From Iceland — Retro Stefson

Published November 7, 2008

This record is a surprise in various aspects. You would barely expect such a good-humoured record coming from a country that has three hours of sunshine daily in December. Moreover, “Montaña” was released by a band whose members have not even reached their 20s (though they have been around in local clubs for more than three years). Full of verve, the album is a unique mixture of easygoing Caribbean tunes and danceable 70s Motown disco-sounds. The strength of this young band is writing swinging songs with opulent arrangements and countless gimmicks by guitar and organ. Even if you do not share the carved-in-stone-smile this record implies, songs like “Salvatore” or “Medallion” will be stuck in your head for long. This may be the only point of criticism for the record: the permanent happiness seems a little stilted as it runs through the length of an album. However, this will probably be welcome during the upcoming winter.