Review by Nanna Árnadóttir.

Simple Rhyme Crime (see, bad rhymes are annoying), Nology by Nolo

What’s Good

The packaging is awesome. Some solid tunes like “Put Your Face on Boy”, which had a nice tempo and an old-school pop rock feel that I enjoyed.

I especially liked “Beautiful Way” that sounded like the theme-tune to a ’70s Christian Game Show. It was a lighthearted listen, sort of like cotton candy; sweet and enjoyable but really just flavored air that seemed bigger than it was.

Crushing Disappointments

My friend Bob told me that this was recorded in a studio and I was shocked to hear it. I had assumed it was made in someone’s bedroom. Also, the lyrics, by Thor’s mighty hammer, the lyrics were quite frankly preposterous. Here’s a sample from the track “When You’re Gone”:

One Beautiful Day
A Friend Came to Stay
Died Yesterday
Your Skin Turns Grey
Everyday
Completely Insane
Eating my Brains

And that’s the more complex of the songs, there’s one where they sing about bus seats and taking a ride in a taxi cab. Maybe they thought it was funny? Or whimsical?

Surely the Nolo boys have more in their life’s emotional arsenal to draw from than this? Is this a joke I am not getting? I bet it is. Damn hipsters!

Sounds Like

Sitting on Napoleon Dynamite’s sofa eating a block of cheese watching evangelical preachers on TV eat blocks of cheese on a Napoleon Dynamite’s sofa.

Stars

Released by Kimi Records, Nology is available on gogoyoko.com, the Havarí online record store  and all respectable record shops in Iceland.

So Great I Want to Cry, Locust Sounds by Reykjavík!

What’s Good

In this day and age you know an album is good when you want to pay for it. I was listening to Locust Sounds, Reykjavík!’s new alternative rock album on gogoyoko.com and it was so good I had to buy it.

After I’d listened to it for about 24 hours straight I loved it so much I wanted to buy it again, so I will, to give to people for Christmas. 

My favorite tracks include the opener, “Mountains”, “You Are A Sensitive Man And Your Feelings Are Easily Hurt” and “Oath of the Goat”.

“Hellbound Heart” is a total winner too, you can listen to it in the mainstream and feel like you’re actually cool and cool people can love it and still feel like they are protecting their fortress of soli-cool (see what I did there? This is why people don’t like me). Its graphic lyricism is a million years ahead of Nolo, a million years I say!

Crushing Disappointments

That I have already heard it and therefore am unable to hear it again for the first time. I mean rhyming “cats” with “cacti” in the song “Cats” was awkward and “Fire Fire Fire Ocean Ocean Ocean” was a little meh but the overall excellence of the album resonates and you are powerless not to forgive.

Sounds Like

The raw essence of furious victory bottled, for safekeeping.

Stars

Locust Sounds is out now on Kimi Records, and may be purchased from gogoyoko.com. It is also available for purchase in the Havarí online record store as well as all respectable Icelandic record shops.

Nanna Árnadóttir – nanna.arnadottir@gmail.com  

Nanna Árnadóttir is a writer by day, musical garbage disposal by night. All kinds of musical genres are consumed and processed in her mind. Although she is an avid hip-hop head she likes all music that is passionate, beautiful and honest. She has a special interest in the sonic fruits of her native country.