Arstidir, Tvieind

artistdr1_review

Formed in 2008, Arstidir is a six-pack of vocal virtuosi from Reykjavik, Iceland. They’ve had two full-length albums, and as many #1 hits on Icelandic National Radio.

Venturing beyond their homeland, Arstidir has made TV appearances (and, of course, performed) at settings across the Euro continent.

2011 saw the release of their second full-length ablum, Svefns Og Voku Skil. More recently, Arstidir released Tvieind, an EP of remixes relating to the previous album.

As for Svefns Og Voku Skil: Though I haven’t the foggiest clue what any of these words mean, the language of music is, fortunately, universal.   Some of the titles are (presumably) in Icelandic, and sound just as exotic. But other titles and lyrics are often in English.

The track “Brestir” offers a tender and pleasing melody. Piano and string instruments take their turns in the limelight, and contribute to an atmosphere of melodic melancholy.
“Lost In You” is as devotional and romantic as its title would suggest.

Oh my, the track “Shades” caught me off guard. A visitation from a whole other planet of sounds, these ones heavily electronic. Gone are all the moving acoustic ensembles.

The final track, “Tarin,” offers a feminine-sounding touch on the vocals. Makes me think of the Celtic Woman act that has been spreading its euphony across the globe.

Though, on the whole, most of the string ensembles sound acoustic, an electric guitar does sneak into the mix.

The remix EP, Tvieind, is definitely quite a drastic change. Almost verging on hip hop sounds at times, the EP is more electronic, percussive, and generally packs more bounce than tenderness. For a taste of the ultra-modern, have a listen of the remix to “Shades.” At the same time, there definitely are moments of soothing sweetness to be heard on the EP.

Regarding both vocals and instruments, the technical ability is quite flawless.

Head to Iceland in a matter of milliseconds: http://arstidir.bandcamp.com/releases

Another option: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/arsti-ir/id372420475

Arstidir is also quite active with the video deal: http://www.youtube.com/user/Arstidir

http://arstidir.com

Ray Cavanaugh – owleyesgatsby@yahoo.com

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