*Try and imagine the kind of broken drones and edgy experimentation Ben Frost makes crossed with the strings of Hildur Gudnadottir and the sea shanties of Matt Elliott and you'll get some ideas of the incredible, deeply original music of Myrmyr* This Oakland duo brings together Agnes Szelag with Marielle Jakobsons (aka Darwinsbitch) for a debut album consisting of incredible modified sea shanties, cinematic-style ensemble pieces and folk/drone hybrids that have just blown our minds. 'Jurata' opens the album with a suspenseful opacity, loaded with string and harmonium drones while vocals drift along in a ghostly, haunting fashion. Somewhere in the background percussion jostles, occasionally sounding like faulty central heating, and ultimately making a seamless transition into 'Baltic WInds', whose fractured bowed tones make for a semi-conscious soundscape while electro-static, processed bells clang and cascade around the edges. 'First Seed' is a far more clear-cut affair, concentrating on the tightly orchestrated confluence of cello, clarinet, flute and trombone for a deep and cinematic piece of music. From here on the sophistication and depth of variation in this music only seems to heighten: 'Egle's Escape' presents a dark avant-folk universe (bringing to mind Mi & L'au, Pantaleimon and Espers all at once), while the string melodies and wonderful, thorny harp textures of 'Dancing In Captivity' suggest a kind of gothic avant-garde. Perhaps best of all, at the centre of this album lies 'The Sea Returns', a radiant fifteen minute composition that starts out as a tentative ambient excursion - full of lulling drones and fragmented instrumental eruptions - only to seemingly wake up after a few minutes of languid swirling, eventually developing into a complex soundscape full of euphoric dissonance, spurts of noise and plenty of harmonic flair. There's a tremendous amount to take in here and you won't be able to absorb even half of this album upon first listen, but in terms of its vision, and the roving musical dexterity on show throughout, it's one of the most unique and absorbing albums we've heard this year. Essential Purchase.
Tracklist:
01.jurata
02.baltic winds
03.first seed
04.silver rooster
05.the sea returns
06.egle's escape
07.dancing in captivity
08.the story begins
Myrmyr-The_Amber_Sea-2009-BCC
Password: mp3db
One Premium gives unlimited VIP access to all music!
Latest discography updates:
Wumpscut Discography 1991-2023
Leaether Strip Discography 1989-2023
Front 242 Discography 1981-2021
BlutEngel Discography 1999-2023
Hocico Discography 1994-2022
Funker Vogt discography 1996-2021
Front Line Assembly Discography 1986-2022
Velvet Acid Christ Discography 1994-2020
KMFDM Discography 1984-2022
De/Vision Discography 1989-2018
Project Pitchfork Discography 1990-2019
VNV Nation - Discography 1995-2023
Mesh Discography 1994-2022
And One Discography 1990-2014
Code 64 Discography 2002-2022
Nitzer Ebb Discography 1983-2018
Apoptygma Berzerk Discography 1991-2022
Die Krupps Discography 1981-2022
Combichrist and Alien Vampires discography
Pet Shop Boys Discography 1986-2016
Assemblage 23 Discography 1999-2021
|
Categories
