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Ask the Deep

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Ask the Deep
Studio album by
Sóley
Released8 May 2015[1][2]
Recorded2014–2015
Genre
Length36:22
LabelMorr Music
Sóley chronology
Krómantík
(2014) 		Ask the Deep
(2015) 		Don't Ever Listen
(2015)
Singles from Ask the Deep
  1. "Ævintýr"
    Released: 24 February 2015[4]
  2. "Follow Me Down"
    Released: 24 March 2015[5]
  3. "Halloween"
    Released: 17 April 2015[6]

Ask the Deep is the second album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Sóley released in 2015 through Morr Music.

Background

[edit]

Sóley released her first album We Sink in 2011 and released two EPs, titled Theater Island and Krómantík, in 2010 and 2014 respectively. She planned to release her second full-length album in 2013 or early 2014.[7] However the album's release was delayed after Sóley became pregnant in 2012.[8] The theme for the album was initially around the deep blue sea and night before developing into an album exploring "how deep you can go within your mind".[8] Sóley used the recording period for the album as a chance to take a break from looking after her daughter, commenting that "it was really good just not to be a mom for an hour or something and just write down some horror songs".[8]

The majority of the album's songs were premiered at the 2014 Iceland Airwaves Festival.[9]

Five songs from the recording sessions that did not make the final album were later released on the EP Don't Ever Listen later in 2015.[10] The songs had been omitted from the final track list because Sóley wanted Ask the Deep to have fewer guitar sounds.[10]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
ConsequenceMixed[11]
Iceland Review[9]
New Noise MagazinePositive[12]
PopMatters[13]
The Line of Best Fit[14]

In a review for AllMusic, Timothy Monger praised the album as "smart, intimate, and challenging" and "a bold second effort from an intriguing artist".[3] He noted that Ask the Deep built "on the elegantly moody art pop of her 2011 debut We Sink" and was "ultimately bigger in scope".[3] He also described the "dreamy world of treated pianos, smoky synth textures, glitchy beats, and Sóley's quietly engaging vocals" found on the album.[3] Monger selected "Devil", "One Eyed Lady", "Dreamers" and the "Philip Glass-inspired" "Follow Me Down" as the standout tracks from the album.[3]

Edward Hancox rated the album 5 out of 5 in his review for Iceland Review.[9] He described the album as "a thing of dark beauty" and "something truly unique".[9]

Ian King of PopMatters gave the album a rating of 7 out of 10 and described the album as "bigger and darker than its predecessor".[13] He highlighted "Sóley's unique and arresting voice, which can conjure fairy worlds all on its own".[13]

James Appleyard rated the album 8 out 10 in a review for The Line of Best Fit.[14] He noted the album's lyrics "hark back to a traditionally macabre narrative style readily present in Icelandic culture" and "Sóley manages to draw you into her world giving you a warm embrace with skeleton hands".[14] While Appleyard felt the songs on Ask the Deep were not "as immediate as those on Sóley's previous output", he praised the album for showcasing "introspective pop".[14]

Tom Haugen of New Noise Magazine noted that "Sóley extends deeper into introspective song craft" compared to her first album, and "gentle pop moments are often buried under moody atmospheres and dark fairy tales" on Ask the Deep, which "encapsulates the imagination and mystery that seems endemic to Icelandic music".[12]

In a more mixed review for Consequence magazine, Sasha Geffen felt that the album "grazes a darkness that [Sóley is] unwilling to plumb thoroughly" and noted that "the songs [...] rarely [plunge] into the sadness and anger that show themselves in flickers throughout her lyrics".[11] The songs "Devil" and "Follow Me Down" were selected as the essential tracks from the album.[11]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Organisation Category Work Result Ref.
2015 Kraumur Kraumur Award Ask the Deep Nominated [15]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Sóley Stefánsdóttir.

Ask the Deep track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Devil"4:17
2."Ævintýr"3:19
3."One Eyed Lady"3:58
4."Óhljóð"0:37
5."Halloween"4:18
6."Follow Me Down"3:42
7."Breath"3:15
8."I Will Never"4:07
9."Dreamers"4:22
10."Lost Ship"4:27
Total length:36:22

Personnel

[edit]

Credits taken from album liner notes.[16]

  • Sóley Stefánsdóttir – voices, piano, organs, synths, omnichord, accordion, percussion
  • Albert Finnbogason – guitar, bass pedal
  • Jón Óskar Jónsson – drums

Release History

[edit]
Release Date Format Label ID No. Ref.
8 May 2015 CD Morr Music Morr 138-CD [17]
LP Morr 138-LP
LP (Clear Vinyl with Poster)[18] Morr 138-LP LTD

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Sóley: Ask the Deep". Morr Music. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Ask The Deep". Bandcamp. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Timothy Monger. "Ask the Deep - Sóley". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Ævintýr". Bandcamp. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Follow Me Down - Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Halloween - Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  7. ^ Helbig, Robert (1 June 2012). "Interview: Sóley". Nothing But Hope and Passion. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "Sóley - Icelandic Musician Interview: Ask The Deep - REDEFINE magazine". REDEFINE magazine. Vee Hua. 2015-06-17. Retrieved 2024-10-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ^ a b c d Edward Hancox (15 May 2015). "Sóley: Ask the Deep". Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Don't Ever Listen". www.morrmusic.com. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  11. ^ a b c Sasha Geffen (8 May 2015). "Album Review: Sóley – Ask the Deep". Consquence. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b Haugen, Tom (2015-08-20). "Album Review: Sóley - 'Ask The Deep'". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  13. ^ a b c Ian King (13 May 2015). "Sóley: Ask the Deep". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d James Appleyard (16 May 2015). "Buried alive with no eyelids - Sóley gets macabre". Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Kraumsverðlaunin" (in Icelandic). Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  16. ^ Ask the Deep (Media notes). Sóley. Morr Music. 2015. 138 MM.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ "Ask the Deep". www.morrmusic.com. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  18. ^ "Latest News - Sóley". Morr Music. Archived from the original on 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
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