Flowers

Sin Fang

Morr Music, 2013

http://www.heysinfang.com

REVIEW BY: Tom Haugen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/13/2013

If you're up on your current indie rock from Iceland (and really, who isn't – the country rarely disappoints), then you're already a fan of Seabear. One of the longer running outfits in Reykjavik, while they began as the solo vehicle for Sindri Mar Sigfusson, it didn't take long until they expanded into a seven piece machine of folk and pop greatness. Now, with his name amended to just Sin Fang, Sigfusson retreats back to his solo idea with my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Flowers, his third album away from Seabear.

Taking up company with a legitimate producer this time, Sigfusson builds upon his rich, organic folk-pop with a bigger sound and immense layering including strings, pianos, and horns among the standard noise-makers, provided by his friends in Mum, Amiina, and, of course, Seabear.

Opening with “Young Boys,” it's clear this is Sin Fang with more musical muscle. With his most glorious hook to date, the song is complete with infectious backing vocals and his vivid storytelling intact, unfolding like the paragon of perfection of an indie-tronica tune. Tracks like “Look At The Light” and “Sunbeam” follow a similar path, birthing radiant indie pop, and he even walks the fine line of pure rock 'n' roll with “Everything Alright.” But this is not entirely a bombastic listen; Sigfusson brings things down to his more familiar sound with “Catcher” and “Feel See,” which are more on par with his first two albums. While most of these songs glide by with effortless, breezy pop charm, “See Ribs” is one of the stands outs with an almost post-punk vibe amid the quirky charm. Another anomaly is the distorted singing on “What's Wrong With Your Eyes.”

If you're not in the loop with the radiant, soaring rock that Iceland continually produces, there's no reason not to get on board with Sin Fang. Sure, Sigur Ros and Bjork have been more commercially successful, but Sin Fang's roots run deep with his many associations to Icelandic music, and his works always flourishes with a creativity and uniqueness that is entirely his own.

Rating: A

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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