Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.10.2009, Side 47

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I Am a Tree Now, the debut album
of singer Þóra Björk, makes a rather
valiant attempt to uphold the 'alt' end
of the 'alt.pop' niche, but unfortunately
falls somewhat short of the mark it is
obviously attempting to reach.
This obviousness is part of the
problem. It is apparent that musically
I Am a Tree Now is trying to be
something, while if it had been left
to organically take shape, it could
have come out much more natural
sounding—less put on. The lyrics
are basically just going through the
motions of the tested love/boys/
uncertainty formula, and she relies on
a lot of repetition and a whole lot of
dúdúdú-ing to bulk out the songs.
The sound of the music is light
and uncomplicated, and although she
sings tunefully, she doesn't seem to
put her heart and soul into it. This is
unfortunate, as a bit of emotion could
do to drag the album out of mediocrity.
- Bergrún anna hallsteinsdóttir
Bc
María
Þóra Björk
Sinecure (2009)
Not Your Housewife (2009)
I Am a Tree Now (2009)
thorabjorktree
A few too many dú-dú-dú's
A not-so-wise man once said football
was ‘a game of two halves’. This album
is without a doubt an LP of two halves.
Whilst the intro to the first track,
Spin Again, could explode either into
tech-death metal madness or set off
bombs of dark house depth, it wibbles
around a little before settling down
into several tracks of Depeche Mode-
ish neo-gothiness, all low-down and
deadpan and oh-so-serious about
itself. It’s not bad as such but god,
guys, go get an ice-cream eh?
Luckily, by the time Martinique
Pyknic sidles in, half time has been
and gone, and things from here on in
are lot more experimental on the ar-
rangement and far more interesting:
that track itself actually having a lot of
Serge Gainsbourg about it. Cinderbox
closes it off with a glitchy, vibey, spacey
soundscape and salvages a score draw.
- Joe shooMan
bc7000
Mode-ish, then modish
Norwegian electronica
Singer María Magnúsdóttir’s début is
gutsy. A flowing blend of funk, soul,
jazz and pop, the album has a sexy
sound to it, a kind of long glances over
a candle-lit dinner sort of ambiance,
which is easy to listen to. She has a
great voice, full of feeling that she uses
to good effect throughout the album,
frequently busting out dive-like moans
that seem to come straight from her
heart.
The lyrics are catchy and well-designed
for radio play. There are probably a
few hits in there, even. Unfortunately,
the album is let down somewhat by
the pseudo-feminism of the title track,
which goes for meaningful social
commentary but hits cheesy, out-dated
girl power instead. If she wanted to
make a feminist statement about the
role of women in modern society she
missed her mark, rather sounding like
Amy Winehouse if she was a Spice Girl.
- Bergrún anna hallsteinsdóttir
mariamagnusdottir
Listen, if you're feeling...smooth.
Don't, if you want to think.
Music | Album Reviews
the reykjavík grapevine
Issue 16 — 2009
15
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“If she wanted to make
a feminist statement
about the role of women
in modern society she
missed her mark, rather
sounding like Amy
Winehouse if she was a
Spice Girl.”