AMG Review of Ny Batteri

Andy Kellman
All Music Guide

A brass-based remix of the title track, titled "Rafmagnið Búið," is an ambient slice of ECM-like chamber jazz that bleeds seamlessly into the original version of "Ný Batterí." Forming a 13-minute suite of sorts, it's just as fragile and somber as Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" until thick, rusted drums and muted, clangorous sound FX kick in at the ten-minute mark. Jon Thor Birgisson's voice levitates much like Thom Yorke's here, but there are no rough edges -- it's as smooth as a satin sheet. The tracks on the flip, which also flow uninterrupted, were used in the film #Englar Alheimsins (Angels of the Universe). "Bíum Bíum Bambaló" is a darkly droning, seven-minute affair based on an Icelandic lullaby that allegedly hadn't been recorded previously. It leads into the organ-based "Dánarfregnir Og Jarðarfarir," which begins innocently enough but explodes into something dangerously close to pompous '70s prog. Still fine as a whole, and certainly essential for the fan.