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(2018) G Y Ð A - Evolution
Review:
Since Gyða Valtýsdóttir‘s exit from Icelandic collective Múm, she has spent her time back at the conservatoire, studying the cello and attaining qualifications both in the classical style and also in free improvisation.
Since then, after journeying with artists as diverse as Damian Rice, the Kronos Quartet and Jonsi; and releasing 2016’s Epicycle, in which she re-configured classical pieces plus some of a more esoteric nature into her own image, she has now found time to write some of her own compositions which have been gathered together here.
The first thing that is noticeable from opener “Rock”‘ is the sheer virtuosity of her cello playing. From the low mournful cry of the introductory sweeps, the instrument appears to be describing a mountainous ascent, the air feels cool and the terrain hard and restrictive. Gyða’s voice then joins the climb, assisting the journey by passing on help and guidance in a whispered, breathy manner. It flutters around your ears with a folky lilt, like swallows searching through the glistening landscape. Brushed cymbals add a drone-like backdrop as the voice draws you further up the mountain to whatever goal may be ahead. The vocals at times develop into an icy blast, as if passing round a perilous section and coming out of shelter.
It is a vivid and impressive opening that is dialled right back for “Nothing More”. Here it feels as if we are in an ancient clock tower, the hollow, metallic sounds of the mechanism moving around us in a comfortable, lulling manner as snow falls and people waltz around the frozen market place. There is a cocooned feel that is warming and quite gentle, and continues on into the next track, slowing the heartbeat with the addition of rhythmic bass drum from Julian Sartorius.
There are a number of guests here who add the subtlest of hues to the tracks and the recording engineers themselves certainly deserve a mention. Alex Somers, most well-known for his work with Jonsi and Sigur Rós, produces quite a few of the tracks here, and on the opening of “Sons And Daughters” you can make out the sound of the bow against the strings of the cello as a backdrop to the notes themselves. It is a gorgeous touch that places you right there in the room; it is the same with her voice, as if she were serenading you from the foot of your bed.
Tracklist:
01. Rock.flac
02. Nothing More.flac
03. Unborn.flac
04. Sons & Daughters.flac
05. Strange Attractor.flac
06. Moonchild.flac
07. Kind Human.flac
08. Í Annarri Vídd.flac
09. Imago.flac
Summary:
Country: Iceland
Genre: alternative folk, dream-pop
Media Report:
Source : CD
Format : FLAC
Format/Info : Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : ~ 633-767 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits |
