Serene and stunning
The four lovely ladies from Amiina have toured and formed part of Sigur Ros' band; from this statement you can instantly glean an inkling of how their sound will be - delicate resonating chimes,
The icelandic quartet's debut album opens with the soperific, 'Sogg' a beautiful chiming melody with a regal reverence about its elegant harp notes and fragile sounds. 'Rugla' uses the same xylophone ripples to create a warm and playful tone with skipping strings bouncing over the top; the sound is full and rich and envelopes the listener with a peaceful serenity, although even the most placate moment is tinged with humour as a mechanical sound like a wind-up robot whirrs through the glassy atmosphere.
From the subtlety serenity of tunes like, 'Glámur' that melt over you to the tense military drumbeat and aching strings of 'Lóri' this is an album that will charm and surprise will glossy, flowing textures that simple wash away your woes. The tunes sparkle and glisten with emotion, like dewy spider's webs' of feeling that trap you in their often icey midst, suspended by sound.
There are always twists in this perplexing tale, like 'Lúpína' with its springy metallic sounds suddenly overcome by a torrent of menacing marching percussion. As you can imagine plenty of the tracks act as soothing background music, failing to catch your attention as much as waft freely through your brain. The last few tracks, beginning with definite highlight, 'Lóri' will leave an impression though; 'Bláfedur's warm brass seeps into your skin while the piercing ebbing notes of 'Boga' matched with hollow xylophone scales and aching strings simply stun.
'Kurr' is a wonderful rich and varied album that will captivate any listener.