Nordic Affect - H e (a) r (2018) [Official Digital Download 24/192]

Textura Raindamage is an album best appreciated on headphones, when youve got the time to really let it seep into your brain. Titled H e (a) r the album features 7 world premiere recordings, including a soundscape which lends its title to the album by the groups artistic director; composer and violinist Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir. The work H e (a) r connects to ecology, acoustics and embodiment; drawing on encounters and what happens in the connection. Many of the instrumental works are a continuation of Nordic Affects longstanding collaboration with some of the exciting talent to emerge out of Iceland in recent years, many of which were featured on the 2015, release Clockworking. The title track was chosen for NPR's Songs We Love series and featured in various best-of-the-year lists, including Steve Smiths for Night After Night, The Chicago Reader, and The New Yorker. In addition to composing her own music, Ms. Markan Sigfúsdóttir has toured the world with indie band amiina and recorded and collaborated with a range of other bands and artists. Her compositions have been performed in Iceland, Australia, Europe and the US. A continuation of the solo work 2 Circles, found on the Clockworking album, is Point of Departure by composer, cello player, and singer Hildur Guðnadóttir. Hildur has been manifesting herself at the forefront of experimental pop and contemporary music. Her output has encompassed four solo albums, and numerous works for theatre, dance performances and films. H e (a) r also features Reflections and Impressions by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, a recipient of Lincoln Centers 2018 Emerging Artist Award and 2018 Martin E. Segal Award. Anna Thorvaldsdottir frequently works with large sonic structures that tend to reveal the presence of a vast variety of sustained sound materials, reflecting her sense of imaginative listening to landscapes and nature. A new collaboration is presented through Warm life at the foot of the iceberg by the Estonian Mirjam Tally. Sound is central to the Estonian MirjamTallys creations. Her music is a flow of playful contrasts where a sense of humour and poetic use of sound are blended to mix. Her music has been performed in over 20 countries and earned her various accolades, including the 2018 Swedish Manifest prize.

Tracklist:
1. H e (a) r : I. — 00:19
2. Spirals 07:48
3. H e (a) r : II. — 01:45
4. Warm life at the foot of the iceberg 08:22
5. H e (a) r : III. — 00:53
6. Reflections : Reflections 09:28
7. H e (a) r : IV. — 01:15
8. IImpressions 07:47
9. H e (a) r : V. — 02:04
10. Point of Departure 07:48
11. H e (a) r : VI. — 01:29
12. Loom 08:31
13. H e (a) r : VII. — 02:50

Personnel:
Nordic Affect:
Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir, violin, voice
Guðrún Hrund Harðardóttir, viola, voice
Hanna Loftsdóttir, cello, voice
Guðrún Óskarsdóttir, harpsichord, voice