Within the next few weeks, we will be selecting our albums of 2004. It is shaping up to be a very difficult task with the high number of wonderful albums released (many of which haven’t appeared high up in the UK album charts – surprise, surprise…). I will be obliged to add Gisli to the list of nominations, with a rock album that almost defies description due to its highly original nature. Gisli is a 26-year old Icelander who lives in Norway, and this, his debut album, is so bloody good…

Now usually I have a piece of paper and pen in front of me and try to write about each track. With this extraordinary album I started with all good intentions, but gave up by track 2 because all I wanted to do was listen, and anyway how can you describe the indescribable? Okay, I’ll try…

First track How About That opens conventionally enough with a gently plucked banjo, and a soft vocal with a sort of wandering backing vocal. It then opens out with a jumble of drums and air guitar before going back to ‘quiet’. Add a monster melody, fabulous lyrics, the odd rap moments and you have a sound and vibe unlike any I’ve ever heard. The next song, Straight To Hell, goes even further off the beaten track with the most extraordinary, casual backing vocals and rough/ready guitar riffs. It’s superb with a sound that’s a cross between Grandaddy and Dylan - quite extraordinary! But then it cranks up another gear with Go Get ‘Em Tiger. Here you get a bit of Kurt Cobain vocal thrown in plus some incredible rap, electronic sounds, stonking choruses, clapping, diving guitar riffs, jagged drum rhythm (rhythm?). Fucking amazing…

Then the guy springs another major surprise. Worries is a concise, gently rolling acoustic song with a superb vocal and brilliant lyrics: “If you can tell the future, you worry about the past….if you work in radio, you worry about rock…I guess that’s you with all the worries in the world…” This beautiful song is then joined by another gentle acoustic tune, The Day It All Went Wrong. Lyrically excellent (“I fell in love, I fell apart, I fell on my face in the shower, I tried to dance, You broke my heart, The day it all went wrong…) with a sad, contemplative vibe I was reminded of the occasions when nothing seemed to go right – we’ve all had those days haven’t we… I Don’t Fight then provides a rap song of immense originality, distinct dance beat and charm. A superb melody and an innovative downbeat vibe could translate into one of the charting singles of the year. Then End of My Hopes makes puts the writing skills of people like Chris Martin into some perspective with a song that hits every hot button imaginable.

This is an endearing album, the like of which I haven’t heard before. But it’s also highly accessible and should sell by the truckload with airplay. Diversity and originality best describe an album that has not left my player since I received it a few days ago. I just love this album and only one word can possibly describe it – Brilliant!

5/5