An artist and musician, Sindri Már Sigfússon, has released a new album Flowers under the name of Sin Fang.
Artist: Sin Fang
Album: Flowers
Release date: 1st February 2013
Label: Morr Music
Genre: Indie Pop
I really bloody like this album. I seriously adore it. Since I brought it yesterday morning, I've listened to it all the way through at least six or seven times. It's a great album because every song matters. Nothing is filler, everything is emotional and real. Every song has had the right amount of effort put into it. Sindri is a beautiful lyricist and musician (just watch some of his piano/acoustic covers and versions of his songs, or any of his earlier work with band Seabear - he's got talent!) and paired with Alex Somers, an adorable little man from Boston who now lives and works in Reykjavík, this album is striking.
Alex has recorded and mixed plenty of other albums for Icelanders, notably Jónsi's Go and Sigur Rós' Valtari as well as for bands such as Kira Kira and Pascal Pinion and his own personal project with Jónsi that they travelled to Hawaii to mix in the jungle. He can manage vast musicscapes and intricate little layers and details. I'd trust my album with him. You want to listen to everything he's done at full volume to hear every little thing that makes what he's mixed memorable. Look at that cute picture of Sindri and Alex from Mr Sigfússon's tumblr.
Personally, I've been waiting for Flowers for about a year. I followed Sindri and Alex's adventures over on Sindri's tumblr, where they posted lots of photos and a very strange video or two from the recording and mixing. They have a very special bromance. I was very familar with Alex and Sindri's work separately and to see them come together was like a dream come true.
The album Flowers follows Sin Fang's EP Half Dreams released last autumn. I loved the EP, I thought it the man's strongest work yet. I jump between liking the songs similarities with each other and finding it a little bland. But I mostly loved the retro crazy feel of it. I can imagine Strange House being played in retro American diners and fitting nicely. Only Eyes was an exceptionally strong single and I identified heartily with the lyrics in Walk With You, the slightly melancholy melody resonating in my heart. The piano version Sindri played for the Reykjavík Grapevine was particularly lovely.
But Sin Fang has outdone himself with Flowers. As brilliant as I thought Half Dreams was, Flowers is a million times better.
Young Boys
The opening and chorus lyrics "We were young boys, smoking in the woods/I showed you how, I showed you
how" is immediately catchy with the bass and diverse harmonies
after the bare introduction of tambourine, slight vocalisations and what I can
only describe as something twinkly and pretty. The song continues quite thinly
at first, Sin Fang’s smooth voice just floating across the surface steadily.
His signature soft background vocals and harmonies play an important part in
the instrumentation, along with plucking strings here and there, with it
building gradually with each chorus that you don’t even notice the piano,
strong beat and fuller set of strings and static creeping in. By the end of
this 3 and a half minute song, you are immersed in this dreamy world and ready
for more. Though calm and reflective in tone, it’s a song you want to have on
repeat for hours and is always rewarding.
What’s Wrong With
Your Eyes
Straight in with the upbeat melody and “oohs”, the bass
and beat kick in quickly. It follows Young Boys perfectly. Some of the verse
lyrics get lost a little but it sure does sound lovely. The chorus lyrics “When I tell you you’re alright/there’s
nothing wrong with your eyes” feel personal, like Sindri’s saying it to
you. The song is initially sweet and kind before the middle 8 changes the tone
slightly and the piano twinkles a little off key, but the next verse brings it
back round to that kindness of before. This is another song you want to listen to forever. There’s
the typical radio synth sound effect on his voice at times that Sindri never
seems to ditch. When you think it’s all over, he comes back with a beautiful
string, piano and brass arrangement that reminds me of a glorious summer’s day
in a wood clearing, with bees and butterflies and it’s just beautiful. This
song makes me really happy, even though a closer look at some of the lyrics
that reveal themselves to be not far from gloomy. Though pop-y in sound, there’s
nothing to hate and it’s far from cheesy. One of the best on the album, in my
opinion.
Look At The Light
We get a music video for this one! When I first watched the
video, I was blown away by imagery (and instantly recognised the director, Máni
M. Sigfússon, Sin Fang’s brother, who has directed a number of his music
videos before). I was also intrigued by the sound of the song but dismissed it at the time. I was
too excited for the released of the album and still obsessed with Young Boys,
which had been premièred already. I had to listen to it again a few times, in
context with the rest of the album, and really read into the lyrics before it suddenly
hit me. And boy, did it hit me! It goes a little slower than the previous two
songs, the lyrical content a little darker; “swallow me” echoing through the musicscape in a possitively haunting manner. The ups and downs flow
like a stream down an icy mountainside, more piercing strings and piano held in
place with Sindri’s voice. The lyrics get lost a little at
times, again, and the tone makes me sad. I really identify with the lyrics,
in my way, as Sindri writes very subtly, the full extent of the situation
hidden most wonderfully and therefore creating something instantly relatable
yet strangely personal. The first solemn, sad song and it really delivers.
Another favourite; it fills up my head completely. Have a look at the video:
Sunbeam
This song has my favourite little section of the entire
album – “And then when I am older/I’ll let
you stand on my shoulder/I’ll be a rock, a boulder/I’ll be a spirit hand holder”.
It’s magnificently light, fun and catchy – the core elements of a good song you
can’t stop singing along to. This is possibly the brightest song of the album.
