Eva808 - ÖÐRUVÍSI

A Closer Listen

We’re only a week away from the Grapevine Music Awards, which will be presented on February 1 by Reykjavik Grapevine.  ÖÐRUVÍSI is one of four albums nominated for album of the year, along with entries from Laufey, Erin Hall and Neomne.  Three of the four (all but Laufey) were also recipients of the Kraumer Music Awards last month, along with albums from Apex Anima, Spacestation and ex.girls.  Kraumer Music nominates twenty albums recorded in Iceland or by Icelandic artists, and chooses six.  Both awards are considered forerunners of the Icelandic Music Awards, which will be presented in March.  All of the nominated albums are worthy in different ways, but ÖÐRUVÍSI is by far the best, followed by Neonme’s more vocal, yet still experimental Premiere.

EVA808 (Eva Jóhannsdóttir), an Icelandic artist who lives in Sweden, has made great strides since the release of Sultry Venom in 2020.  She’s turned her toy box over, breaking a few of the toys, and soldered the stray pieces together in new and unexpected ways.  The sheer variety of timbres on ÖÐRUVÍSI is astonishing, all held together by an immaculate sense of artistry; it’s no wonder that the opening track is titled “Something from Nothing.”  That piece begins in a drone and ends in an orchestral pit; the next incorporates field recordings and grime, and the adventures expand from there.

In every facet, ÖÐRUVÍSI (DIFFERENT) lives up to its name.  This is the first album on the artist’s own Gler (Glass) imprint, described as “cold records with a warm sound,” pressed on clear ice vinyl.  “Gender” includes heartbeat and glacier melt, proposing questions without words.  As the heartbeat slows and stops, one might make a connection to gender selection.  A harbor bell clangs throughout “ÖLDUKALDI” (COLD WAVE).”  Warped piano, cello  and static decorate “When the MIRROR is STEAMY i can see ME..”, a reflective piece with an unusual title that again reflects its sound.  When the beats enter, the chords grow even muddier, but to the artist, this is clarity.  In “Why Me?!”, the beats are harder and more forward, nodding to, but not catering to the clubs.

EVA808 loves rabbit holes, and when she can’t find one, she digs her own; after a lovingly brash Sophie tribute, “The WAR in my HEAD” features huge intimations of brass, deep, resounding bass, and a extension of the water sounds that run rampant throughout the recording.  Some of the 20-track album’s biggest tracks land in the back quarter, beginning with the crunchy “GLEYMMÈREI” (“FORGET ME NOT”), whose breakdowns reveal its layers.  “Can’t Keep Me Down / DRAGONFLY” revisits the brass ‘n’ beats template of classic Fingathing; the birdsong prophecies “Fuglar Fljúga” (“Birds Fly”), which ends the set with an unraveling of typewriter and chimes.

After all this, some may feel enervated; it’s a lot to take in.  Even after repeat listens, there are more nuances to be discovered, like the subtle shift from water to air.  EVA808’s adventurousness comes across as generosity; she’s given listeners more than a meal.  Sadly, our own awards season is over, but we’re cheering for ÖÐRUVÍSI to win big next week and again in March.  (Richard Allen)