Artist: Kælan Mikla
Title: Nótt eftir nótt
Genre: Synth Punk
Release Date: 9th Nov 2018
Label: Artoffact Records
Album Review
KÆLAN MIKLA are Sólveig Matthildur, Margrét Rosa and Laufey Soffía, a Dark Wave and Synth Punk trio from Iceland’s capital Reykjavik. Their current album ‘Nótt eftir nótt’ was released already in November 2018 on Artoffact Records. However, music has no expiration date and as they have currently been touring with ALCEST (winter 2020), this is actually a good reason to get into their latest work.
The haunted mood of the first track ‘Gandreid’ is immediately crawling under the skin. Like entering an abandoned house, left behind many years ago and discovering one room after another with everything that’s in there. The vocals lay down on the music like another layer. ‘Nornalagid’ is full of the 80ies Synth vibes. The immediate longing to find a dance floor and dance is intense - and when dance floors are not available due to current situation, I’d just take the small free space in the living room. The screams in between remind of witches and fit to the haunting atmosphere.
Another strong Synth & Cold Wave track is ‘Hvernig Kemst Ég Upp?’, the spoken lyrics remind me somehow of Anne Clark. The layered vocals bring a lot of magical, almost scary atmosphere and shivers down the spine. ‘Skuggadans’ with the whispering vocals at the beginning and more of a screaming vocal go more towards a Synth Punk atmosphere. More experimental & modern, less haunted. ‘Draumadis’ stands out through the captivating beat and kind of classical development of a Post & Synth Punk track, inviting to get lost in a slowly flowing dance. The refrain is really catchy and provides an outstanding melody that is gonna stay with you and may return in the middle of the night.
‘Næturblóm’ is already a classic; soft, faraway & dreamy - beautiful and cold. When I close my eyes while listening to this song; I see the colours of an Aurora borealis - emerald green, deep blue and cold purple with a hint of fading away yellow. The Synth theme of ‘Andvaka’ even reminds me of the style HATARI are known for (or HATARI remind me of this) - well both are from Iceland and the inspiration of long cold winter nights is definitely in there. The title song ‘Nótt Eftir Nótt’ is a slow track, haunted, desperate. Without knowing what the lyrics tell, the voices sound like all these voices inside your head, in the mid of the night, when you are all alone. ‘Dáid Er Allt Án Drauma’ is literally the sound of thunder and rain and spherical vocals and everything in between the earth and the sky, slowly spreading the different spheres inside your head and leaving you all alone.
‘Nótt Eftir Nótt’ as an atmospheric Synth Punk master piece is worth to be discovered if you haven’t yet and played over and over again. The album is from the first to the last track an unexpected journey throughout different stories and emotions using a variety of elements to create a haunted, spherical space in between here & now, the past and the future and in between what we call time.
Tracklist
01. Gandreid
02. Nornalagid
03. Hvernig Kemst Ég Upp?
04. Skuggadans
05. Draumadís
06. Næturblóm
07. Andvaka
08. Nótt Eftir Nótt
09. Dáid Er Allt Án Drauma
Line-up
Sólveig Matthildur
Margrét Rosa
Laufey Soffía
Website
https://www.facebook.com/Kaelanmikla / https://kaelanmikla.bandcamp.com
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10
Comments powered by CComment