From Iceland — BB & Blake

Published May 14, 2010

BB & Blake comprises former GusGus-er Magnús Jónsson along with Vera Sölvadóttir. The band has been going for a while now, but their début album only saw the light of day this winter.
I’m going to get brickbats from my metal loving friends, but this album is not half bad. Using seventies disco soul as a cornerstone, images of sweaty torsos at 3 AM and amyl nitrate in the air instantly spring to mind. Indeed, the falsetto chorus in Mustang practically screams Scissor Sisters, right in my face. The album also manages to bring in elements of eighties proto-house and Europop. The Gallic Paris Je T´aime, for example, has more than a passing resemblance to the likes of Air.
The main driver to all of this is Vera, as she exudes a power that, while not quite reaching Roisin Murphy levels, ensures that most of the songs keep from sounding stale. But even she can’t save some of them. On the Rundown sounds trite and annoying, while Lenny just doesn’t go anywhere. But when it’s 2 AM and you’ve reached your 15-drink limit, there are a lot worse things to dance to…BB & Blake comprises former GusGus-er Magnús Jónsson along with Vera Sölvadóttir. The band has been going for a while now, but their début album only saw the light of day this winter.
I’m going to get brickbats from my metal loving friends, but this album is not half bad. Using seventies disco soul as a cornerstone, images of sweaty torsos at 3 AM and amyl nitrate in the air instantly spring to mind. Indeed, the falsetto chorus in Mustang practically screams Scissor Sisters, right in my face. The album also manages to bring in elements of eighties proto-house and Europop. The Gallic Paris Je T´aime, for example, has more than a passing resemblance to the likes of Air.
The main driver to all of this is Vera, as she exudes a power that, while not quite reaching Roisin Murphy levels, ensures that most of the songs keep from sounding stale. But even she can’t save some of them. On the Rundown sounds trite and annoying, while Lenny just doesn’t go anywhere. But when it’s 2 AM and you’ve reached your 15-drink limit, there are a lot worse things to dance to…