Slowblow: Slowblow
mobilé

The Iceland invasion continues with this latest release from Orri Jonsson and Dagur Kári Petursson (aka Slowblow) who are in fact veterans, having released Quicksilver Tuna in 1994 and Fousque in 1996. The group rides in on a wave of publicity generated by Múm, Sigur Ros, and, of course, Björk, although Slowblow's sound aligns itself most obviously with Múm whose presence permeates the recording in myriad ways. Kristín Anna Valtysdóttir sings on four of the disc's ten songs and, not surprisingly, her distinctive, child-like vocals hijack the music directly into Múm territory. A similar sensibility pervades Slowblow's approach to recording, as the group willfully adopts a home-made, lo-fi sound. Resolutely non-digital in approach, the group recorded the album in living rooms, bathrooms, and Sigur Ros's converted swimming pool studio. Instrumentally, Slowblow pursues a similarly eccentric sound by using old instruments like a dusty out-of-tune piano, toys, accordions, and battered, makeshift drums, and by adding ambient noises like creaking and clattering.

The major difference is that—the disappointing Summer Make Good aside (which Orri engineered)—Múm's songs on Finally We Are No One and Yesterday Was Dramatic-Today Is OK are distinguished whereas the mellow pop ballads of acoustic guitars and hushed vocals on Slowblow aren't. A case in point is “I Know You Can Smile,” one of Orri's duets with Valtysdóttir, which is solid enough instrumentally but forgettable compositionally. Another Valtysdóttir-Orri duet, the sleepy “Within Tolerance” features some nice accordion playing but also easily fades from memory. “Happiness In Your Face” provides jarring contrast with its dissonant punk style, raw guitars, and filtered, distorted vocals but it's remembered more for the stylistic contrast than the song itself.

Two songs do, however, make a stronger impression. Affecting melody lines in “Second Hand Smoke” are voiced by an unusual array of violin, cello, and vibes in what easily could be mistaken for a Múm instrumental, and the closer “Phantom Of My Organ” is an affectingly melancholy Valtysdóttir-Orri duet that simulates a fifty-year-old recording with its vinyl crackle and gentle violins, glockenspiels, and harmonium. But two memorable songs of ten obviously isn't a great average. While Slowblow's sound is credible enough, there's too little of the most critical ingredient, songwriting of a consistently high caliber.

June 2004