Årabrot – Of Darkness and Light
Release Date: 13th October 2023
Label: Pelagic Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Noise Rock, Post-Rock, Alt Rock, Psychedelic.
FFO: Nick Cave and the Band Seeds, QOTSA, Grinderman.
Review By: John Newlands
Årabrot, if you have never heard of them before, are a “noise rock” band first formed in 2001. They have went through various iterations, with band members cycling in and out of the band, but at the core there has always been Kjetil Nernes on vocals and guitar.
The current iteration is mainly Nernes and his wife, Karin Park (a musician in her own right out with Årabrot). They craft the songs together in their home, a decommissioned church conversion in Djura, Sweden. This is the first Årabrot album also recoded in the church. The rhythm section on this release is Alex Macarte (GNOD) on bass and Joakim Johansen on drums.
I first got into the band around 2013 and their self titled album Årabrot. Being a big Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fan, I instantly drew a line between the heavier side of Nick Cave, the Birthday Party, Grinderman and Årabrot. Yes, there is the “noise rock” association, but for me its much more than that. Nick and Kjetil share the ability to craft grand poetic lyrics which draw the listener into a dark and macabre world which is at times brutal and yet also beautiful. They are also both masters of the melody, with an uncanny ability to write hooks and riffs that draw the listener in and find a place in your brain for days afterwards. I’ve found myself humming the melodies and the chorus one liners from Of Darkness and Light for the last week or so.
When first spinning Of Darkness and Light I noticed a change in the bands style. Im kind of used to the band mixing up their sound, so this wasn’t too much of a surprise. Nernes never seems too keen to churn out the same album over and over again. Instead, the band always retains a core “feel” but its like looking in a different window of the same house. The same things are going on, but from a different perspective. In this release, Karin Park sits much more prominent in the mix, with her synth work and vocals featuring much more than on previous output.This makes complete sense considering how the couple have become more of a duo than ever before.
My first thought when listening to Of Darkness and Light was that it reminded me of Marylin Manson Mechanical Animals. I bet this would be offensive to the band, so ill try and explain better, this music is NOTHING like Manson! I guess I mean that in the same way that Mechanical Animals became a more electronic sound for MM, the same could be said forthis latest Årabrot output. Another linking would be Queens of the Stone Age, who have also embraced and experimented more with the electronic/ poppier side of their music in later releases.
Additionally, some tracks on Of Darkness and Light gave me flashes of early releases from Glasgow alt-rock legends Aereogramme (A Story InWhite, Sleep and Release), both in guitar sound and riffs but with an added electronic tinge. For this reviewer that is in no way a problem, Areogrammeare another band that I hold very dear to my heart.
So, do I like it? Yea, I do. With each listen I find myself lining it more and more.
Stand out tracks for me on their release were You Cast Long Shadows, We Want Blood, Madnessand Fire. I will say that the last 3 tracks are perhaps the weakest on the album with las track Love Under Will being my least favourite, for me it just didn’t hit the mark as an album closer.
In any case, this is a solid release from Årabrot. I respect that the band never sit still, they are not afraid to try new things and are fully leaning into the thematic dark and weird, cultish world they are propagating within their family home/ church. The stage costumes (the couples wedding clothes) the religious symbology and cult leaning visual output all work together to make the whole package and for us to realise to be in Årabrot is a lifestyle, not just a charade.
(4 / 5)
