M-Band

Oh Iceland, you rarely let us down. Though this current export is an ex-pat – Hörður Már Bjarnason currently lives in Berlin – he’s the latest artist to garner hushed tones among the talent spotters at his home country’s revered Airwaves festival. He drops his debut full- length Haust this month, and it’s a striking piece of work. The opening 1-2 of Launch and Never Ending Never sets out its stall as a contrary, loveable collection, the former a sonorous piano pattern, the latter a Jon Hopkins-esque emotional techno workout which blossoms via Bjarnason’s unmistakeable falsetto. At points coming off like Wild Beasts’ Hayden Thorpe swooning over a Planet Mu skitter, the record darts between stout kick drums, glitchy shuffles, murky trip-hop and widescreen ambience, at once balmy and chilling, generous and vulnerable. He launches the album with a first UK show at the The Stillery on 27 November, so you don’t have to take our feeble word for it.