Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Ævintýr” by Sóley from the forthcoming album Ask the Deep, out May 12, on Morr Music.
Sóley - Ævintýr (MP3)
It takes a special talent to turn a morbid or frightening idea into sublime sensation. If it were a craft, Icelandic singer-songwriter Sóley would be its master practitioner. The dark fantasy of her 2011 debut LP, We Sink, read like a Burton-esque chapter book with song titles like "About Your Funeral", "Kill the Clown" and "Smashed Birds", while its reverb drenched melodies and breathy vocals whirled and swayed like curling clouds in an opium dream. On in, Sóley's songs, wistful and melancholy, but never morose, glimmered alluringly from the shadows.
But fans have had to wait four years for her next collection of tales to take shape, and finally, on May 12, their desires will be answered with Ask The Deep. If the first single is any indication, the forthcoming full-length takes up where the story left off. "Ævintýr", or "Adventure", takes flight from the true story of a Brazilian man buried alive by his attackers. The song's hypnotic beat, swirling keys and chorused vocals transform what might be a horrific moment into a glorious adventure where the concept that "you must face your fairytale" holds magical and empowering results.
Sóley is about to embark on an adventure of her own as she travels through Japan and Europe over the next two months. As of yet, there are no US dates, but we're hoping she'll return to Seattle soon enough. For now, head over to her Facebook page, where you can find more music, including her second single from Ask The Deep, "Follow Me Down" (You're picking up a theme, right?), and check out her performance of "Ævintýr" during KEXP's broadcast during Iceland Airwaves last year:
Whether it's their surroundings, the air, the water, the isolation or a communal appreciation of the arts, something has given Icelanders a lock on creating otherworldly sonic landscapes. Sigur Rós and Björk are of course the most famous of them, but if you've been listening to KEXP's broadcasts fr…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midd…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midd…
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