Reykjavík Grapevine - 29.08.2014, Page 31

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31The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 13 2014 MUSIC
Album
Reviews
Prins Póló – Sorrí
Monotown, In the Eye of the Storm
2014
www.prinspolo.com
Prins Póló continues to amuse
and confuse
Recrods Records 2014
www.monotownmusic.com
A valiant folk-rock effort falls
a bit short
Prins Póló, the essentially one-man-
band project of Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson
(Skakkamanage), has a new album out
titled 'Sorrí.' I’m not sure what the “Sorry” is about,
but perhaps it’s an ironic middle finger to those
who might not like this very eclectic album.
'Sorrí' is a bit of an insider’s album that
will likely be more amusing to Icelanders than
foreigners. For starters, it’s all in Icelandic, and
the melodies flow quickly. It also shows off clever
Icelandic rhyme schemes. Prins Póló rhymes words
that an English-language native would never
dream of, like “sjarma” (“charm”) and “shawarma”
(the meat preparation, of course). There’s even
wordplay within lines, like the homophones “sígur”
and “sýgur” in “Föstudagsmessa” (“Friday Mass”)
that create the phrase “the floor is sinking, the
music sucks.”
I get the feeling that 'Sorrí' is mostly a lot of
nonsense, like the lyric in “Bragðarefir”: “If I tell you
I have never tasted better lasagne/come now to
the dance party.” Prins Póló’s song titles translate
to “I’m Coming With The Cream,” “The Beautiful
Carpenter,” and the best, “Hamster Charm.” Half of
the album is a house party soundtrack, and there’s
some quasi-rapping in there too. But the other half
showcases brooding synths and more thoughtful
lyrics like “the sun sets down for the last time” and
“I’m ringing the bells to an ancient paradise.”
The production value of the album is also a
little strange. Some songs seem quite lo-fi, with
Svavar’s guitar and his voice as nearly the only
instruments. Yet, other songs seem ironically
overproduced, aiming for Britney Spears glitz
while relying only on a Casio keyboard. Icelanders
will recognize these retro sound references from
the nation’s early punk and pop bands, though
foreigners might think it’s just one of those wacky
quirks about Icelandic music.
Despite all the irreverence, several songs
on 'Sorrí' will stand out to even a non-Icelandic
speaker, thanks to their catchy rhythmic phrases,
infectious hooks, and hummable choruses. And
once you can dig into the texts about meeting an
old man at the hospital, or comparing someone to
a sexy polar bear, or a carpenter riding away on a
horse... well, you’ll still be confused, but some of
those lyrics make for pretty good tunes.
- NATHAN HALL
The trio of musicians in Monotown
(two of them brothers) released their
first album, 'In The Eye Of The Storm,'
this year. The album is a mix of folk
harmonies, rock ballads, and up-tempo tracks.
The title song is one of the most memorable on
the recording, beginning with a Grizzly Bear-like
arrangement of strings and layered harmonies,
which pauses to transform into a more
traditional rock number with warm electronics
in the background.
Sadly the close of the first track is where
most of the excitement leaves. The album’s lyrics
strive for simplicity, but end up with clichés: “my
conscience stings me like a paper cut” cuts the
deepest. The chorus of “I See” feels juvenile:
“Give me love into my bed/from my toes unto
my head/please don’t take long ‘cause soon I’m
dead.” One of the great things about the English
language is how easy it is to make words into
lyrics. But it’s quite difficult to find words that,
when they fit together, have an energy all their
own.
You’ll hear the most character in
Monotown’s more driving songs. “Two Bullets”
could be the soundtrack for a thriller, and “No
More Shall I Fear You” combines the guitar
effects of spaghetti western films (think Clint
Eastwood) with the fast bass lines and bends
and slides of surf rock. But on sparser tracks,
the same stylistic traits seem out of place, like a
surfboard propped up in the background of an
Appalachian band's photo shoot.
As an album, 'In the Eye of the Storm' is
beautifully arranged and mixed; amidst the
band are background vocals and symphonic
sprinklings, and these additions keep the songs
alive. After touring, performing, and promoting,
Monotown could produce a sophomore
recording that tightens up loose lyrical threads,
gives room for experimentation, and blossoms
into a great record.
- NATHAN HALL