Moddi – Floriography (Propeller)
4/5
By: Chris Jones
Floriography is the debut album from Norwegian songwriter Moddi (Pål Moddi Knutsen) released on Propeller Recordings. His music has been compared to that of Björk, which is praise indeed for a young musician reportedly discovered almost by accident. One of his bedroom demos, never intended for record company ears, fell into the skilful hands of Valgeir Sigursson, a producer who has worked with artists as diverse as the aforementioned Icelandic songstress and Kate Nash amongst many others. Sigursson subsequently invited Moddi to record an album in Iceland, and the fruit of this fortunate tale is Floriography.
The opener ‘Rubbles’ is a tense accordion led track that mounts to an enormous crescendo that explodes as the last verse is screamed out of crackling lungs before Moddi’s voice falls sharply into sedation, ending with the haunting plea of “give me peace, give me peace.” Elsewhere, ‘Magpie Eggs’ features tender lamentations and pained strings that colour the song with a sense of sorrow. It flows into the more serene ‘Ardennes’ which uses a lot of physical description of humans and nature, sung in an off-tonal almost-awkward way, the lyrics “As I try peeling it strikes me, (‘cause still some things come from within), the feeling of being human, from wearing animal skin”, these invocative and delicately ambiguous lyrics prove those Björk comparisons to be apt, as is the case on the rasping ‘Stuck in the Waltz’ which really displays Moddi’s powerful and unusual voice.
‘A Sense of Grey’ is a wailing requiem teeming with epic strings; powerful violin lead adorned with the intricate picking of the guitar. Moddi chastises a partner, presumably, singing “Don’t ask if you don’t wanna know...and don’t rise if you don’t plan to go” the heart with which the words arrive is touching, he goes on “don’t jump when you know you can’t fly, at least you don’t seem to have wings, that can bring your head higher than mine, I have my plane to settle in.” Like many here, it’s a song focused on the potential angst inherent in love.
As ‘A Sense of Grey’ among others makes clear, Moddi’s talent as a wordsmith and songwriter is crucial facet of his music. The chap is clearly talented with a biro in his hand, able to draw on a range of experiences and range of deliveries with which to project them. The last track ‘Krokstav-emne’ is reminiscent of Sigur Rós, not only for it’s being in Scandinavian tongue but for the gentleness with which it’s sung.
The whole album is a strongly coherent piece of work, each song sounding like it belongs in the order it has been placed. There are standout moments, rather than tracks in my eyes; the first climax of the album on ‘Rubbles’ sets the tone for what is to come, the intro to ‘Ardennes’ soft and gentle and in ‘Poetry’ his voice acts as the lead instrument.
Moddi develops a world in Floriography which gently ushers you away from time, or how you usually perceive it, and commands your attention with soft melodies, building orchestral towers of strings that the longing and sincerity of his voice twist around, while acoustic guitars mix with electronic sounds and scatterings of accordion. It is a truly unusual sound, something emotive and all encompassing, unbelievably epic for a debut album. I’ve spent hours of my life with Floriography, and I’ll gladly spend many more.
Artists in this article: Moddi
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