IANAI – ‘Sunir’ [Album Review]

There are some debuts that eke out an initial effort, while others plant a flag in the ground in their attempt to make inroads into the music scene, while still others make a splash that can’t go ignored. IANAI’s debut album, Sunir, feels like the latter, even if, at present, it is languishing in relative obscurity. For one thing, the deftly handled instrumentation and arrangement is cause for notice enough as it is. Woven strands of traditional strings are layered textile-like over sheets of electronic accents and orchestral pulses. First track “Savoj Icoil” is urgent yet hopeful, replete with wistful beauty and melancholy wonder, as the beginning of a journey caused by the burning down of one’s village. On the next track, synthesizers set a chilly backdrop over which tribal percussion an...

unsplash-logoLilith Redmoon