From Iceland — Sprengjuhöllin

Published November 7, 2008

This is the second album from Reykjavík’s Sprengjuhöllinn, which is meant to be a best seller like its predecessor “Timarnir Okkar,” that sold over 7300 copies in the first three months after its release. It could definitely work out for “Bestu kveðjur”, as the band mixes lively rock rhythms with poppy melodies and charismatic vocals in a very good way. The recording is handy and the arrangements are entertaining and varied. All in all, this is an outstandingly catchy pop album. The other side of the coin is that the album has no rough edges to grab onto. You won’t find anything that you don’t like on “Bestu kveðjur,” but it is also hard to find something intriguing. This album will reach a broad audience again, but to acquire a place on the shelf next to your all-time favourites, it would have had to be a little more challenging.