Johann Johannsson Englaborn & Variations 180g 2LP (Vinyl)

Remastered & Reworked On 180g Double LP!

Remastered version of Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson's original 2002 debut release, plus reinterpretations of Englaborn tracks, some performed by Johannsson and others covered by musicians such as vocal ensemble Theatre of Voices, ambient due A Winged Victory for the Sullen, pianist Vikingur Olafsson and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

"...This first solo album from Jóhann Jóhannsson is absolutely beautiful, and it has only become moreso over the past few months, sustaining me for long periods of time when other music just wouldn't do the trick...Just as Catullus balanced the extreme emotional opposites of love and hate into a composite whole the greater of its parts, so does Jóhannsson transform these sixteen miniatures into an exquisite listening experience..." - Andy Beta, Pitchfork.com

"...Jóhannsson's Englabörn is composed of music he wrote, as performed by the Epos String Quartet, with a light gauze of electronic processing applied to it..." - Andy Beta, Pitchfork.com

"Sixteen years later, the album's sonic palette is eminently familiar, but the compositions remain just as seductive, dramatic and captivating. Phil Spector built walls of sound but Johannsson's compositions are like kaleidoscopes of sieves. There are multiple layers but there's also a skillful economy to the motifs — a combination at once airy, dense and vibrant. The variations aren't a complete set, though some tunes get multiple covers. Johannsson's input validates them and they range from basic to complex to frenzied. Some of Johannsson's ability of compression gets diluted but the mysteriousness remains intact. Theater of Voices' version of 'Odi et Amo,' which opens the original album, becomes an elegiac coda, a requiem for the innovative composer. Though seemingly ideal for winter, the 16 tracks on the 48 minutes of Englaborn trigger deep impressions in any season." - Pablo Gorondi, AP (via The Washington Post)

Features:
• Double LP
• 180g Vinyl
• Remastered and reworked
• Gatefold jacket
• Limited time voucher for free download
• Made in Germany

Musicians:
Johann Johannsson, keyboards
Eþos String Quartet
Matthias M.D. Hemstock, percussion

Selections:
Johann Johannsson (1969-2018)
Englabörn Remastered
Side A:
1. Odi Et Amo
2. Englabörn
3. Jói & Karen
4. Þetta Gerist Á Bestu Bæjum
5. Sálfræðingur
6. "Ég Sleppi Þér Aldrei"
7. Sálfræðingur Deyr
8. Bað
Side B:
1. "Ég Heyrði Allt Án Þess Að Hlusta"
2. Karen Býr Til Engil
3. Englabörn – Tilbrigði
4. "Ég Átti Gráa Æsku"
5. Krókódíll
6. "Ef Ég Hefði Aldrei..."
7. …Eins Og Venjulegt Fólk
8. Odi Et Amo - Bis
Englabörn Variations
Side C:
1. "Ég Heyrði Allt Án Þess Að Hlusta" - A Winged Victory for the Sullen rework
2. Odi Et Amo - Johannsson/Donadello rework
3. Englabörn - Vikingur Olafsson piano version
4. Jói & Karen - Ryuichi Sakamoto rework
5. Holy Thursday ("Ég Heyrði Allt Án Þess Að Hlusta") - Theatre of Voices version
Side D:
1. Englabörn - Viktor Orri Árnason rework
2. Odi Et Amo - Bis - Alex Somers rework
3. Sálfræðingur Deyr - Hildur Guðnadóttir rework
4. Odi Et Amo - Bis - Johansson/Donadello rework
5. …Eins Og Venjulegt Fólk - Paul Corley rework
6. Odi Et Amo - Theatre of Voices version