Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.05.2012, Blaðsíða 27

27
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 5 — 2012
“We tried this place
purely on the back
of its excellent
review on
Tripadvisor
and weren’t
disappointed. “ CAFE HAITI by the Old Harbour
Geirsgata 7b, 101 Reykjavík
tel: 661 5621 / 588 8484
Opening hours: 8.00 – 23.00
Quality coffee roasted on the premises
tel. 578 8555www.gamlasmidjan.is Lækjargata 8
Opening hours:
mon-thu 11-23
fri 11-06
sat 12-06
& sun 12-23
Heavenly pizzas!
Home delivery
See our menu at www.gamlasmidjan.is
Music | Charts
Ryan Joseph Karazija’s self-recorded
debut album as Low Roar details his
struggles as an American to acclima-
tise to a new life in Iceland. It occupies
that post-Radiohead world of cold
introspection and societal melancholy,
with delicately plucked acoustic gui-
tars and solemnly paced electronica
beats and clicks. On several occasions,
Ryan even sounds like Thom Yorke as
he sings his high-end mournful sighs.
But despite this being a home record-
ing, there’s a huge amount of space in
the music, with everything drenched
in a foggy blanket of reverb. It feels
like you’re living in a cave of eternal
sadness.
Listening to the album for the first
time is a bit underwhelming. Some of
the songs such as “Give Up” and “Roll-
ing Over” aren’t strong despite all the
layered effects, while the pace of the
album is often stuck at a slow, maudlin
setting. But after repeated listening,
there are moments when the album’s
components align perfectly. “Tonight,
Tonight, Tonight” has a threaten-
ing, bleak edge with grinding cello,
ambient synths and shuffling rhythms,
while the track “Low Roar” manipu-
lates Ryan’s vocals to the point that
they have an angelic floating feeling,
similar to that of Julianna Barwick.
Meanwhile, “Friends Make Garbage
(Good Friends Take It Out)” just aches
with longing and regret.
- BOB CLUNESS
Low Roar
Low Roar
gogoyoko.com/album/Low_Roar
Ephemeral cold beats of the soul
One of the more interesting aspects of
Möller Records is the way they seem
to act as a refuge for hip hop beat
merchants, offering them a sanctuary
so that they can produce their work
free from evil rap poachers after their
ivory rhythms. First there was Steve
Sampling and now we have Forgotten
Lores producer Intro Beats entering
the fray with his second solo album,
‘Half Time.’
Containing a sampadelic array of
styles and rhythms, the first half of
the album is a hazy, although at times
rather listless experience. Starting with
a jazz-fusion intro track, it settles into
the likes of “Let’s Travel,” which has an
almost illegally blissful Balearic chillout
vibe (the THC contact high from the
CD alone will make you lose half an
hour).
But halfway into listening, the
album gives itself a metaphorical kick
up the arse and the mood and tempo
changes. “Hailien Alo,” for example, is
boisterous in its attitude, carving out a
funky-lite beat and wobbling bass. The
rest of the album continues at this level
of energy, from the disco-funk of “Fry
n’ Chicken,” to the samba-hardened
punch of “Fjarðafönk.”
‘Half Time’ does suffer a little from
a lack of musical focus, but there’s
no denying that some of the tracks
on here are pretty righteous affairs
that shows Intro Beats’ willingness to
progress musically from his turntablist
background.
- BOB CLUNESS
Intro Beats
Half Time
myspace.com/muckiceland
An album of two halves. BOOM BOOM!
So we learned this week that Of Mon-
sters and Men have sold over 100,000
copies of their début album, ‘My Head
Is An Animal’ (with a total of over
95,000 copies sold in North America
and over 11,000 in Iceland). The LP
famously charted at sixth place on the
lauded Billboard Top 200 chart with a
total of 55,000 copies sold in its first
week of release. This must be a crazy
sensation for the band, especially
coming from a place where a decently
successful alt. act would consider
shifting even 3,000 copies of an album
a Grand Success. For fun and pleasure,
we thought we’d try comparing the
OMM début’s peak Billboard position
to that of some other records we love
or thought would provide an interest-
ing perspective.
It should be noted that the Billboard
200 only accounts for albums sold in
the United States, and that ‘My Head
Is An Animal’ is yet to be released in
many nations where Björk and Sigur
Rós, for instance, sold extremely well
(not to mention Oasis). And of course
shifts in global record sales might
mean that there are fewer copies
behind a high chart position now than
there were back when Oasis were re-
ally, really, really cool. Regardless, this
is mighty impressive. Have they con-
quered America—a task majestically
failed by both Oasis AND Blur (but sort
of achieved by The Spice Girls)? Will
they return to Iceland in a diamond
encrusted helicopter fuelled by unicorn
tears? Will they run for president of
Iceland in 2012? Will Grapevine ever
publish a review of their album?
Who knows! But it’s exciting. It sure
is. Congratulations, Of Monsters and
Men. You’re in for a heckuva ride.
- HAUKUR S. MAGNúSSON
Artist Album Peak Billboard 200 position
Of Monsters And Men ‘My Head Is An Animal’ 6
Björk ‘Biophilia’ 27
Sigur Rós ‘Með suð í eyrum... 15
Animal Collective ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ 13
Oasis ‘Definitely Maybe’ 58
Blur ‘The Great Escape’ 150
OF MONSTERS AND MEN:
COLOUR US IMPRESSED