ALBUM REVIEW: Mjölnir – Cinema Cinema
Mjölnir is the name of the hammer of the thunder god Thor in Norse mythology. Therefore, for their seventh album, it makes sense that CINEMA CINEMA would collaborate with multi-instrumentalist Thor Harris. Recorded at the historic BC Studios in Brooklyn, New York, the band teamed up with producer Martin Bisi for the third time. Having produced 2014’s A Night At The Fights and 2017’s Man Bites Dog, Bisi is more than familiar with the band, and Mjölnir shows what happens when familiarity breeds with experimental music.
The result is something ambient and haunting. Opening song This Dream is a distorted, nightmarish and whimsical piece of music. The vocals mostly consist of a monologue that repeats “This dream / My dream” over and over again. However, it is the music that grabs you by the hand and pulls you along into the dark. Whilst not many instruments are used, it is the definition of quality over quantity. It goes into a deeper tone as the song continues, creating a sense of foreboding.
The album itself could easily be mistaken for the score of any type of film. Whether it is the creepy opening song or the fast-paced War On You, which could easily be a part of a coming-of-age film with its snarling and frustrated lyric delivery, the album has something for every mood.
Each song is also delivered at a different pacing, which is rather daring. It could have created a disjointed sounding album, but thankfully this does not happen to CINEMA CINEMA for the most part. Even the longer songs allow the pacing to not be too slow or too fast. Saying that, the longer songs do have some issues. For example, Zero Sum is an ambitious and ambient song. However, during its almost eight-minute runtime, it does drag a little in the middle, especially as there is not a lot going on in that part of the song apart from a guitar solo.
However, apart from that, the album does a fantastic job of giving the vocals and instruments equal time to showcase their talents. Cleverly enough, the first half of the album seems to focus more on the instruments, whereas the second half focuses more on the vocals, which is a good way of getting the audience invested in both rather than having one aspect overwhelmed by the other or vice versa.
Overall, Mjölnir shows that ambition is worth it. It is a fantastic body of work with its own unique twist. The pacing changes for each of its eight songs, making sure that each track stands out on its own. Although the longer songs can run on a bit, the overall pacing is steady, the vocals and instruments are given their own time to shine, and the experimental nature of the album showcases an ambient but fascinating sound that should be accessible to everyone.
Rating: 8/10
Mjölnir is out now via Nefarious Industries.
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