Sounds like…
The soundtrack to peace and tranquillity in the face of a crappy day ahead.
The review
Snorri Hallgrímsson released the second ‘Landbrot’ EP as part of his series, dedicated to keeping calm around the obstacles of daily life. The word translates to erosion or land fractures and Landbrot II is about sealing those cracks with some beautiful contemporary classical music.
What Snorri does best is focus your mind and ears on a very soft piano melody that does a lot with very little. Each track on Landbrot II, just like the first EP, follows melodies that balance optimism and reflection. The tunes are never bouncy or happy but they do have a cadence that lets hope rise from within. This is particularly true in the sweet and warm closing track ‘Addi & Eva’ which feels resolute and loving. ‘Sandlóa’ instead feels like watching fragments of a broken glass scatter and being captivated at the art of it all. It’s beautiful in its sadness. Meanwhile ‘Rjóður’ takes nine trickling note segments and lets them ring out like tuning bells that slowly change their pattern over the track. It forces you to pause and slow down whilst being pretty and minimal. All of the five track EP is underscored gently and quietly by a beautiful string orchestration. The strings are never the focus of the music though. Instead, they support the space between the piano notes like a bridge between cracks. Hallgrímsson has an innate understanding of using space and quiet to make a point and both ‘Landbrot’ EP’s showcase this beautifully.
It’s another notch on the contemporary classical listening post for Snorri Hallgrímsson and I really connected with its time-stood-still quality. It may be minimalist in some ways but Snorri never leaves a good earworm melody out in the cold either. Form and function can both be gentle and impactful and that is exactly what ‘Landbrot II’ delivers.
Recommended track: Rjóður
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Snorri Hallgrímsson - Landbrot II