Ásgeir: In the Silence

Discovering Ásgeir was one of the best things to happen to me this week; then I got given his album to review. Already becoming the fastest-selling debut album in Iceland by a domestic artist, Ásgeir is now ready to show Australia his “Folktronica” sound inspired by the likes of Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, Alt-J and James Blake in his English language version of Dyrd i Daudathogn (In the Silence).
It is difficult to go wrong with this album as it has such a wide audience appeal; going from one track having a brass section and a soft finger-picked guitar and the next track a synth and electric beat. With an almost identical style to Bon Iver, the 20-year-old has struck gold in this release. Most tracks written about his 72-year-old father Ásgeir takes us on a emotional lyrical journey, with haunting harmonies and mellow riffs.
With many standout tracks, ‘Torrent’, which almost feels looped, is the biggest diamond in the jewellery store that is In the Silence, with a bit more power and freshness to that of his Bon Iver stylings and should be a track to watch for in the triple j Hottest 100 for 2015. Another killer track is the title track itself ‘In the Silence’, that is almost indescribable in its perfectness, similar to the stylings of Mumford & Sons and fellow Icelandic superstars, Of Monsters and Men.
With five bonus tracks added making it a 15 track album, In the Silence is a must have album in 2014.
Release: out now via Pod
Written by Oliver Friend