A Collection of Icelandic Album Reviews by Wim Van Hooste

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Sudden Weather Change "Sculpture"

Sudden Weather Change is a rock band consisting of students from the art academy. They started as a 11-piece noise band which then transformed to the classical 5-in-a-band. About a year ago Benjamin M. Stacey left the group. So the quartet worked diligently to a successor of the debut album with the impossible title "Stop! Hand Grenade in the Name of Crib-Death 'more about? "(Kimi Records, 2009). Before this 1st disc they released a home-made EP (2006), followed by a mini-Tour de France. Three years ago they were already named one of the most promising Icelandic artists. With the support of producers Ben Frost, Icelandic famous Aussie, and Þorbjörn G. Kólbrúnarsson, they created a "Sculpture". This sculpture was by the band released late July 2012. Location for the shooting were the Greenhouse Studios of renowned Valgeir Sigurdsson, a Bjork protégé. This second full release sounds completely different than their previous work. In the old days the group was often compared to Pavement and Sonic Youth. The new album has a bit of a concept album: it invites you to listen to the whole album in one take, because the 9 songs almost blend into one another. The guitars, drums and vocals make this sculpture more polished than the grenade, and the harmonies are now at their best. However, it remains fortunately many sharp edges. All songs are fantastic, cinematic Ennio Morricone-like intros, often supplemented with creepy noises. I hear clear similarities with the third album by the group Reykjavik!, "Locust Sounds". And last but not least it is a good live band.

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