eMusic Review 0
Sounding like a long-lost Sarah Records release, Dýrðin's self-titled record debuted 2006, more than a decade after Sarah shut its doors. The bright and jangly bubblegum pop songs are reminiscent of Heavenly and Tullycraft at their most irrepressible, though the lyrics tend more toward the fantastic than the fantastically self-aware: there's a tale about a trampolining grandfather ("Hvert í Hoppandi"), a warning about the dangers of dating aliens ("Brottnumin"), and a love song to a Star Trek character ("Mr. Spock"), most of them sung in the band's native Icelandic by Hafdis Hreiðarsdóttir.
The frenetic pace of the songs keeps all but two of them under the three-minute mark. Much of the record has a consistent, uniform sound, and the exuberance of Hreiðarsdóttir's vocals makes the nine Icelandic and two English songs blend together easily. The only shortcoming of this twee gem may be that the songs often feel so similar that it's hard to identify one or two standouts. Nevertheless, Dýrðin has created a summery, infectious record, a welcome addition to any indie-pop fan's collection.
