This CD features two brief pieces by Icelandic composer, instrumentalist, and producer
Jóhann Jóhannsson. The Sun's Gone Dim and the Sky's Turned Black has much in common with
Gavin Bryars' Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet -- a sampled vocal fragment played in a loop over (and eventually under) an accompaniment that builds in intensity from the simplest chords to a wrenchingly emotional climax. The critical difference is that
Bryars takes over an hour to gradually introduce the changes tha tinexorably lead to its culmination, while
Jóhannsson's piece lasts less than six minutes. The lovely vocal solo is swamped by the overwrought orchestral, choral, and electronic accompaniment long before it's had time to establish itself. Had the piece been extended to many times its current length, it might have succeeded as a derivative but engaging development of
Bryars' concept, but the effect is one of way too much happening way too suddenly. The Passacaglia similarly begins promisingly, and deftly incorporates the melody from The Sun's Gone Dim, but its relentlessly loud and clunky counterpoint soon wears thin. As with the previous piece, a striking idea is sabotaged by the clumsiness of its development.