Taking lyrics from 19th century Icelandic poems and deploying clarinet, voice and electronics, Samaris produce a kind of dreamy techno which is both mysterious and totally beguiling.
The trio's first full length album is every bit as good as their two previous EPs promised it would be.
Nótt draws you into their world immediately with a seductively spacey bass line establishing the tone before voices float across the beat followed closely by the clarinet. It lasts just five minutes but I'd have been quite happy for it to continue for fifteen.
Hrafnar (Ravens) is, at almost 8 minutes, the longest of the ten tracks and while there's a sublime dubstep texture it also has a quasi hymnal quality which reminded me of the mood established in Aphex Twin's ambient works.
Ég Vildi Fegin Verða is rendered by Google translate as Glad I Would Become which suggests that not knowing Icelandic is no real handicap here.
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Going on the titles alone, an aquatic theme is taken up by Hafi and Lifsins ólgusjór, which translate respectively as Ocean and Life's Restless Sea.
However, the appeal of this record rests simply on a willingness to enter into its absorbing sonic world and going with the flow.
The beauty stems from their ability to create a sensual atmosphere and the pleasure comes from appreciating this without trying to analyse the whys and wherefores too deeply.
Totally brilliant.
Samaris' website
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