Bury The Moon

Album review

Since 2014’s poignant In The Silence (a Qobuzissime album!), Ásgeir Trautsi Einarsson has championed a soft and dreamlike version of folktronica. The Icelandic songwriter who grew up in the wild nature of Laugarbakki amongst a family of musicians walks in the footsteps of Bon Iver, his weightless falsetto immediately making you think of Justin Vernon’s. In 2017, with Afterglow, his universe shifted slightly towards pop, and sometimes soul… Three years later, Ásgeir’s demeanour has become rather more serious, but just as airy. Released at the start of 2020, Bury the Moon was born following an unhappy love affair and the need for an escape, hence the isolation in a little house in the countryside, alone with his guitar. “I wanted to make a simple album that didn’t process too much or think too much. It would just be what the songs were and nothing more than that.” Mission accomplished. Written with his father Einar Georg Einarsson, a famous poet in Iceland, the album touches on nostalgia, love and obviously his native Iceland, which is still a source of inspiration for him. Bury The Moon’s power comes from the way it renders this material vibrant like never before. Appearances can be misleading, and a hasty listen through of the album could lead you to believe that it has no depth to it, but it is quite the opposite! Ásgeir also reminds us that he is a true craftsman of refined melodies and supremely catchy choruses. © Max Dembo/Qobuz