From ‘soulful electronic pop’ trio Years & Years comes the record “Traps”. Intrigue springs to mind for me – curiosity into what genre the song fits into, wondering who skilfully sings the androgynous vocals and where the inspiration came from. Of course all of these questions have simple answers, but where is the fun in that?That’s what’s so wonderful about Years & Years: Ollie, Michael and Emre have a fresh taste on the music scene; a palette cleanser and a unique brand. Basically a fast track pass onto guitarleaves.
Now it seems that Icelandic music is in the UK charts more than we care to realise – spanning singles from Of Monsters and Men to the melodies of Sóley, it appears that the use of the internet to promote music has had more of an impact on international tastes than the introduction of cheap flights. In this post however the attention is on Icelandic “dreamy” and “experimental” trio Vök. Literally translating to ‘a hole in the ice’, I discovered these guys on a recent tour around the country which terminated in the capital city of Reykjavík, where Vök originated. Now I won’t even begin to claim an understanding of Icelandic more than ‘loftslag’ (climate), ‘edlfjall’ (volcano) and ‘hvala’ (whale) – the aeroplane’s information about the local geography was most informative – but thankfully I don’t need to in order to enjoy their music, as a large number of them are recorded in English, as with most Icelandic music (clever people, eh?). Have a play of “Við Vökum” from their EP “tension” (translating to ‘The Makers’), and I’m sure you will agree with me that it has a very healthy sound, bringing its inspiration from the great outdoors of thewondrous terrain called Iceland.
It’s a rare occasion when a particular emotion is encompassed so perfectly by a song to the point where you stop what you’re doing and truly listen. Cue Naughty Boy – already a chart-topping success in the industry – to achieve this, along with vocals from the soulful Sam Romans. The record perfectly combines melodies and layers to convey a sense of raw and unpolluted hope, and I believe it is the suggestion of this that makes the song so powerful. After all, what is life without a little hope?
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