EIVØR : "ENN"

There is a difference between exploiting and embracing your culture. This Nordic siren might sing in her native tongue of Faroese, but she is not pulling out folk instruments to play Viking. She owes more to the ethereal darkwave acts of the 80s than any neo-folk. Ironically she is on tour with Heilung who are marketing geniuses despite their primitive shtick. The ambiance is thick on the opening track of her newest album, but by the second song, you can hear that she is not just about capturing a sound, she is capable of writing songs. It's closer to the dance floor than Enya, but there is a slight new-age meditative quality, even to the more sultry moments. It's an odd release for Season of Mist. 

When the electronic elements are in place to give the songs a backbone to anchor them then the results are quite stunning. Her voice is powerful and capable of doing most of the heavy lifting, but the more help she gets from the accompaniment the better. When things are stripped down more minimally to just her singing with a piano, there is not enough going on to anchor in. Some of this has to do with the way she uses her voice as an instrument rather than the support beam of the melody. The title track finds her diving deeper into the atmosphere. Her voice is certainly capable of creating the otherworldly feel. Once again the more electronic elements ground the song. 

The vocal production is pretty immaculate, this is highlighted in "Livsandin". It feels like an Everything But the Girl song from the  90s but with more depth.  First-time guitar really stands out on this album. This holds a great deal of common ground with Lydia Ainsworth. " Upp Úr Øskuni" is the wildest witch moment that has guttural vocals used in a throat singing style not unlike Heilung.  Unlike Heilung her songwriting remains the focus rather than trying to perform some primal heritage ritual. The last song "Gaia" basks in the ethereal. It focuses more on its floating mood than being a gripping song, it does feel a little like a requiem.  This is a solid album of electronic-minded atmospheric pop, I will give it a 9. 

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