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Release Info :
This is the debut
release from Reykjavik-based producers sk/um, aka Skurken
and Prince Valium. Available on ultra-ltd 8-track LP and 9-track CD and
clocking in at 30 minutes-plus, "í þágu fallsins" expands
on the established
template for the electronica genre and remains endearing and accessible
throughout, without ever becoming generic or mundane. CD housed in a
quality
digipak. The sk/um release is gorgeous !, our second Icelandic work
following on from Borko's 12" and will no doubt appeal to the same
folks.
it's a lovely blend of melodic (and possibly 'poppy') electronica that
may
bring to mind things like Casino vs Japan, Isan etc.
The second Icelandic
release on Resonant also heralds the label's second
foray into the realms of electronica; following the majestic Borko EP
(RES005) from early 2002 comes more Grade A output, with this flawless,
varied and engaging mini-album.
This is the debut
release from Reyjkavik-based producers Sk/um, aka Skurken
and Prince Valium, aka Johann Omarsson and Thorstein Olafsson. Should
you
care, both Sk/um and Borko came to Resonant as a result of our contact
with
fellow Icelanders Mum, and though the origins are very apparent when you
hear the records, each has it's own identity within the parameters of
the
warm, welcoming sound for which their homeland has become renowned in
recent
times. Whereas the Borko ep possessed the 'musical box' fragility of
what
could've been the soundtrack to an animated fairytale, Sk/um takes
things on
a step with more of a leftfield dancefloor appeal, verging on Morr Music
territory.
Available on ultra-ltd
8-track LP and 9-track CD (CD includes an exclusive
remix by Arnar Helgi of the opening track "Tomatar") and
clocking in at 30
minutes-plus, "í þágu fallsins'" (loosely translated as
"For The Fall")
expands on the established template for the genre and remains endearing
and
accessible throughout, without ever becoming generic or mundane.
Tracklisting :
1. Tomatar (4:36)
2. Tasco (3:01)
3. Bonetrix (3:57)
4. Tota (3:33)
5. Blackletter (4:27)
6. Haprystideli (4:21)
7. Podkavodka (2:24)
8. Bjormella (4:01)
9. Tomatar : remixed by Arnar Helgi (4:34) * Exclusive To CD Version
Only *
PRICE
/ COST
CD
VERSION - EXTRA TRACK IN DIGIPACK SLEEVE
(UK)
CD £5.00 - Including standard first class postage
(Europe) CD £6.00 - Including standard airmail postage
(Rest Of World) CD £7.00 - Including standard airmail postage
VINYL
LP
(UK)
Vinyl LP £6.00 - Including standard first class postage
(Europe) Vinyl LP £7.00 - Including standard airmail postage
(Rest Of World) Vinyl LP £9.50 - Including standard airmail postage
Reviews
:
There are times when even the most hardened sonic explorers among us
need
something...well, nice to listen to. When the thought of punishing your
stereo system with the latest Merzbow box set or clearing a dinner party
with a spot of Autechre doesn't appeal,this prime slice of Icelandic
electronica should do the trick.
Sprinkled with satisfying sonic tricks but stuffed full of good old
melody,
í págu fallsinswill appeal to those whose ears are massaged into
states of
bliss by Boards of Canada, Telefon Tel Aviv or savaath + savalas.
Shifting
beatsystems wriggle away underneath soft, chiming melodies and blurry
smears
of analogue synth, all washed down with a light drizzle of digital
clicks
and pops. It's melancholic, but never chilly in the way that much
electronica can be and doesn't ever abstract itself out of existence.
It's
not afraid to be pretty.
Sk/um (aka the union of Icelandic IDM types Skurken and Prince
Valium)understand the power of economy too; nine fragile constructions
glide
by in 35 minutes. Listening under headphones uncovers teeming sonic
minutiae, much like observing a drop of water under a microscope reveals
a
world of otherwise invisible creatures. Following Eno's dictum that
ambient
music must be as 'ignorable as it is interesting', this music repays
pretty
much any level of attention you're prepared to give it.
The unity of mood throughout makes it hard to single out individual
pieces,
and maybe that accounts for the album's charm. But 'Finaleria"
seems
particularly noteworthy, if only for the totally unexpected and quite
beautiful little guitar solo that emerges towards the end. Blissful. If
your
idea of chillout is something a little more enterprising than William
Orbit
dicking around with polite C20 classical music, this'll be right up your
street. Diamond Geysers
BBC.CO.UK
Behind
nine impenetrable track titles and a sleeve that betrays little
useful information, lies the debut release from a Reykjavik-based duo
named
Johann Omarsson and Thorstein Olafsson aka Sk/Um. An unfortunate moniker
to
operate under, since the music they produce together is pure, joyful,
uncomplicated electro-pop made with a hedonistic heart and a heavy head.
Sk/Um are reminiscent of St Petersburg's moody laptop masters EU,
reflective
yet distinctive enough to rise above the increasingly overcrowded mellow
electronica playing field. Largely instrumental - barring the
indecipherable
morse-code whispers on 'Bonetrix' - Sk/Um are like a youth-club Brian
Eno
buzzing on too much caffeine. It's an addictive enough brew to have you
crawling back for more.
COMES
WITH A SMILE
What
is it about Iceland? there's clearly something about the air, the
water, the chill or good cheer. 'Tomatar' opens the album with finely
spun
mesh of drone-based strings, 'Lummur' adopts a more electropop stance to
bouyant melodic effect. 'Bonetrix' treads lightly alongside the river
marked
'melodic dsp' and manages not to fall in. 'Tasco' is a crunchier beauty,
imagine the melodic charms of The Remote Viewer with a more urgent
tempo,
then spin through 180 degrees. A largely enjoyable album which reveals
still
further the surprising musical depths flowing in the currents of
icelandic
music. For all followers of the beguiling icelandic sounds of Mum, this
is a
pleasant album well worthy of further exploration.
BOOMKAT
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