|
|
 |
||
Release Info :
Reviews : If, by any slim chance, you’re familiar with the accentuation of Icelandic, you’ll know that Olvis is actually pronounced “Elvis”. But the man who bears that name, Orlygur Thor Orlygsson, has precious little to do with his hip-swivelling rock’n’roll namesake. On Bravado, his third full-length release on the Resonant label, Orlygsson continues to walk the line between shimmering vintage electronica and organic post-rock, crafting foreboding soundscapes atop which he sings in a commanding Icelandic baritone. At more accessible moments, as on ‘'Song For Love'’, it sounds a little like Super Furry Animals at their most mournful and experimental. Other times, as on ‘'War Chant'’, however, it’s distant and chilly in the extreme, minimal synthesiser washes that recall classic mid-‘70s Tangerine Dream. Perhaps it’s a matter of small population and close geography, but Icelandic bands are well known for their spirit of collaboration in the name of experimentation, and Bravado is no exception. Orri Dyrason and George Holm of Sigur Ros show up to play drums and bass guitar on a handful of tracks - notably the elegant ‘'Wake Up Now'’, which also features keening violin from Maria Huld Markan Sigfusdottir. And Arnar Geir Ómarsson, of the criminally obscure Reykjavik symphonic quartet Apparat Organ Quartet, takes up the drumsticks on a few tracks. The stand-out of these is the sombre ‘'Fight The Power'’, and while it isn’t, disappointingly, a cover of Public Enemy, it does give us English speakers a clue to Olvis’ lyrical preoccupations. According to his record label, Resonant, Bravado is about 'disillusionment with global capitalism and US hegemony'. If you don’t speak Icelandic, you won’t glean any overtly political spirit, but the knowledge there's political belief burning within these songs offers a fascinating counterpoint to their cool, desolate exteriors. BBC.CO.UK ‘Bravado’ is the reverb-drenched third album from Icelandic feller Orlygur Thor Orlygsson and for those of you not in the know, Ölvis is pronounced Elvis, hence making it funny… or something. Still, as soon as you fire up the amplification circuits on your home stereo system you’ll realise why the man known as Orlygur has named himself this way. Beneath a quagmire of reverb you’ll find some kind of distorted vision of rock ‘n roll, something like David Lynch reworking the Back to the Future soundtrack assisted by Stereolab… yep it’s good stuff and as hazily beautiful as you’d hope. We all fell in love with the man’s ‘The Blue Sound’ a couple of years back for similar reasons, that Scandinavian prog-rock sensibility crossed with some kind of washed-out lounge, but this is even more honed, even more intimately realised and comes across as his best work yet. He even ropes in some famous friends to help him along a little; Sigur Ros drummer Orri Dyrason lends his sticks to a few tracks, his bandmate Georg Holm plays bass, Apparat Organ Quintet’s Arnar Geir Omarsson percussion and AMINA’s Maria Huld Markan Sigfusdottir helps along with some of her haunting violin. It’s a pretty stellar lineup of Icelandic talent so it’s hardly surprising the end result is so effortlessly good. With one foot in 1955 and one in 2010 we get an album which truly feels like it has scope, and while the songs can occasionally wash over you like space-dust the record as a whole is hard not to get caught up in. An exercise in style and effortless cool, I’m sure Mark Lamarr would approve... BOOMKAT Orlygur Thor Orlygsson, or Ölvis as he's known to his friends who don't speak Icelandic, has become somewhat of a personal legend. I feel like I've always known these sounds; like I've aspired to love this music. I have hints that I may have known Ölvis and his sounds since birth, when I was rocking in my own cradle. There is an overwhelming sense of needing to be close to his music and his mentality. Though this is only his third album, I feel that I hear his voice everywhere I go. I'm falling asleep and Ölvis's voice soothes me to never-neverland. I'm stuck in traffic on a snowy afternoon on the way home and I feel that his voice is in my head, penetrating its darkest, deepest corners. Orlygsson still