Terrorbird

For over two years now, FM Belfast has travelled the world, making friends, taking in experiences and sounds and the world and one another. And now they’ve funnelled it all into a new long player that you need to hear.

It’s called Don’t Want To Sleep and it is a logical conclusion to two years of making friends and taking in experiences and sounds and adventure. It is also a worthy successor to their debut, a natural progression that retains its predecessor’s spirit and builds upon it while exploring new territories. It will carry their name further, yet ensure their current friends keep them close to heart.

It’s telling that the first thing couple Ã�rni Rúnar Hlöðversson and Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir did after forming a band — and their reason for forming a band — was to write and record the song “Lotus” to give it to their friends for Christmas. Their next act was to add two more friends to the mix, Ã�rni Vilhjálmsson and Ã�rvar Ã�óreyjarson Smárason. Although these four remain the core of FM Belfast, they will often go as far as draft almost all of their friends to the band; when circum- stances allow for it they’ll perform with a many as 25 people on stage.

The line-up complete, the band went on and played some more shows and wrote some more songs. They haven’t really stopped since, the only change being that their ever increasing success has recently allowed them time to focus exclusively on their music — even though all of them have other talents and hobbies that they pursue with a passion (Lóa is an artist and sought after illustrator, Ã�rni Rúnar dabbles in electronics and hacking, Ã�rni Vilhjálmsson is a burgeoning comedian and Ã�rvar writes poetry and prose when not playing football or performing with his other band, múm).

On the basis of their combined experience, imagination and skill, the group has managed to craft a masterpiece with Don’t Want To Go To Sleep. The songs retain the bouncy and joyful

spirit of “How To Make Friends”, yet veer off into territories that the band have hitherto left unexplored. There are slow songs and introspective ones; calm, drifting meditations mixed with calls to arms and potential dancefloor workouts. And lots of fun, of course.

Tracks like the beautiful “Noise” and “We Fall” depict serene dreamscapes that still burst with power and rhythm. The understated “Winter”, with its anxious bite and underlying warmth, captures the essence of the overpowering Icelandic winter in its suffocating embrace. “Vertigo” entices and enthrals, “American” bops, gallops and is impossible not to sing along to.

It is rare that an album will make you want to dance while possessing the ability to lull you to sleep (you’ll have dreams of dancing). Don’t Want To Sleep is such an album, a friend in early morning and late at night (and on your coffee break).