Øen

About

Recording its debut album in a remote lighthouse, Norway’s Heyerdahl captured some of the dramatic grandeur of its native land on <i>Oen</i>. The foursome draws on themes of seafaring and folk religion for inspiration, matching its lyrics with a widescreen pop/rock sensibility suggestive of both ‘80s-era British bands like New Order and The Cure and such latter-day Scandinavian combos as Mew and Sigur Ros. Rumblings drums, luminous synthesizers, and desperation-tinged vocals give “Enkenbukten” and “Shadows” a high-vaulted musical architecture. “Mirage” revels in a misty atmosphere (accented by a bright steel drum line) that doesn’t obscure its radio-friendly melodic content. Hints of furtive romance and political intrigue flit through the simmering “Beast,” while “Blood” reins in the band’s prog-rock tendencies as it rides a coolly slinking groove. Throughout, lead singer Kevin Ishak manages to combine an enraptured sense of wonder with a rugged Nordic heroism. It all comes together in the final track, “Emerald the Killer”: a grand sonic ritual of thunderous peaks and murmuring valleys that lays out Heyerdahl’s expansive musical vision to its fullest.

via Apple Music

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