The Norwegian musician Jenny Hval makes music which is austere but still complex. There's emotion in the grooves of Iris Silver Mist, her new record on 4AD, but it's not obvious. The tunes here are quietly compelling, and the pleasures of this release ones which require a listener's attention. That attention is rewarded, of course.
Hval favors an approach here which is nearly minimalist. A song like "To Be a Rose" builds, the quiet retreating as the cut sort of swells. Elsewhere, "All Night Long" frames Hval's voice against synth-samples and bits of percussion. It's elegant, but also almost faintly jazzy. "I Don't Know What Free Is", a real gem here, uses cymbal crashes and other bits of noise to punctuate Jenny's ascending vocal-line. The cut expresses a real yearning, and the icy appeal of that one is typical of Hval's approach on the best portions of this release.
Iris Silver Mist is art rock. It is something which fans of Laurie Anderson, or even Annie Lennox may find wildly appealing. Jenny Hval allows songs to breathe, expand, and occupy their own unique spaces. There's little extra here, and an attentive listener will surely find spaces within which to get lost on this record.
Iris Silver Mist by Jenny Hval is out now via 4AD.
[Photo: Signe Fuglesteg Luksengard]