Icelandic band Mammút, release their new album Kinder Versions, Mammút is Icelandic for ‘mammoth’ – the name that singer Katrína Mogensen “plucked out of the air” when she joined guitarists Alexandra Baldursdóttir and Arnar Pétursson, bassist Ása Dýradóttir and drummer Andri Bjartur Jakobsson for their stage debut, aged just 14. Katrína is the daughter of bassist Birgir Mogensen, a former bandmate of Björk back when they were young post-punk adventurers; a questing spirit that Mammút have also unconsciously adopted, though without ever really discussing what kind of music they play...

Katrina Mogensen does a passable Björk impression. The fact that the band also hails from Iceland and Katrina's father was a former bandmate of Björk just adds to the weirdness.

The album contains 9 songs (42 min, 39 sec) and is certainly one that grows on you over time. Personally, I didn't really enjoy it as I did Björk to death as a student and while I loved her music back then, for some unfathomable reason I can't stand it now.

If it weren't for the fact that Björk was constantly on my mind when listening to this, it might have been an enjoyable album. As it is, it's a rather distracting memory of music that was in fashion, very briefly, in the '90s. In fact, I don't think it's unfair to say that you could be forgiven for thinking this is an unreleased '90s Björk album. I know this review has mainly been about what the album isn't... but the similarities are too big not to focus on.

6

Nick Smithson