Andrúm

The opening bars of the new Andrúm LP suggest impending doom but when Jóna Palla’s vocals envelope the minor key, the listener is ushered into comfort. Eventually this title track builds into a rock-out, which you wouldn’t always expect from a post rock crescendo but it’s a poppy little touch that’s more than welcome. The second track ‘Nozinan’ can be dubbed aquatic rock with the drip drops at the end, while ‘Hugurinn Reikar’ is a beautiful late gaze out the window over Reykjavík. The lyrics in ‘Pictures’ are largely irrelevant – “An empty chair, I feel the raindrops falling down on me” – evokes loneliness like the album cover. However Palla’s tongue, whether in English or Icelandic, pollinates with the guitars to create blissful company for the listener.

THE VERDICT Despite the isolation on the cover, new Andrúm album glows right through. listen & buy www.myspace.com/ andrummusic