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Written by Kevin Renick Sunday, 16 September 2007 13:51

There is always a sense of forward motion in their music: a unique flow, an aesthetic that seems to almost survey the details of the beauty and vastness all around them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a crazy, dysfunctional world, we need art that symbolizes something better, art that can help us escape the noise/clatter and quiet down for a spell. It's a spell, actually, that Icelandic group Amina casts on the attentive listener on their first full-length platter, titled Kurr (an EP was released a couple of years ago).

Fans of fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós know that Amiina is the female string quartet accompanying the boys on tour, as well as gracing their albums. Some might call the sound they make "ambient classical," but that's a little simplistic. Yes, they are a string quartet, but with all manner of exotic instruments like glockenspiel, theremin, xylophone, harpsichord and more at their disposal, the Amiina ladies are anything but one-dimensional. They weave a rich tapestry of sound that is by turns relaxing, uplifting and even quite sensual at times.

You can sit and imagine that you're wandering the glacier-strewn landscapes of Iceland as you listen if you want, but the intricacy of this music allows for wider perception than that. It's perhaps akin to film music, but you get to create the film yourself, in your imagination. Although there are choral voices on some tracks, these are primarily evocative instrumental compositions. "Rugla" features a subtle pulse that coaxes your ears gently, as xylophone, guitar and light strings (violin and viola) gradually build up the textures of the piece. It's very pretty, and not "heady" so much as emotive in perhaps unfamiliar ways. The tracks that feature the theremin (such as "Seoul")—a weird instrument known from many American sci-fi movies of the '50s—gain a mysteriousness in this context that is rather compelling.

So much of what is entrancing about music is the particular blend of sounds, and Amiina are obviously aware of this. There is always a sense of forward motion in their music: a unique flow, an aesthetic that seems to almost survey the details of the beauty and vastness all around them. "Kolapot" is almost folksy in mood; each instrument is distinct in the mix, and though xylophone is ever prominent, you'll be guessing at what the other instruments are. You'll definitely know this music came from someplace far away—it's too evocative of nature and solemn contemplation to reflect anything like our overstimulated American minds. "Sexfaldur" and "Lóri" are both striking pieces, with the former featuring guitars in a percussive manner and the overall tapestry of sound gaining an ethereal richness that is simply haunting.

That's true of many tracks, actually. This would be perfect music for a cold winter day when guests come over for dinner—and it's likely no one would object to your selection; rather, they'd probably inquire as to what it is 'round about the third or fourth track. But whether treated as background or foreground listening, Amiina belongs to a special niche in the music marketplace. It's music with the quality of "otherness"—ethereal, stately, unusual and quite entrancing. And it resists easy summation, just like the curious land it comes from. B+| Kevin Renick

RIYL: Efterklang, Sigur Rós, Rachel's