Tom Robinson from BBC6 Music Introducing has been selected as January's curator for London-based Scandinavian music showcase Ja Ja Ja. His selections for January 27: Murmansk, Montée and Benni Hemm Hemm.
Spinner has the premiere of the new Benni Hemm Hemm video for "Retaliate": http://www.spinner.com/2010/04/29/benni-hemm-hemm-retaliate-video-premiere/
Benni Hemm HemmProving that less is often more -- both in production and length -- Benni Hemm Hemm's "Retaliate" EP is a brilliantly hushed gem. Trademark horns diminished to a mere whisper, Benedikt H. Hermannsson (the brains behind the ostensibly solo project) gently guides his listener though an affecting five-song cycle of softly strummed guitars, plunked pianos, and ghostly harmonies.
Despite its pervasive lo-fi ambience, "Retaliate"'s minimalism never translates to boring. From the delicate rise and fall "Church loft" to the title track's slow-build instrumentals, Hermannsson crafts the sort of bedroom-Nick Drake compositions that could easily be lost in a slicker set-up. Left unadorned, his image-heavy prose glistens. No Sufjan Stevens-style narrator (even if his style often bares a passing resemblance), the listener is left to comprise his own story, awash in religious iconography, travels taken, days reborn and blood letting. Hermannsson may have settled into a period of personal quiet contemplation, but it's clear his restless creative spirit never will.
- Laura Studarus
reports they will be releasing a new Benni Hemm Hemm EP entitled "Retaliate" in March/April on both 10" vinyl and CD. More details and tourdates: http://www.kimirecords.net/news/benni-hemm-hemm-frettir-news/
New European dates for Benni Hemm Hemm:
03/24 - Whelans, Dublin (IRL)
03/26 - tba, London (UK)
03/27 - Jericho Tavern, Oxford (UK)
03/28 - Buffalo Bar, Cardiff (UK)
04/05 - Bibelot, Dordrecht (NL)
04/07 - D:qliq, Luxembourg (LUX)
04/08 - Cafe de la Danse (tbc), Paris (FRA)
04/14 - Chelsea, Vienna (AUS)
04/16 - E-Werk, Erlangen (GER)
04/17 - Glashaus, Berlin (GER)
04/18 - Hafenklang, Hamburg (GER)
Benni Hemm Hemm"Murta St. Calunga" should have been Benni Hemm Hemm's breakout album. After the song "GítStemm" was featured on the excellent "Fjölskyldualbúm Tilraunaeldhússins" compilation in 2006, they released their sophomore effort "Kajak" to critical acclaim. On "Kajak", you could almost hear singer/songwriter Benedikt Hermannsonn's arrangements maturing, the twinkling list of acoustic guitar and the stutter of his brass canter in increasing symbiosis, interwoven with a distinctly maritime flourish. But while "Murta" upstages the brassy pomp of its predecessors, it struggles to find depth. Too often, as on childish "Whaling in the North Atlantic" and the faux-western "Riotmand", Benni falls short of recreating the sparkling intimacies of "Kajak". Thus, the ineffective melodies and sparse acoustics must be salvaged by the atypical rhythms of their instrumental breaks. The jaunty brass, with its shifting time signatures, continues to be BHH's most potent weapon. Though it elevates the repetitive horns above those that proliferate in today's colorless indie, they are little more than a palliative here, providing temporary respite from "Murta"'s predictable doldrums. The soft, textured horn laments that worked so well on "Kajak" wander aimlessly in the album's sluggish middle, where copycat brass mimics endless iterations of what seems to be one single dim melody.
It's not all bad, though. The Van Morrison rifflets and the faux-metal hammer-ons of "Veiðiljóð" are welcome additions, as is the warmth of "Riotmand", where glockenspiels flutter beautifully above static horns. The formulaic vocals lack the depth or vision of those on "Kajak", but Benni's voice still transmits a blissful Nordic solitude. If I had not been primed me to expect great things from Benni Hemm Hemm, perhaps I would not be so quick to dismiss this album. I'm hopeful that their next will be a return to form, as I'm hesitant to believe that BHH's best music is behind them.
