When I was at school, I remember our English teacher was never happy if you used the word “nice” to describe anything. Well sorry, Mrs. Richards (no, not the Fawlty Towers one), I genuinely can’t think of a better word to accurately convey what Icelandic singer Árný Margrét‘s second album sounds like. It washes over you pleasantly, from the opening strains of the opening, title track, right through to the introspective final number, ‘New Year’s Eve‘, which is quite a sombre composition, albeit no less pretty. Margret herself says “New Year’s Eve has never been the best time of year for me, I’ve always felt like it’s a sad and dark time… there’s probably a lot of people out there that can connect to that.” Well, that explains that then.
I Miss You, I Do doesn’t really depart from the blueprint a great deal, but really, why should it have to? As I said, it’s a “nice” album, and sometimes, it’s… well…”nice” to have that kind of continuity. For her part, Árný Margrét comes across as a deeply thoughtful person, perhaps even one who ponders things a little too much: “I’ve thought about dying / I’ve thought about life / I’ve thought about people / Before me and cried” she sings on ‘Maybe I’ve Wasted My Time‘, before adding: “I feel so deeply / Around this time of year / I wish the weather and me / Could make a better team.” Well, you haven’t wasted your time, Árný. You have created a very… um… “nice” album.
This is nothing if not an extremely ruminative record, sometimes reminding me of the criminally underrated Polly Paulusma, and is full of sweet-sounding melancholia. I won’t lie though, I do sometimes wish there would be at least a little change in tempo on I Miss You, I Do. Nevertheless, it’s never any less than pleasant, and I would imagine that, if you’re going through a hard time, this would be the kind of record that would go some way to comforting you, with Margrét’s dulcet tones providing a gentle solace throughout.
In all honesty, I don’t really know what else to say about I Miss You, I Do. It’s ten tracks, all of an affecting nature, which do, granted, merge together rather well. In fact, there is only one word that I can think of to describe it…
I’m sorry Mrs. Richards!
I Miss You, I Do is out now on One Little Independent.
