Hekla's Á is one of the most convincing debuts of the year

Stark beauty takes a range of forms here, and although it’s easy to categorize Hekla Magnúsdóttir under a catch-all ‘Icelandic ambient’ heading, this would be singularly inappropriate here, as Á, which has a host of meanings in her native language, fluently incorporates influences such as the electronica of Berlin (her current residence) and echoes of natural sounds that are almost, but never quite, twisted out of recognition.

An extraordinarily affecting Bach-like hymn, actually rooted five hundred years previously, is especially convincing. Subtle changes of pace and carefully-crafted shifts in direction, as right at the start of side B, are unnerving in the best sense; and the following track, “A Way”, is perhaps a highlight with its eerie serrated-edge instrumentation and contrasting ghostly vocals conveying something so much more than the sum of its comparatively few elemental parts. The range of sounds across the album is remarkable, and the overall mood is an unsettling triumph of intelligent production. Here and there, strategically-placed effects from guest Sigurlaug Gísladóttir (whose own work as part of Mr Silla and Mongoose, on albums such as Foxbite, is certainly worth investigating) give a further dimension to the soundscape.

Throughout, the record demonstrates what can be achieved through adventurously exploring the range of vocal and instrumental possibilities, all the time avoiding the risk of directionless meandering. Because what matters is that, notwithstanding the restricted forces, these pieces are not mere sketches but thoroughly worked-through compositions; it’s hard to imagine their being improved by any fuller orchestration. This is a bold, in places a daring, album and one that is consistently engaging. A debut release that is strikingly convincing in so many respects.