Straight Out of Iceland: Review of Mammut's "Karkari"

Iceland's Mammut

WARNING:  This band is from Iceland, and I do not speak Icelandic.  If you'll notice in my last post, I ommitted the umlauts from "Hukser Du".  I don't know Blogger enough to insert foreign language characters, and the band Mammut uses a ton!

That said, Mammut rocks!

They were recommended by a friend of mine who could be considered more knowledgeable about music than me.  The album that I am reviewing, "Karkari", is actually their sophomore release, issued in 2008.  They came out with an additional album in 2013, but "Karkari" was the only release I could find on Amazon.

I don't know much about the music scene in Iceland, but there is a common thread with all of the music I have heard - the Sugarcubes, Bjork, Sigur Ros, Of Monsters And Men...  All of them have a type of fresh-faced innocence.  Their sound is unsullied by the commercialism and concern for marketability that seems prevalent in the States.  They seem more concerned with making art than creating an image.  The result is that the music seems to come more from the heart.  This is especially true with Mammut.

The album starts with a bang.  Heavy, discordant riffs buzzing feverishly, reminiscent of "Kool Thing" by Sonic Youth or "Sur Tes Pas" by Autour de Lucie.  Then Kata's sweet voice flutters over the arrangement.  The way she sings reminds me of Bjork.  I'm sure the Bjork comparisons were inevitable, seeing that they are both from Iceland.  But it's not coincidental.  There is some Bjork influence there is the way she trills and wails.

The next song is "Giempra", and it is catchy as hell.  Even my wife's ears perked as she heard this.  It is a delicious blend of distorted guitars and a very danceable rhythm.  The album also contains an EDM version of "Giempra" that will make you shake your posterior.

The beat relents a bit for a couple of ballads - "Raudilaekur" and "Dyradottir", but the pace picks up again with the headbanging "Svefnsykt" and "Gun", which could be a Tool song.  Other songs of note are "Eg veit hann kemur fljott" and "Drekasongvar".  The album finishes out with "I leyni", which starts out slow and ominous, finishing out with a wall of white noise that would make Thurston Moore proud, even if he can't speak Icelandic.

I highly recommend this album and can't wait until I can explore their other two albums.  Until then, this album will keep me warm as I dream of Iceland.