Benni Hemm Hemm
Retaliate
Kimi
Proving 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
