Who? One-man source of haunting down-tempo, Bardi Johannsson relies on occasional unnamed female vocal samples and heavy studio layering to give his eerie composition its richness. Johannsson hails from Iceland and his native country's icy climate is Bang Gang's obvious muse.

What's the Deal? Atmospheric while still immediate, as natural as it is synthetic, Something Wrong combines the best aspects of heavy in-studio production and live instrumentation to create drawn out jams with moaning vocals that turn to fully formed rock tunes at the drop of a hat. Tracks such as "In the Morning" and "Find What You Get" blur the line between conventional rock and abstract art as Johannsson's baritone growl fights his whimsical falsettos like Jekyll and Hyde.

Fun Fact: In Iceland, Johannsson is somewhat of a TV celebrity. He and Henrik Björnsson, multi-instrumentalist for Singapore Sling, hosted a show with surrealistic sketches and strange interviews. During the broadcast, both would frequently spit during serious interviews. Viewers were so appalled, the TV station was continuously ransacked with phone calls. LAVINIA WRIGHT

Now Hear This: Bang Gang - "Find What You Get" DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web: Bang Gang at MySpace

Talk: Has Iceland finally lapped France in atmospheric pop?

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