Skakkamanage are one of those bands that have yet to break out of their native Iceland. Despite being around for years - I saw them at Airwaves three years ago in fact - and now on their third album, the husband/wife duo Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson (guitar and vocals) and Berglind Hasler (piano, synthesizers and vocals), alongside Thormódur Dagsson (drums), Örn Ingi Ãgustsson (bass) and Örvar Thóreyjarson Smárason of múm (harmonica), keep a relatively low profile, in comparison with other like-minded arctic contemporaries like Benni Hemm Hemm or Bubbi Morthens. So, why is that? Well, in previous outputs, the duo crafted a harder-edged adoration to west coast Americana. Over the years, Eysteinsson and Hasler's songwriting has darkened, losing the more Richmond Fontaine influence for more atonal pastures akin to Lou Reed or even Billy Bragg. With All Over Your Face, their second full-length in three years, the transformation, so to speak, is complete; gone is any hint of Americana or folkdom. Now, the lot is significantly more raw, a sound that flirts with 70s garage rock more than anything adorning a flannel shirt.And the result is a mixed-bag. It's short, sweet and to the point at times, but with only nine songs and thirty-three minutes to pine over, it comes and goes too quickly, leaving little aftertaste to get stuck into. Firstly, Eysteinsson can't really sing. It's not his strong point, and never has been with Skakkamanage. When Hasler takes the vocals, unleashing a lush, almost Nico-like whisper, the project is elevated. Hands become claws, dullness is sharpened and the basement-quelled drawl from heavy strums and harmonica peaks suddenly makes sense. 'Smell You Later' is just that, as is 'I'm Going Now'. Both are light, airy efforts, devoid of style but rich in substance, recalling the beauty of a frigid Reykjavik winters night, huddled together around a wood fire with an acoustic guitar and a bottle of Brennavin.But it's all too little to buttress the complete project. One must admire the rawness of the effort and sense of the familiar it purports, but when there is little in affable songwriting to fall back on, the lot sputters to the finish line, providing few answers as to why this record is worth buying over scores of others. Still, Skakkamanage deserve to be better known, and while this record may not accomplish their overall goals, their world is one that deserves a peak, regardless how ephemeral it may be. 55%Skakkamanage on Myspace