Album Review: Jónsi – First Light
4 min read
Full Disclosure: I didn’t know who Jónsi was a week ago – I picked this album from our editors list to avoid the alternatives available (all of whom will remain nameless)… a lucky dip (of sorts) to avoid other artists. A quick internet search resulted in a euphoric feeling!! I love a lot of Sigur Rós’ tracks – for those as casual a fan as I am (clearly), Jón Þór “Jónsi” Birgisson is the lead vocalist and musician for the Icelandic post-rock icons. First Light (released through Myndstream/Lakeshore Records) is Jónsi’s fourth solo studio album over a fourteen year stretch – Initially conceived as a video game score, Jónsi commented that the album (which is partnered with wellness platform Myndstream) is “imagined […] as a momentary fantastical, over-the-top, utopian world where everyone and everything lives together in everlasting peace and harmony”, and is a musical demonstration of “choosing beauty over disorder, hope over fear, our universal divine angel guardians watching over us and connecting us all as one through love, melody, and music” in a time of manmade global turmoil and unrest… prepare yourself guys, I have a feeling that this is going to be quite the musical journey!!
We begin with Flicker, one of two tracks released to stream in tandem with the press release announcing the album. An overpowering feeling of birdsong and day break is conveyed to the listener in this light synth/orchestra cross which leave you with an amazing sense of invigoration. Hard to follow, but title track First Light does so admirably, building through the track as almost a continuation of the first track, with the synth/orchestral hybrid perfectly depicting sunrise musically. The continuation of the musical score perfectly depicting the song title, Green Meadow has an imperial serene quality, while following track “Clearing” gives a great synth/analogue impression of observing a wide open space as you take in the vastness of it all.
The second of the dual-single releases (in tandem with the aforementioned press release, remember?), Cherry Blossom gives the listener radiant pianos and touches of angelic synth harmonisation that leaves you with a warm glow. To follow, In Plain View continues with those same ethereal harmonisations, which now take more prominence in this short track, while Wishful Thinking uses full strings and piano to really give a great impression of feeling enthused and full of hope. Forest Trill has plenty of birdsong and you can get a sense of wind rushing through the trees, where Undercurrent is a simple but beautiful piano piece with a synth undercurrent, building towards a driving synth beat as the song hits a crescendo.
Willow has more than an essence of Max Richter’s Spring 1, a recomposition of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Spring, about it, though the driving beat that appears halfway through the track really elevates this, whilst subsequent track Stillness is a piano piece, minimal yet very pronounced, heavy key fingering. Moving back to the euphoric elating style from earlier tracks, “Floweret” uses a fantastic mix of synth and analogue beats, almost with the feeling of mimicking a racing heartbeat, and penultimate track “Over the Fence” continues that beat, though less prominently, with a lovely string piece joining in part-way through, both building up the track in a beautiful marriage of sounds – wow! Flutterby finishes off the album – another joyous track, initially giving the impression of being in the midst of a swarm of butterflies, light and plucky, and this use of flute is joined by a beat and strings to create another beautiful song… the break around a third in before the full track drops is a perfect moment in what is my favourite track in an album full of fantastic tracks – a strong ending to a fantastic album.
I don’t know if you can tell, but I loved First Light, if it’s not the best album I’ve reviews to date, it’s undoubtedly in my top three. It’s a perfect blend of Sigur Rós and Jónsi’s collab album Riceboy Sleeps – a resonant yes joyful marriage of synth and analogue orchestral pieces which works to create a euphoric, emotive masterpiece. Best enjoyed in its entirety (IMO) this is an album which seldom drops from being an outstanding piece of music. It blows my mind that this was intended to be a score from a video game… it feels like Jónsi has almost found a cheat code with this one – it’s sure to be a critical hit!
