Pascal Pinon
s/t
Morr Music
It's an exciting thing to witness a band's inception. While Pascal Pinon's self-titled debut album is far from perfect, it crackles with a rare, unfiltered emotional honesty -- the heart of their sweet, simple songs rising above lo-fi recordings and elementary musical knowledge.
Not unlike reading a teenage girl's diary (which this might be, given that founding twin sisters Jófríður and Ásthildur and their friends Halla and Kristin were only 14 at the time of the recording), the album drips with simple, deeply felt emotion, with lyrics delivered in both English and Icelandic. "You should listen to it, and the words that I say, it's all terrible shit, and least I know that today," the girls sing in unison in "I wrote a song". While the line hints at the promise of future cynicism to come, for now, the girls seem at peace with guitar strums, shaking bells, and recorder choirs. Pascal Pinon may have better music in their future as both technical proficiency and life experiences grow, but never again will they make anything this beautifully honest and real.
- Laura Studarus