- Nathan Keegan
Icelandic acts Benni Hemm Hemm and Múm are touring Europe together:
08/25 - Melkweg, Amsterdam (NL)
08/26 - Exit 07, Luxembourg (LUX)
08/25 - Atomic Cafe, Munich (GER)
08/25 - Beatpol, Dresden (GER)
09/01 - Botanique, Brussels (BEL)
09/02 - Südpol, Lucerne (CH)
09/03 - Salzhaus, Winterthur (CH)
09/05 - Lido, Berlin (GER)
09/06 - Knust, Hamburg (GER)
09/07 - Gebäude 9, Cologne (GER)
09/08 - Maroquinierie, Paris (FRA)
09/09 - La Laiterie, Strasbourg (FRA)
09/10 - Radar Festival, Lille (FRA)
PopMatters reviews the new Benni Hemm Hemm record "Murta St. Calunga": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/108506-benni-hemm-hemm-murta-st.-calunga/
New European dates for Benni Hemm Hemm:
04/12 - The Bowery, Edinburgh (UK)
05/05 - Bevrijdingsfestival, Groningen (NL)
05/05 - Prinsenhof, Groningen (NL)
05/07 - Passionfruit Theatre, Athlone (IR)
05/08 - Whelans, Dublin (IR)
05/17 - Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh (UK) w/Hjaltalín
05/21 - The Bowery, Edinburgh (UK)
06/12 - Le Nouveau Monde, Fribourg (CH)
06/13 - B-Sides Festival, Lucerne (CH)
06/14 - Salzhaus, Winterthur, Zurich (CH)
06/16 - Chelsea, Vienna (AUS)
06/17 - KFZ, Marburg (GER)
06/19 - Reilfestival, Halle (GER)
06/21 - Umsonst und Draussen, Würzburg (GER)
06/22 - Club Strahov 007, Prague (CZ)
06/24 - Badeschiff, Berlin (GER)
06/25 - Fusion Festival, Lärz (GER)
06/26 - Beatpol, Dresden (GER)
06/27 - Hafen 2 Open Air Festival, Offenbach (GER)
Icelandic act Benni Hemm Hemm is touring Europe this spring:
05/05 - Bevrijdingsfestival, Groningen (NL)
05/08 - Whelans, Dublin (IRL) w/Kira Kira
05/09 - Crane Lane Theatre, Cork (IRL) w/Kira Kira
06/12 - Le Nouveau Monde, Friburg (CH)
06/13 - B-Sides Festival, Lucerne (CH)
06/14 - Salzhaus, Winterhur (CH)
06/16 - tbc, Vienna (AUS)
06/17 - KFZ, Marburg (GER)
06/20 - tbc, Würzburg (GER)
06/24 - tbc, Berlin (GER)
Watch Icelandic act Benni Hemm Hemm do the live music thing with Handheld Shows: http://handheldshows.blip.tv/file/676891/
Various ArtistsThis charming compilation collects all 17 releases of Morr Music's singles-only sublabel A Number of Small Things. Quite surprisingly, the 36 tracks preserve an almost album-like feel despite their seven-inch-ancestry: True to the label's namesake (a song off Múm's debut album) the generally excellent contributions oscillate between finely-crafted indie-pop, IDM, and electronica. Between other big names (like Markus Acher of The Notwist, Valerie Trebeljahr of Lali Puna or Simon Scott of Slowdive), Scandinavian highlights include Seabear covering The Undertones' "Teenage kicks" and, most of all, Benni Hemm Hemm's stripped-down collaboration with Jens Lekman on "Aldrei". All in all, this CD or any of the corresponding seven-inches could make for a great musical present this year - trust me, I've tried it before.
- Arnulf Köhncke
SeabearI've begun to lose all faith in people who proclaim that there's nothing happening musically these days. So far this year, I've completely fallen in love with CS Nielsen, Aerial, Immanu El, the new Shout Out Louds, amongst numerous other releases - and this is limiting myself to Scandinavian bands. Seabear are now firmly in the running for the best effort of 2007 with their wonderful "The ghost that carried us away". Just as many were wondering if Sigur Rós would be the defining watermark of Icelandic music for the foreseeable future, especially given the lukewarm reception to Benni Hemm Hemm's most recent work, Seabear powerfully demonstrate that there is life outside of Sigur Rós and Björk, and that Icelanders have just as much control over warm, acoustic numbers just as powerfully as arctic, sweeping efforts. "I sing I swim" is by far the best number on the record, and amongst the best songs I've heard this year. "Lost watch" displays that Seabear's talents aren't merely limited to the warm and present, but also to detached and ambling explorations. Overall, "The ghost that carried us away" is more than ample evidence that the contemporary music scene is far from stagnant or inadequate, and that Icelanders don't need to play electric guitars with bows or have a voice as powerful as an avalanche to create exceptional pieces of music. It's an exceptional album, and worth parting yourself from a few dollars to own.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
