Amiina: Kurr

When backing fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós on strings, the four women of Amiina add to a surging muscle mass; Amiina's own work crafts a deceptively delicate frame. The group's color-coded dresses and effortless instrument-switching reinforce attention spans live, as strings join tuned wine glasses, hand bells, musical saw, harmonium, laptop, and much more. But when reduced to modest melodies, the songs on the group's debut album, Kurr, share warmth without trying to force a Sigur-style epiphany. Songs like "Seoul" don't wallow in the novelty—even the most unlikely instruments align in patient, twinkling patterns, contained like a storm in a snowglobe. Amiina's mystical patience makes Kurr decidedly non-overwhelming, and that's its victory. It proves that one of the world's strangest bands can also be one of the most approachable.