Jóhann Jóhannsson Englabörn by: Justin Pearsall Tue:13-Nov-07 Label: Touch/4AD Year: 2002/2007 WB rating 85 out of 100

Perhaps more than any other musical tag, ambient/minimalism tells all; the low-action approach of the music as polarising as the doom ‘n’ gloom of heavy metal or the twang of country. While for the untrained (or uninterested) ear there may be little separating the cream of this ambient community from the noodlings of any half-wit with a decent synthesiser, the realities of the genre – the interplay of tension and resolution, the creation and suspense of mood – are much more obvious.

Englabörn, a re-issue of Johann Johannsson’s 2002 debut album, is recovered proof of the skill required to succeed in this genre, a document to how these typically slight soundscapes can be so emotionally engaging. Characteristic of all of Johannsson’s work, the record is one of grace and subtly, the sixteen sections of music playing out with the beauty and precision of a classical piece – originally the tracks were penned for an Icelandic play, this soundtrack-like status premeditated and obvious.

Like compatriots Sigur Ros, but without the explosive crescendos, Johannsson’s music creates settings in the listener’s mind, enveloping the album in a warmth that ensures continuity, the songs seamlessly joining in sound collage. Constructed upon string quartet, piano, organ, glockenspiel and percussion, the acoustic centre of the record is tempered with slight electronic manipulation. Where the tag of electro-indie sees much of these instruments’ natural sound twisted into near unrecognisable forms, Johannsson uses electronic backgrounds to underpin the swirl of real instruments. This decision makes his music all the more human, reducing any concern about the lack of vocals.

As with all of Johannsson’s music, the key to the appreciation of Englabörn lies within the album itself and the songwriter’s motivation: “The play is extremely violent and disturbing and basically when faced with the script, I decided to work against it as much as possible and just try to make the most beautiful music I could”. In this aim Johannsson has thoroughly succeeded, the songs tinged with melancholy that spills over into swirls of strings and organs.

Looking back at the re-issue the album also predicts much of Johannsson’s future work, the computerised, decoder vocals of the record’s bookends ‘Odi Et Amo’ and ‘Odi Et Amo-Bis’ prophesising the manipulated voices and instrumentation that featured so heavily in last year’s IBM 1401: A User’s Manual – an album created with a centrepiece of vintage reel-to-reel recordings of an IBM 1401 mainframe computer.

The only criticism that can be levelled against Englabörn is the genre-specific argument that there is little variation housed within it. In truth, the key to the record’s soundtrack-like ability to move as a fully constituted body of work requires this, and upon closer inspection the subtleties and tension of the record become more fully realised – a characteristic of most great and long lasting records. For those who are converts to the ambient/minimalist genre or those that are fans of instrumental music, Englabörn is a must have.