The harp pulls you in then the beat hits you and Sindri seduces you with his
fast words and lovely vocalising. The song is childish, with themes of
childhood and parenthood combining in a wonderful clash of bass and strings. It’s
full of brilliant little melodies that mean you really have to listen to this
song loud to absorb everything – this whole album needs to be heard at full
blast, quite honestly!
Feel See
This begins as your beautiful walk in the country, all
green and alive, all strings and quiet. Sin Fang’s vocals are the clouds
floating above you, singing sweet songs of love and beauty and calm. It’s a
little electronic at moments; the radio static sounds returning once again.
Almost philosophical here - “Is there
someone that feels like me/that there is nothing to feel or see” - this
song is nature personified, with the talk of little animals, mountains and
caves and rivers that just buzzes out when it wants to. Serenity at its finest,
Feel See is a song to contemplate and
relax with. Though not the deepest of depths explored as far as the musicscape of the album goes, it’s light yet
full. It does not require anything more.
See Ribs
This is where the album takes a darker, angrier turn.
This song is powerful and heated in tone: the ripping electric guitar indicates
this from the off. The sound reminds me of Florence and the Machine’s Kiss With A Fist. Though the lyrics are
somewhat petty in places “Boy you know I
hate you and all your friends/Boy you know I hate you and all your problems”,
Sindri pulls it off without sounding like too much of a dick. Though a well fashioned
song, it lacks a lot of the originality Sindri usually brings to his music. It’s
one of the key things that interests me in his music – though romantic, it’s
not like the bland pop music you hear every day on the popular radio that talk
about loving a girl forever or having sex and all that. Sindri sings of real love and
though an angry song is fresh from him, it feels like every other song about
that douche you can’t stand. I imagine it will be the first song I get tired of
and I seem to dislike it a little more with each playing (but that might be
just because I’ve had it on a loop for twenty minutes to write this section).
Nevertheless, it is worth a listen, even if I think it’s the weakest link. Might be a good idea to start loving it ironically.
Catcher
Catcher flows
well from See Ribs - much calmer. The
electric guitar remains, though curiously quieter, the piano taking over for
once. Sin Fang pulls you in with a lingering melody that brings up the hue gently.
The strings and brass return and it’s homely and familiar now. After the shock
of the harshness of the previous song, it feels like you’ve got off the
motorbike of See Ribs you used to get home from that beautiful wood. Now you’ve got your
coffee and you’re waiting for the love of your life to come over. It’s
strangely uplifting in its way. Catcher
is the dark horse of the album; you don’t expect it to be as wonderful as you
find it.
Everything Alright
This song is odd as far as the movement of the album so far goes. It breaks away from the rest a little,
talking about dreams that have been lost or forgotten and discarded. You wonder
who it’s directed at and why. It’s enigmatic and the beat feels like it bounces
from one foot to another with every word. I don’t know why, but it feels nursery
rhyme-like to me. Maybe your love has come over but you have disagreed over
something. It mystifies me quite frankly but I enjoy the more electric
sections, the synths are really used well here. Watch out for some more static
and voice effects.
Not Enough
More electric guitar but it’s calmer at first. You can
feel the end is near but the pace picks up. The melancholy can’t be shaked
though. The lyrics are similar to before; some sort of emotional exhaustion is mentioned
once again. But it’s strong. It soldiers on with great crescendos. Not Enough is a very human song,
something I would expect of Sindri. Key lyrics that catch my attention include “You
know what it’s like to be afraid to fall asleep” and “I’ve been afraid since
the day I was born, nerves severed and torn”. This song speaks of the human endeavour
to survive and I like it more with each listen, the insight I’ve gained by analysing
it making it all the more pleasurable. Bravo Mr Sigfússon!
Weird Heart
At first the title reminds me of another Sin Fang song –
an opening lyric I cannot forget (“Weird
heart, you are my skeleton”) but this song is all it’s own. A little
experimental but a fine end to the album. The drum beat keeps the tempo up and
spirits high. It changes a little in the middle, sounding a little more like a
pop song, some sort of inspirational ballad you might hear from a more popular
band. The strings soothe me, lets me know it’s all going to be okay. And Sindri
is vocalising to an orchestra of sound and I’m home. I want to cry because it’s
beautiful but it’s going to be over so soon. It reminds me of Electric Light
Orchestra in some ways and then it fizzes away and leaves me feeling like I’ve been on a magnificent journey with this album.
Last Remarks
Rating: 4* or 8.75/10
Favourite songs: What’s Wrong With Your Eyes, Look At The
Light, Sunbeam
Least Favourite: See Ribs, Everything Alright
I would definitely recommend this album to any friend, whether they know Sin Fang or not. It's an album anyone can enjoy due to it's soft pop and electronic vibe as well as beautiful harmonies and lyrics.
The album is available on Anost (CD + Vinyl), iTunes (US / UK), Gogoyoko and probably Spotify or wherever else you buy music. Sin Fang's tumblr is sinfang.tumblr.com obvs. You should go have a look at some of the photos (though you might have to scroll through a few pages, it was a while ago).
One final remark - I have also (roughly) analysed the themes in the album but this review was getting a bit long and I was very unorganised so here is a link to the themes in another post.
The album is available on Anost (CD + Vinyl), iTunes (US / UK), Gogoyoko and probably Spotify or wherever else you buy music. Sin Fang's tumblr is sinfang.tumblr.com obvs. You should go have a look at some of the photos (though you might have to scroll through a few pages, it was a while ago).
One final remark - I have also (roughly) analysed the themes in the album but this review was getting a bit long and I was very unorganised so here is a link to the themes in another post.
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