retains the same deep, baritone voice. Drenched in some wooden barrel, I imagine he's singing tunes of lost love, rejection, suicide and ultimate redemption. Grandeur string section and that big and full production sound remain in tact. These are songs of a far-away land, covered in ice for a good balance of the year. This is the sound of a soul that's lost in the forest, looking for his granny, hiding behind the bushes from the big, bad wolf. Ölvis is not an idol that people are likely to pick up on [though, he's got the looks]. Don't expect to hear these tunes on the radio, though in all fairness, that's exactly where they deserve to be. Sublime in its ability to uplift the mind and release the worries from your head, "Bravado" is another mark of the fertile, almighty domain that is Ölvis. You expect an artist to mature by their third album, but luckily for all, Ölvis blew up on the scene few years back with a sound that was already full and mature beyond his years. Like a sedative needed to make it through the day, Ölvis does not disappoint. Though I still don't speak a work of Icelandic, I'm singing up for lessons real soon. GAZ-ETA
While his Icelandic
counterparts Sigur Ros and Prince Valium are keen to explore the more
glacial aspects of music, Örlygur Žór Örlygsson prefers to make
music that is a little more out of this world. "Bravado",
his third album as Ölvis (pronounced Elvis) is littered with
mantra-like vocals and showered in dense and sparkling
instrumentation. Over the course of the album, Örlygsson provides
some hypnotic and and alluring melodies throughout the 14 instrumental
and vocal tracks.
Following on from the
critically-acclaimed, "Blue Sound", "Bravado"
reads like a 'who's who' of contemporary Icelandic music with members
of Amiina, Sigur Ros and The Apparat Organ Quartet cropping up
throughout as guest musicians. "Dream On" is a grandiose
track that evokes images of vast, starlit skies. Touching into the
neo-psychedelic region occupied by Mercury Rev, it is a majestic
instrumental.
"Go Ape"
follows and particulalrly highlights Orlygsson's rich, booming
baritone. Which is, in turn, soundtracked by playful percussion and
reverbed-drenched instrumentation. Lyrically. "Bravado" is
said to touch on his disillusionment with global capitalism and the
USA's attempts to control everything. Although for most listeners it
would be hard to tell, as 95% of this album is sung in his native
Icelandic tongue.
Meanwhile, song titles
such as "Vincent Price", "War Chant" and
"Song For Love" don't give too much away either. I'm not
sure how much of an influence, if any, San Francisco-based
dream-rockers Bethnay Curve were during the recording process, but on
"Wake Up Now" the gothic tinged vocals, slowly unfolding
melody and echo-drenched sounds recall some of their finest moments.
Stand-out tracks?, there
are many, this album is consistently strong. Although there are some
fine moments at the start, the best tracks seem to be clustered
towards the end. "Fight The Power" is notable for the
Richard Ashcroft style vocals, albeit an Icelandic version. But it is
Örlygsson ability to marry a simplistic, but pleasing, melody with
mechanical percussion that makes this one so appealing. Special
mention must also be given to the sprawling album closer, "Merge
With The Infinite". A spectacular ending that veers between an
immense cinematic soundscape and some prog-rock influenced percussion.
Over the course of the
14 tracks (or just over 45 minutes), Ölvis constructs dense and
colourful music on "Bravado" that glides through several
genres. Dream pop, psychedelia, space-rock and even hints of
electronica and post-rock are all touched on, yet there is something
remarkably distinctive about his sound. Easily one of the most
listenable albums so far this year. If Sigur Ros are everyone's
favourite Icelandic friend, then Ölvis is their stoned, spaced-out
older cousin. ANGRY APE
'Bravado' is the
reverb-drenched third album from Icelandic maverick Orlygur Thor
Orlygsson, following last year's much-adored second full length 'The
Blue Sound' and the previous year’s eponymous debut.
|
RELATED RELEASES THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST |
|||
