A score for the Icelandic film of the same name, Dis
finds modern classical composer Johann Johannsson collaborating
with members of Singapore Sling, Funerals, and Slowblow.
On a whole, this effort is a hodgepodge of disparate
styles - from straight up rock with vocals, to cascading
ambient swirls, and minimal piano vignettes.
Similarly, moods are often playful and bouncy, but are
now and again dragged down into melancholy depths, especially
on piano pieces such as Jardarfor and Ruslpostur,
whose twinkling piano and plangent, arcing strings evoke
the stark romanticism with which one often associates
Johannsson. This sentiment is not extended but interrupted
by the gauzy textures, swirling skies of synthesizer
chords, and taut, snapping beats. Songs, be they gritty
or cottony, hasty or sluggish, are held together by
their common concern for delicate, childish melodies,
but asides from this, there is no movement to these
works, no lines that push against the structures, no
payoff of tension and release. Far too often, pieces
are presented as imposing statues - as deeply hardened
forms that are firmly entrenched in their categorical
bunkers, and are all too willing to dwell in sheer naive
prettiness.
Saumavel, for instance, is built upon brittle,
stuttery beats, the pitter-patter of a Rhodes piano,
and polished, clean electronic tones darting through
the sky like comets. The piece is pretty and roguish,
but is never anything more than predictable. Additionally,
although the soundtrack spans fifteen songs, many offer
only slight deviations upon motifs snatched from previous
pieces. The melody from Ja, Hemmi Minn is one
such example - its skipping piano refrain, which initially
appears in a rather sparse atmosphere, is placed in
other compositions such as Flugeldar II, where
it unravels amidst gentle splashes of sound and a different
rhythmic matrix. From a composer of Johannsson's background,
one would expect more than the lukewarm, insipid air
in which this work is content to wander.
Max Schaefer
3/5 |
