Hjaltalin – Enter 4 (Hjaltalin)
Vinyl/CD/DL
9 September 2013
Sigur Ros have a lot to answer
for. If it wasn’t for their reputation I
may never have listened to Retro Stefson whose eponymous album was a lovely
slab of alternative pop. I may also never
have come across Enter 4 by Hjaltalin, and that would have been a huge shame
given the sheer quality of the album.
There’s a story that precedes the
band. Between the release of critically
acclaimed 2009 album ‘Terminal’ and the Autumn of 2012, the band laid low
whilst frontman Högni Egilsson struggled with his worsening mental
health. The work-in-progress they had
produced was left in a state of flux as he left the band and continued between
hospitals and mental institutions. He
now insists that ‘Enter 4’ played a huge part in his recovery.
So what of the album? Essentially,
the backbone is one of synth and percussion complimented by conventional
orchestral instruments, it’s a fine fine collection of post-pop, ambience and
general eeriness. Vocals from both
Egilsson and Sigríður
Thorlacius are superb and in many ways, comparisons can be made with last year’s
album by Archive, ‘With Us Until You’re Dead’.
Songs that are built on simple melodies but frequently escalate into
neo-stadium anthems.
Opener, ‘Lucifer/He Felt Like A
Woman’ has a deep bass beat, that though repetitive, is essential to the
make-up of the song. A hook that
continues to buzz around until well after the song has finished, and, a great
start to the album.
Hjaltalin have a quite remarkable
ability to combine pop with deep experimentation, and, make it work. Song arrangements can be complex but the
melodies shine through like glimmers of sunlight through a dark forest. ‘Forever Someone Else’ enters the realms of
trip-hop with the sumptuous vocals of Thorlacius being a key factor, and, some
quite enthralling orchestral arrangements.
‘On The Peninsula’ is nothing short of beautiful.
‘Letter
To […]’ seems to combine echoes of Soul II Soul with a darker, second half, which
includes post-industrial beats and screeches.
The placid vocals being a well-placed contrast as the track fades
out. ‘We’ rises from quiet ballad, with
more stunning vocals, to a gargantuan close of crashes, bangs and general wall
of sound.
The
story goes that album closer, ‘Ethereal’, was recorded in one take, on the spur
of the moment after Egilsson had been out of his mind and unable to work with
the rest of the band. It’s pure genius
and a quite incredible song. It’s eerie
and beautiful at the same time, and, when Egilsson performed it, it apparently
brought the remaining band members to tears.
It’s a fitting and sobering end to a quite brilliant album.
9/10
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