II is the second album by the award-winning Kiasmos, a duo that consists of electronic music producer Janus Rasmussen and composer Ólafur Arnalds. Together, the collaboration has made some of the most brilliant, emotively minimal house and techno music of the last decade, sounding similar to the likes of Aphex Twin and deadmau5’s early work.
Considering the fact that there has been a 10-year gap between this new LP and Kiasmos’s last, I can’t help but feel disappointed that this was all they could offer fans for the sequel to their near-perfect 2014 debut. Practically every track is mediocre in comparison, with creativity being replaced with an unwanted void of mindless, unoriginal pop. Everything that is actually noteworthy on this album are just elements that have been copied and pasted from their last, such as the beautiful textures that Kiasmos are historically so good at forming. It is a shame that the duo has not progressed in their sound since a decade ago.
The record is also pretty repetitive, particularly towards the middle-section. This often results in a boring listening-experience, although sometimes the instrumental elements do take the occasional turn in an interesting direction, for example on ‘Burst’, where the synths start to become more intense near the track’s outro. However, this is a pattern that does not occur very regularly.
Other tracks such as ‘Flown’ and ‘Dazed’ highlight how this LP has not brought anything to the table that we haven’t already heard before in house music. Maybe it would make for some great background music, as there is very little to appreciate the detail of here, although I somehow doubt that Kiasmos has set the bar this low deliberately.
Overall, II is a depressing follow-up to the duo’s last album, with really nothing too special to showcase. Whilst the ethereal elements of their sound remain intact, this record feels like it is trying way too hard to be clever and witty. The idea to introduce pop elements into their music was not ideal either, as it is the primary reason as to why each track feels so bare boned. This was really not worth the decade-long wait.
Kiasmos: II – Out 5th July 2024 (Erased Tapes)
Kiasmos – Sailed (Official Music Video) (youtube.com)
