Hildur Gudnadóttir – Without Sinking – CD – Touch

This latest offering from Touch showcases the work of Hildur Gudnadóttir. Gudnadóttir’s works follow a line of Touch releases best exemplified by Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson on his Children of Nature release, or the numerous recordings of Johan Johansson (who guests here) for the label. Without Sinking is an achingly melancholic work, featuring Gudnadottir’s winding strings, combined with a select ensemble of guest artists in one singularly elegiac collection. Much of the work here draws from, and is infused with a typically Nordic folksy spirit of lament, and there is something peculiar to that region of the world that is able to effortlessly invoke dark spirits without descending into the cliches of the drone. Gudnadottir splices and stratifies the strings, building subtle resonances from the lower end of the scale, and exploits the dynamics of the higher strings, skillfully excavating syncopated rhythm and tempo, with searing harmonics, very much in the mood and manner of the contemporary Eastern European minimalists, Arvo Pärt, and Peteris Vasks. In the main, these are brief summaries of pieces that I feel could be extended into longer form works, but equally serve as an impressive Touch debut for an artist who, no doubt, we will be hearing much more of. Superb. BGN