Iceland proves once again that it is a breeding ground for the strangest of bands. Stilluppsteypa maintains a punk attitude through this experimental and often challenging release. To keep your attention a bit more focused, they often reference (sarcastically) other more popular musical forms, like Drum N’ Bass and rudimentary dance music.
“Nice Things to File Away Forever!” should prove to be a fairly decent introduction, if perhaps a bit more abstract than the rest of the album. Once you get through this colossal track, the going gets considerably easier. What follows is the strange dance-like track of “Which Serve the Purpose Not Only” and later the idea is revisited in “When I was eight years old”.
What works best is the hyper-kinetic “All Drummers Shiver”. Mixing together a translucent drone with a fast rhythm, it then goes into even faster territory, as if the beat is trying to escape some sort of impending doom.
Ritornell released some very daunting music during its brief lifespan, generally stuff considered “too avantgarde” for Mille Plateaux. But this is fairly easy to get into, even if you’re not usually inclined towards experimental music.
Second Childhood
Second Childhood