"Slow Light" by Ikon
If you were wondering why Il Buono's been a little, well, Il Blank-o lately, it's because I've spent the last ten days on holiday, soaking in the sights of Stockholm and Berlin. Amazing cities, both of them--culturally, historically, and, of course, musically. In addition to eating plenty of potatoes, seeing plenty of amazing contemporary art, seeing plenty of amazing buildings, and learning plenty about twentieth century German history, I also heard plenty of great music, including this song of the day. (Also, because of my absence from the United States I'm a little behind on current music, so Album of the Month and Song of the Month for July won't be up for a few more days. I need time to process.)
Not much is known about Ikon, even in their native Sweden; I suppose they want to let their music speak for itself. And it does for most part, particularly on "Slow Light", the first track on their semi-self-titled debut. (It's called Ikons, with an "s".) True to its name, the track builds slowly, getting bigger and bigger over the course of its eight minutes. It definitely owes much to krautrock, echoing the synth textures of a Klaus Schulze or Popol Vuh while moving forward with a motorik beat and corresponding bassline. But it manages to sound new as well and serves as a good calling card for this promising Swedish group.
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