The much-awaited follow-up to debut single Song For The Fields, released
earlier this year, delivers four tracks of psychedelic-tinged pop excellence
from the UK/Icelandic five-piece described by the NME as a "rustic Arcade
Fire". The 4 From The Village EP picks up where the single left off,
combining angular guitars with summery pop harmonies reminiscent of the
Dream Academy.
Lead track Brittlesticks was produced by Jim Abiss, who has worked with
the Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian, while Dan Gretch (Scissor Sisters) did the honours on two of the others Heretic and Isabel
resulting in a sound somewhere between the Beatles at their most
psychedelic and a warm, oceany West Coast surf pop if it was produced in
an English farmhouse (or, as they describe it, the "Old English
Countryside") rather than an LA studio.
Heretic in particular offers a
trancey trip-out swirls over a great bassline before building to a speedy
crescendo, and Isabel continues the trend before Roll Down That Hill does
just that, winding everything up gently with comforting tides of harmony and
the kind of vocals that Sigur Ros are carefully ensuring are about to
take over the world.
