More about: Kaktus Einarsson

During his tenure as frontman of Icelandic post-punk revivalists Fufanu, Kaktus Einarsson established himself as an artist content to reside within a decade-spanning lineage of snappish sonic shamans all-too-ready to deal in the darker truths of the human condition. Though by no means innovators within their field, the Reykjavik trio executed their preferred vision of jumpy, anxious electronica-tinged darkwave with sufficient style to impress audiences both within their homeland and overseas. It's perhaps something of a surprise, therefore, that Einarsson has opted to enact such an absolute creative reset with the appearance of his solo debut, the newly-released Kick The Ladder.

Awash, as it is, with warm synth-pads and softly-spoken vocal lines, it's an album which seeks to recontextualise its author's position in the field of contemporary Icelandic indie. If not entirely absent of the morose themes so vital to his past work, Kick The Ladder does at least present its harder-nosed attributes through the prism of mid-'80s goth-tinged melancholia, rather than the stentorian soundscapes of the '70s art-punk innovators who so palpably influenced his primary project.

If, therefore, Einarsson remains a figure best understood in the context of the bands who were influential upon him, Kick The Ladder is certainly a record which displays no reservation in pulling the rug out from under the feet of those anticipating an expansion of the sound its author had indulged with Fufanu. Truthfully, there's little here that hits with the full-force impact of the latter's most visceral work; but that cooling of passions brings with it a definite investment in the minutia of finessed, unabashedly melodic synthesised audio - one which presents the attentive listener with much to enjoy. With a tonal palette halfway between the infectious synth-pop of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark and the husky tonality of smoothly understated neo-soul, Einarsson's solo debut is a record which manages to establish a distinct tonal identity in spite of its evident reference points.

Released via Einarsson's long-term collaborators One Little Independent, the UK label show little sign of struggling to produce a physical release of Kick The Ladder whose quality control might match the attention to detail heard in the music itself. That, of course, should be of little surprise; having been an active player in Britain's independent music scene for decades now, the label have a plentiful well of prior experience to draw upon in producing an impressive vinyl release for any and all of their titles.

Reflective of that, Kick The Ladder appears on shelves as a stout, handsome slab of heavyweight orange wax, pressed with an evident care which results in clean audio throughout both sides. Indeed, even careful appraisal of our copy yielded scarcely an audible crackle anywhere across the album - an impressive achievement, considering how many contemporary vinyl releases suffer from a degree of egregious surface noise which typically comes about as a result of over-burdened pressing plants and over-worked staff. None of the typical signs of such working conditions are present in the case of this particular release, though; the audio itself is impressive, with a clear soundstage that boasts strong instrumental separation and a crisp lower-end which does full justice to the album's fulsome synthesised bass squelches. In the case of our example, the LP also sits flat upon the platter, being free of the visible warpage which all-too-often occurs on contemporary vinyl pressings; again, as a result - more often than not - of pressing plants being unable (or at least unwilling) to allow each freshly-pressed LP to cool-off before being packaged.

The important thing, though, is that none of these potential pitfalls are seen in the case of Kick The Ladder - a fact which makes acquisition of the album on vinyl an easy recommendation for those taken in by its coolly understated musical atmospherics. But, of course, the motivations for opting to acquire an album through physical rather than digital means tend to go beyond a matter of audio alone - there's also the presentation to consider. Evidently aware of this, Einarsson and One Little Independent have certainly attempted to capture the wandering eyes of the prospective shopper with this release's stylistic presentation.

Adorned with fluorescent cover art - wrought in hot pinks, rich yellows and mellow blues - the album's packaging accommodates for the lack of a gatefold sleeve by virtue of its punchy, distinctive art direction. A barcode is printed directly onto the back cover; ideally, we'd have preferred to have seen this attached to the shrinkwrap as a sticker instead but ultimately that's a minor complaint at most. What's more important is the fact that the cover itself feels sturdy in hand and that the LP is found in an attractive lyric inner sleeve, manufactured from cardstock which seems on-par with that of the main cover itself.

Ultimately, then, it's immediately evident that One Little Independent have put a lot of effort into Kick The Ladder's presentation - a fact which seems entirely fitting, considering the excellent standards to which the LP itself has been manufactured. Indeed, it's a well-pressed record with direct mastering and, much as the music itself might represent an unexpected left turn from its author, it nevertheless sets Einarsson out as one of the more mutable figures within his country's independent scene.

BUY KICK THE LADDER ON VINYL.

More about: Kaktus Einarsson