Nieguid Duovdagat (studio album) by Ánnámáret

From Mercury 04/19/2021 19:26

(At its best this is out-of-body-inducing spiritual stuff. At its worst its still stellar but probably just a bit far outside of my area of familiarity that I can't quite pin down what it is doing or trying to do. The singing, the traditional and electronic instrumentation and the way these elements play off each other is captivating and refreshing.)

The vocal arrangements here are brilliant. They seem to be improvised traditional Joik chants mixed with some slight affects here and there. The way the vocals meld with the instruments and electronic track is mesmerizing and otherworldly.

The music is a fascinating mix of traditional folk and electronica (I don't like the word that is usually created to express this mix so I won't type it here on this beautiful album's page lol). The music mostly evokes deep-thinking peacefulness, and sometimes it can get quite hectic such as on the last part of track 2.

To say this is a musical territory unfamiliar to me would be an understatement. Sometimes such a huge departure from anything I usually listen to can lead to an uncomfortable or confused experience as I try to work out what is going on and how the music fits in to what I have heard. With this album, though, it was a warm and inviting and captivating experience from start to finnish.

(yes i am sorry.)