In a press release for the new album by Sin Fang (formerly known as Sin Fang Bous), Morr Music touts him as "Iceland's new king of lo-fi layered lushness," which is odd: How does this pass, in our haze-besotted indie climate, as lo-fi? Summer Echoes is definitely layered and lush, with electronic filigree laid atop orchestrated psychedelia laid atop acoustic indie-folk. But the sound separation is generally pristine, contrasting timbres are clearly proportioned, and stereo space is carefully managed. It was recorded with a band that included members of Múm and Seabear, in Sin Fang's own studio and in Sigur Rós' Sundlaugin.
Maybe the lo-fi label is just hanging on from Sindri Már Sigfússon's debut record as Sin Fang Bous, Clangour, where he played every instrumental part, so that it felt more like his early days as Seabear, before it too swelled into a full band. It seems as if he'd like to be a spontaneous bedroom musician, but is actually more professional by inclination. Morr also reports that Sigfússon tends to make music on a meticulous 9-to-5 schedule, and it shows in this polished, richly detailed, but somewhat workmanlike album. It's consistently easy to admire and, occasionally, be wowed by. It's harder to go crazy for, which is mostly because of the singing.
Sigfússon's voice describes the right pitches, but that's about all-- it's kind of blank. The lack of affect works well when the melodies have a lot of character, as on the nimbly rising and dipping "Bruises", or the gently skipping "Fall Down Slow". Elsewhere, like on "Rituals", the vocal lines can feel a bit directionless, which Sigfússon's voice isn't atmospheric enough to compensate for. If you prefer more expressive singing, this probably isn't for you. But the great thing about music below the virtuoso level is hearing people find ways to work with what they've got, and for Sigfússon to place so much emphasis on the environment around his voice is a smart move. He shines in the studio, buttressing his songs with hairpin turns and enlivening ornaments without getting too baggy and bloated.
There are two types of embellishments that Sigfússon emphasizes on this record. At times, it recalls Fool's Gold's excellent 2009 album, with bright, fluid highlife-derived electric guitars (e.g. "Easier" and "Slowlights"). A number of other songs, especially in the back half, explore a Castanets-like beat-folk, with rubbery electronic bass and syncopated clicks and claps, most productively on "Sing From Dream", a Baths-like concoction of twee electronica and mulched hip-hop. But Sin Fang folds in plenty of ear-bending texture from outside of these dominant modes, and hardly any dynamic moment in the many-jointed songs goes without a backmasked synthesizer or harp sweep to drive it home. This is exceptionally thought-through music, which makes it lively at the microscopic level but a bit remote overall.
