Suppose I crept into your room while you were sleeping, all on my tippy-toes to stop you waking up and wondering what I'm doing in your bedroom. Approaching your bed, I lean over and whisper "Icelandic music" into your ear. Chances are, you are going to dream of the splendid drama of Sigur Ros or the off the wall musings of Bjork. You're not likely to dream of melodic soft-rock, are you? Well, now you can, as the new album from Kalli is pretty much as smooth as you can get, a collection of songs with a light touch and the sonic punch of a meringue covered fist.Kalli himself rises from the ashes of another Icelandic band, Without Gravity, who disbanded soon after the release of their 2005 debut. Dusting himself down, lead singer Kalli took the opportunity to record this, his first solo album, taking in experiences gathered at his bands destruction. Along with producer and multi-instrumentalist Arnar G., Kalli recorded, performed and produced everything himself in downtown Reykjavik, the whole album a rather sombre affair reminicient of Deus in their quieter moments, though shades of Coldplay and Snow Patrol also creep in.And unfortunately, its all a bit bland. The songs are unoffensive enough but tend to drift by leaving little impact before floating upwards and outwards. 'Raindrops' is muted and delicate, a guitar shimmy overlaid with strict bursts of guitar and plods of bass, the sort of song A-ha would have used to fill up the edges of an album back in the eighties. 'Bridges Burn' is better, but even lighter, the vocal the strongest aspect.There are a number of attempts to up the tempo, particularly on 'It's Over' where a rolling keyboard line whirls and spins against the melody. 'Jupiter' also is a fine song, with an edge absent elsewhere, and also good is 'Morning Rain' , with an inventive blend of strings and guitars. However, there are not enough of these moments, the end result proving far to plain and Diet Travis, if such a thing could be possible. 52%Kalli on MySpace