In Continuum.

Sonics IX

Dirty Paper Cups by Hafis Huld
So music from Iceland doesn't necessarily need to be dramatically different from everything else on the market all the time. Bands like Bjork, Sigur Ros and Mum have all defined a certain genre for themselves, but music from that tiny island in the north Atlantic does not necessarily have to be different to be good. Hafdis Huld is yet another artiste I found via that little adventure I had with Cedric - whoever you are. Anyway, Hafdis Huld is a lot like Hanne Hukkelberg in a way, only her musical style is perhaps a little more quirky and fun. Her voice is pretty distinct, very special in her own rights, and her songs are usually the kind of songs you'd want to listen to on your way to work in the morning. Cheerful, happy, and these two words do not necessarily need to lead to cliche when it comes to music. A lot of people are against happy music, and understandably so as well. It just seems to pretentious to write happy music, pretending to be happy when you are really not. It's kind of like an unwilling cheerleader trying to cheer the crowd up when she has a hill of debts she has yet to pay up. Anyway, Hafdis Huld isn't exactly one of those eye-popping artistes in my library, but she does provide easy listening every once in a while. Pleasant, I'd say, and very interesting to see an icelandic artiste who is not out to be different this time around. Rachel's album marks the very first time that I actually bought an album in a MP3 format. It was purely because I was desperate and needed their music, really bad. When you cannot find bands through illegal methods, you know that they are under the radar and are going to be hard to find. So I went straight to their official website, bought this album, and let's just say that I am completely blown away. This is a post-rock band with a twist - it is also a classical symphony orchestra. It's true. I've never thought of blending post-rock elements with classical music, and the end result is this soaring soundtrack that is fitting for a movie with an epic scale. The album is about eight characters going through a day of their lives in the city, and the band tells the story through instruments, at least predominantly so throughout the album. It does sound impossible, but the more interesting aspect would be how the band actually incorporated sounds of the city streets into the album to create this interesting depth and realism. This is probably one of the most classically based albums I have heard in a while, an album that isn't supposed to be from that genre at all. It blends elements of rock and classical music together so well that, you start to wonder if they were supposed to be together in the first place. This band is definitely one of those under-rated bands that nobody knows about - when they should. I admit, I clicked on their album in iTunes because of the strange album cover. But who cares, the fact is, I have the album. So, sucks to be you.