As a former member of the Icelandic indie experimental supergroup mum, sometime collaborator of Antony Hegarty and Animal Collective, and wife / colleague of AC's Avey Tare, you might have expected Kria Brekkan's January release to cause more ripples than it did.
Constructed around weathered chimes, reverb-laden vocals and the sound of running water the title track offers piecemeal aural nourishment easing the listener into the darker surrounds found in following tracks. Piece of You takes on a more tepid, disturbed bent with wandering-from-the-track piano chords accompanied by haunted vocals. That's not to say it isn't a love song - but there's more undertones of despair to it than most saccharine, romantic affairs would usually have. This track is what's closest to the reverse-recorded Pullhair Rubeye (Paw Tracks, 2007) release with husband Dave Portner / Avey Tare that frustrated so many, yet was so utterly satisfying with the same breath. The final track Ribbon Bow is glory borne from brief, layered vocal bits and atmospheric sound.
It's a release of intriguing, muddied perceptions that draws a bow between the writhing waves of the most abstract of artschool freak-pop projects and the more refined, accessible torpid sensibilities of Boards of Canada, the morose charm of Skuli Sverrisson, and even the sobering folly of Tujiko Noriko. The attraction for me lies within the fact that once this short-yet-sweet release has finished, I want to hear it again - if only to try to further understand it.
As for lasting impressions, well, Uterus Water is an important stepping stone for an artist obviously keen to explore her craft as a blacksmith would a foundry. I sincerely hope that in the near future Kristin Anna Valtysdottir will delight us all with an LP.
