 30 or 40 musicians comes as no
real surprise. The performance attracted a loose
crowd, comfortably sipping beers and occasion-
ally heading outside for a cigarette and a view of
the pond, enjoying themselves throughout.
I’ve always found Benni Hemm Hemm a little
repetitive. He seems to grab on to about four bars
and then repeats them ad nauseam, preferring to
rely on the ensembles he amasses to introduce
any variation. This method can produce some
truly irritating songs that seem to be all chorus and
no verse. After ceaseless repetition, even the pret-
tiest theme can quickly sour. Even watching this
live performance, I had a difficult time distinguish-
ing one song from the other, since they all more
or less followed an identical formula. However,
Benni Hemm Hemm’s indefatigable optimism and
spirit remained relentlessly charming. With music
so upbeat, it’s hard not to crack a smile at least.
A beautifully haunting rendition of ‘SnjórLjósS-
njór’ and the uplifting harmonies of ‘Friðþjófur og
Ingibjörg’ were two highlights of the concert, fully
taking advantage of the orchestra’s elegant detail-
ing. For a nice finish, The Orchestra put down all
of their instruments and instead raised their voices
to sing the last few bars, the audience quickly join-
ing in to take the joyful anthem with them. Benni
Hemm Hemm’s music may be formulaic, but this
formula he’s found can be the key to truly spirited
and pleasant music.
Formulaic but Fun
conductor danÍel bJarnason works His maGic wand
WHERE
Iðnó
WHEN
Thursday, June 19
WHO
Benni Hemm Hemm
& Ungfónía
THE VERDICT
Benni Hemm Hemm
creates repetitive, but
ultimately delightfully
upbeat music.
Sigur Rós’ new release mostly finds them moving away from their
trademark ethereal soundscape of long build-ups, breakdowns and
crescendos, towards a more traditional pop-song formula. It is also
the first Sigur Rós album I’ve really enjoyed since Ágætis Byrjun. This
album is simply a lot more fun than Sigur Rós has been in a long time.
The spunky Inn í mér syngur vitleysingur is a serious diversion from
the band’s recent work, but still ranks among their best songs, while
Góðann daginn maintains certain elements of that unique Sigur Rós
sound and considerable tension in song structure, but still comes in
at around five minutes. Ára bátur, the band’s nine-minute long choir
and orchestra exercise, really does not sound at home on this record,
living with these songs, as gigantically arranged as it is, but Festival,
another nine-minute long song in more traditional Sigur Rós form,
avoids that fate and serves as a nice change of pace here.
Hraun have taken a fair bit of stick from various corners of the Icelan-
dic press. The issue most have with the band is that they aren't trying
to be different or unique and this often arouses an instant, and some-
times legitimate, form of musical snobbery. Does 'Silent Treatment'
change this view or is it more of the same? By the very nature of their
musical genre, the answer is obvious.
The strongest track shares the same title as the album. Starting
with a gentle intro, featuring front man Svavar's warm voice and or-
gan accompaniment, 'Silent Treatment' builds a pretty picture with a
female vocalist and a clarinet adding pleasing complexity to a fine
composition. Ironic, then, that the next one, 'Happy Song', is the worst
on the record. The other eight tracks sit somewhere between the two
extremes but you could imagine 'Thunderball' going down an abso-
lute storm after a session on the Brennivin.
Maybe Hraun, a band who can be genuinely good when seen
live, are the Brennivin of music – some laugh at anyone who tries
a bit, some lap it up as it can be pretty nice, and to others it's just a
mildly pleasant winter warmer.
Sigur Rós
Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
Hraun
Silent Treatment
CONCERT REVIEW By natHaniel Flagg — pHoto By g.rúnar CD REVIEWS
revieWed By Sveinn Birkir BJörnSSon
revieWed By Ben H. Murray
THE VERDICT
New Sigur Rós album falls
just short of being great,
but is still more than wor-
thy of your attention.
LISTEN & BuY
www.smekkleysa.net
THE VERDICT
Flawed in places, but
distinctly listenable if you
like inoffensive, slick
pop rock.
LISTEN
www.myspace.com/
hraunhraun