07 10

Dad Rocks! Year Of The Flesh Father Figure

08.10.14

The follow-up to debut Mount Modern from Denmark-based Icelander Snævar Njall Albertsson sees the singer-songwriter embark on a familiar path, one that runs, skips and hops around landscapes rich in texture and luscious in colour. Yet while the musical backing may appear mostly joyous, delve further and there’s an overhanging lyrical theme of sorrow and despair hidden in amongst the albums 10 tracks.

With songs such as Body Mass Index – a heartfelt narrative about eating disorders – to others that outline the benefits of file sharing, the subject matters on show here often swerve away from the common themes that litter the work of Albertsson’s contemporaries.

Melodically rich and highly textured, these orchestral folk-pop songs often mines the same cavernous depths as Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard; in fact, those yearning for the Gibbard’s work would be foolish not to investigate. And though Year Of The Flesh doesn’t change the musical landscape, it eagerly explores the terrain slightly off the beaten path, which is more than enough to amount to an intriguing second record, especially when there’s little wrong with the core grounding in the first place.

Dad Rocks! may have a name that wouldn’t sound out of place on CBeebies, but thankfully the music has ample substance amidst the playfulness.