Murta St. Calunga

Chronique

Easygoing indie rock of all jangle-friendly stripes, like any other generally defined genre, is less formal codification and more a palette to play with. Iceland's Benni Hemm Hemm know this by default, so if the combination of horn and percussive arrangements and general steady chug on Murta St. Calunga, the band's third album, is almost to be expected these days, then at least the group knows what goes over well. Lead figure Benedikt H. Hermannsson has gone a now familiar enough route to recruit a full ensemble to perform his compositions, and the inevitable comparisons just have to be taken as part of the goal when it comes to songs like "Avían Í Afghanistan" and "Riotmand," with everything from vibes to banjo taking a turn. Hermannsson's voice is pleasant enough, as are the songs, but little leaps out as striking -- one is almost left thinking about Wes Anderson film montages. Arguably the best numbers are instrumental, with "Lokalagið" being a standout. Perhaps indicative of everything is the song "Whaling in the North Atlantic," which has the horns, the anthemic charge, and words that pretty much only consist of the title. Somehow not much more needs to be done, for better or for worse.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo