Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss
Rating
RIYL
Godspeed You! Black EmperorExplosions in the Sky
Sigur Ros
Ef
Tracklist
1. Dash And Blast2. We Flood Empty Lakes
3. A Song For Starlit Beaches
4. Illuminate My Heart, My Darling!
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Hope.
Hope is the one thing that everyone carries in their heart. Hope for the wellness of their loved ones. Hope for a brighter tomorrow. Hope that fate will be kind to them. In a genre many call stale and uninspired, Yndi Halda brings forth hope of rebirth.
Yndi Halda, which translates to “enjoy eternal bliss” in Icelandic, was first introduced to the world in 2005 when they self-released their 3-song EP Enjoy Eternal Bliss and landed the number two spot on Decoy Music’s top 50 instrumental albums of 2005 and was awarded the “Release of the Month” of December of that same year. They then re-released the EP as a full length with one extra track in Japan and began to receive much acclaim from post-rock fans across the globe. However, it wasn’t until 2007 when Enjoy Eternal Bliss was officially released in the US and UK. Nevertheless, over the course of almost 2 years, Yndi Halda has managed to catapult themselves to the top of the post-rock food chain. Not bad for a band who has only recorded 4 songs in their tenure and whose members just barely eclipse the 20 year old mark.
Yndi Halda’s Enjoy Eternal Bliss is a stunning 4 track album which clocks in at 65 minutes without a tedious or unnecessary minute going by. The album kicks off with the first track “Dash and Blast” which begins with a series of ambient guitar swells that fluctuate like a sine wave only to burst into the full band playing when the guitar lulls made you feel most secure. The song then turns into a slow-churning, violin-led piece with twinkly guitars that slowly pick up speed and burst into a wall of heavy reverb and drums with the guitars and violin intertwining beautifully. About halfway into the song the wall collapses into a light passage where the drums and guitars play together like little children in a park. The guitars slowly pick up speed and come to a full stop. The drums then burst into a forward march and the wall is slowly reassembled and the boys chime in with songs of jubilee.
The second track, “We Flood Empty Lakes”, which is the shortest on the record clocking in at just less than 12 minutes, starts off with an orgy of haunting strings. The rest of the band members slowly chime in with their instruments and the song proceeds similarly to “Dash and Blast” only to storm into a beautiful crescendo that is surpassed by only a few other bands. The storm then subsides only to leave us with a slight shower. The rain drops fall and the drums periodically tap, leaving you with flashbacks of your childhood; sitting up against a window, watching the rain fall down and tapping the blind chord against the window with hopes that the sun will come out so you can go outside and play. The violin picks up pace. The drums march. The glockenspiel plays joyfully. The music bursts into a crescendo more beautiful than the first. The sun has come out.
“A Song for Starlit Beaches” is the third track on Enjoy Eternal Bliss and is the only track that was recorded after the original release of the EP, and the differences between this song and the other three are quite noticeable. This song starts off with a gloomy interplay between violin and banjo and then slowly builds, but unlike their previous material there is no early wall of noise. Instead we are treated to a pretty, yet haunting, piano passage. The music then slowly picks up pace and the violin begins screeching, but again we are only teased and the piano interlude returns. Beautiful violins come into play once more and the building process continues for a third try and it isn’t until the 12 and a half minute mark where we hit our beautiful crescendo. The music then halts and some of the most gorgeous violin play ever comes in. After the violin segue we are re-introduced to twinkly guitars and somewhat undecipherable vocals. The guitars and a banjo then swell and a violin slowly comes into the picture. The guitar and violin both screech together for a mini crescendo to close off the song beautifully. For some people this track may be too exhaustive, but I actually find it to possibly be the best on the record.
The final track “Illuminate My Heart, My Darling!” is a fan favorite and rightfully so. The song starts off with a gentle repetitive guitar passage and is quickly accompanied by a violin, then another guitar reminiscent of Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s “Dead Flag Blues”, and finally the drums. The violin then takes the lead and the band storms forth for a teasing wall of sound before even eclipsing the 4 minute mark. The mini crescendo is followed by a haunting violin and a really smooth drum beat that slowly converts into a forward march that leads us towards the real wall of noise where the drums devastate and the guitars are larger than life. Like the first two tracks, after the first massive crescendo we have a slow churning segue of twinkly guitars that lead us towards a bursting violin where the two work together, along with the drums, to build forth toward another massive crescendo that concludes the album perfectly and has you demanding to enjoy eternal bliss by listening to Yndi Halda forever.
As you can probably tell, Enjoy Eternal Bliss is not the most inventive or original album. The songs are straightforward and follow the traditional “tension and release” method that is prominent among post-rockers. However, the execution of the album is near perfect and this is undoubtedly the most beautiful record to be released in quite a while. Also, what separates them from most bands of the genre and eliminates all possible GY!BE comparisons, is hope. Every song on Enjoy Eternal Bliss is triumphant and ends in jubilee, unlike most GY!BE songs which are depressing and pessimistic. It is this hope instilled in Yndi Halda that makes them so special and transcends through their music, bringing forth hope to all of post-rock.
--Armand Babian
Comments
AZ
love this album. I was lucky enough to get one of the original 3-song releases and it's the greatest DIY-homemade album I've ever received. made w/ cardboard, cutouts, buttons and photos. really cool, and apparently they are unique like snowflakes.
www.myspace.com/arcoftheaurora
Los Angeles
they are. you're very lucky.
their original EP only had 300 pressings, each with it's own unique handmade cover and art work. so there are 300 different versions of that EP floating around.
postrockpaperscissors
The choir at the end of "Dash And Blast" is tear-inducing.
PA
Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)
Anytown USA
You play to win the game.
Los Angeles
if you read the review... pshh
postrockpaperscissors
lancaster pa
Olathe, Kansas