New Music Report – November 6, 2020
This week is full of super weird, eclectic music. Somehow, we’ve got two albums from Iceland. Both incredibly different from one another but individually remarkable, along with a couple other one off things that I don’t normally cover, but these were special enough to warrant a mention.
Olafur Arnalds – This is an incredibly beautiful album. Written as a solo project by Icelandic multi-instrumentalist, it actually has strong influences from Iceland’s biggest export: Sigur Ros. So, imagine really lovely, ethereal, atmospheric ambient/post rock/electronic pieces with light keys and strings layered over top, plus a few really wonderful guest spots from artists like Bonobo. This is not an in your face record by any means, but instead, as the album title Some Kind of Peace would suggest, it’s absolutely delightful and peaceful, while also taking on a grand, cinematic feel and exuding that sort of feel of cold, solitary positivity that you really only seem to be able to find in Icelandic music. The whole album is incredibly simplistic, but I think that is probably the real source of its beauty, it is never overdone, never rushed, never complicated, it is merely a wonderfully grounding musical journey. I’ve honestly had this album on repeat for hours and hours this past week and it just never gets old. Not because of how it sounds – which is still spectacular – but because of how it makes you feel, and right now, that feels incredibly important.
Solstafir – Coincidentally, this is the second Icelandic band that I’m covering this week, but Solstafir could not possibly be any more different than the last album. This is much less of a benign, peaceful journey and honestly much less accessible. There is actually quite a bit of depth going on in this album and it’s really hard to fully grasp it on the first listen. In fact, the first time through, I actually turned it off. But I went back through and gave it another shot, and now after about three full listens, I can firmly conclude that this album is brilliant. Too brilliant to be taken in in a single listen but is well worth the effort in the end. It’s incredibly diverse and dynamic with a huge range of sounds and influences, primarily based on a post-black metal/post rock sound, with folk and even some hardcore influences, and vocals in both English and Icelandic, it’s kind of all over the place. But when you stop trying to quantify it and just experience it as a singular, cohesive piece, however deep it may be, the intent becomes clear, and the album really takes on a special tone that really needs to be experienced.
Underoath Live Album – I almost never cover things like live albums in these posts, but I felt like this one was worth a mention. It’s a live album of Underoath’s Lost in the Sound of Separation from the live stream series the band did over the summer. Honestly, I don’t feel like I need to explain how amazing this album is, so if you’re an Underoath fan, you know it’s worth checking out.
System of a Down Singles – Much like live albums, I also rarely include singles in these posts, but this one felt important. Not only are these singles the first new music we’ve gotten from System of a Down in 15 years, but it was released as a fundraiser for the Armenia Fund. Much like Lost in the Sound of Separation, SOAD is so iconic that it’s really beyond commentary, this is exciting news no matter how you look at it, it’s just a shame it took such a devastating atrocity to bring it to fruition. Definitely check it out and consider supporting the band and their contributions to the Armenia Fund.