PRICE:
$15.50
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Murta St. Calunga
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
KRCD 005CD KRCD 005CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
7/7/2009

This is the third full-length release from Icelandic music collective, Benni Hemm Hemm, headed up by extremely talented lead songwriter/arranger, Benedikt H. Hermannsson. Murta St. Calunga is the soundtrack to an adventurous journey, sailing to distant shores, riding rolling wave upon rolling wave of rollicking, orchestral indie-pop. On this monstrously entertaining album, Benni's search for a clear yet heavy sound has come to an end, with awesome results. Recorded and mixed on tape, this nostalgic procedure produces an environment which fits the occasion and brings out the best of the band's amazing width. Bigger and fatter than a Minke whale, not only does this album represent the finest of Iceland's experimental scene, it's also packed with sly melodies which are guaranteed to stick around in your head months and even years after you first insert Murta St. Calunga in your stereo. These songs are powerful -- nicely wrapped up in giant string and brass arrangements, strummed guitar and gentle piano, all played with an unmatchable joy. The lyrics take you to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Romania, as well as to more surreal places, like an Icelandic whale-fishing boat in the North Atlantic. Even the pages of the award-winning novel Skugga-Baldur (The Blue Fox), by Icelandic author, poet, and Björk lyricist Sjón, become a destination in the instantly-loveable "Veiðiljóð." This record speaks in tongues, whether it be Icelandic, English, French, or even the universal language of music. Each mind, each soul will be touched. The world is a fine place. The land of Murta St. Calunga is even better.