Another classic production by Hilmar
Örn Hilmarsson, the Icelandic aural
conjurer I last reviewed
here in relation to his production
on Steindór Andersen's groundbreaking
Rímur disc. Here he
is again in collaboration with film
director Fridrik Thor Fridriksson's,
after their previous triumph on Children
of Nature. This score has much in
common with the previous one, offering
a lot to lovers of "Holy Minimalism"
(a term I use for convenience but through
gritted teeth), experimental/reflective
folk based music (e.g. Alan Stivell),
superior soundtracks (ECM/Karaindrou,
Heat, Bladerunner) and
even Bach. The emphasis this time is
on slightly softer sounds, with more
acoustic guitar in evidence, but the
melancholic, wistful atmosphere is still
all pervading.
The packaging includes both an "in
memoriam" to a recently departed and
short lived friend and a quote from
Hildegard von Bingen, which are both
in keeping with the mood of the music.
The titles of the individual pieces
may mean more when related directly
to the film but range from the (willingly?)
bland/opaque, Colours, Memory,
to the expressive but still mystery
laden (Schiller in China,
The Black Dog and the Scottish Play
- the latter an obvious reference to
Macbeth though in what context I'm not
sure without seeing the film). Journey
to the Underworld is probably the
most overtly emotive track, with Szymon
Kuran's intense violin sound at its
centre. The final masterstroke is the
inclusion of tracks by avant electro-folk
group Sigur Rós, who have collaborated
with both Hilmarsson and Steindór
Andersen before and here unleash two
linked, (electric) guitar and percussion
driven laments, one with vocals and
one instrumental, which might seem slightly
incongruous but will also strike you
as some of the most heartrending "rock"
music ever recorded - imagine Joy Division's
New Dawn Fades in an Icelandic
falsetto and you may be quite close.
The closing instrumental Death Announcements
and Funerals is more of the same,
a plaintive organ introduction leading
to some cavernous guitar work - at once
powerful and subtle - more Glenn Branca
than Ozzy Osbourne for sure! If you
enjoy this, their debut album Ágætis
Byrjun, more so than more recent
releases, contains much more of the
same but also some milder moments.
Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson remains
a great talent, in his choice of collaborations
and his music - if you have yet to make
his acquaintance this is as good a starter
as any, especially since it may also
lead you into the special sound world
of Sigur Rós. Highly recommended.
Neil Horner.
Szymon Kuran, violin 