Lay Low - Farewell Good Night's Sleep

Lay Low (singer/songwriter Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardottir) hails from Reykjaví, Iceland and has made quite a name for herself there, her debut album, Please Don’t Hate Me released in 2006, went platinum. Having an affinity for Icelandic singer/songwriter Bjork as a teenager I was immediately intrigued by her vocals and reported influences. The following quote is taken from her website:

At age 27, Lay Low draws inspiration from artists like Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton and Kitty Wells, while breathing new life and fresh perspective into the timeless sounds of American folk, blues and country.

Through repeated listening of her recent release Farewell Good Night's Sleep, Lay Low's voice presents with just the right amount of softness and warmth to accompany her Icelandic accent. Admittedly, I found this type of music (secondary to the vocalist) as perfect background music, something to match a relaxing activity (I wouldn't play this while I sharpen my Wuesthof knives).


Lay Low - "Last Time Around"

This seems to be the song getting the most play around the internet, and it is certainly a catchy tune due to a nice guitar interlude that appears following the vocal passages complementing them well. Violin and a steady high-hat pace the song initially, violin is allowed to merge into the guitar picking that follows. Lyrics about a lonely heart seeking another to clear the "gray skies" appear and disappear as the song develops.

The album remains folk throughout, but songwriting is varied enough to avoid redundancy or an over reliance on vocals to diversify each individual track. I have not yet heard her previous album, but am hopeful that this is the case there as well. Found it interesting that between 2007 and 2008 she took the role of music director for the Pulitzer Prize play ‘How I Learned to Drive’, writing and performing the music.



Lay Low - "Days Have Been"

This song sits as one of the softest, simple, yet rewarding songs possibly because something seems to really shine through the lyrics and vocals connecting emotionally with the subject matter of the song. Piano is used to expand the song instrumentally with basic high-hat and guitar providing the base. Short and sweet. "A Second Hand Heart" offers some nice backing vocals and what reminds me of an almost Hawaiian folk sound musically, an example of the diversity mentioned earlier. She could be blowing up rather soon, considering some of the backing she has started to get since this album was released in the UK and America, if the lighter side of things is your thing musically, I'd say to check this album out.