Review Summary: An intentionally subdued masterpiece.
JFDR’s sophomore album
New Dreams is an album built on the most solid of foundations, but adds to the structural integrity of that foundation with incredibly intentional flourishes. A first cursory listen reveals a subdued, well-composed, immersive folk-leaning experience, heavy on piano and whispered vocals. It’s the type of album that is served well through sensory deprivation. Put in your headphones, turn out the lights, and just listen. And then continue to listen and notice each of the details you didn’t notice before. The electronic influences that are ever-present beneath the surface and have an obvious shared influence with fellow Icelander Bjork. JFDR’s creative brandishings rarely break through the surface though, making them all the more special when they do. “Juno” builds to a crescendoed climax that, comparative to some of JFDR’s other raucous contemporaries, is not much of a crescendo nor a climax, but hits all the harder in the context of an album that is intentional in every step. Every song shines because they are a cohesive whole, with details that pop out and don’t take the spotlight, but more a slight increase of a dimmer effect, and then fade to the background as quickly as they appeared. “My Work” is a perfect example of intentional, controlled chaos that needs intent focus to notice, as each individual piece melts together seamlessly.
The hushed, breathy, nearly whispered vocals, are also a trait shared by many of JFDR’s contemporaries, but with JFDR there is still a forcefulness and commanding presence that feels as though it should be beyond Jófr*ður Ákadóttir’s twenty-five years, a presence that grabs the listener and does not loosen that vice grip. Both the sound and lyrics convey a balance between vulnerability and confidence, a tightrope walk that is never perfectly balanced. She picks the perfect times to add a quiver here, a sense of vibrato there, layered vocals, harsh r’s, a second of falsetto, and many other nuances that mean the vocals never lull the listener, but instead envelope them, welcoming them into an atmosphere that is equally warm and cold. She has a knack for a melody as well. While there are not many traditional choruses to find, the vocal lines are enticing and unique, often asynchronistic, but never inaccessible. Opener “Care For You” and “Falls (No Wonder)” are the clearest indicator of this talent. The wonder of
New Dreams is its ability to trick us into thinking it’s a simple album, while really every single piece has been so clearly, beautifully, and perfectly orchestrated and executed.
