Amiina: Seoul

Spending your formative years as a group backing one of the world’s most respected and admired bands isn’t too shabby, and for the girls in Amiina, it was their experience behind the enigmatic shadows of Sigur Ros that allowed them to eventually occupy the stage themselves with their own brand of twinkly, indie pop. The music they create is distinctly hard to dislike. Fragile, and twee to the point of nothingness, it’s sweet without being sugary, but unfortunately acts like a constant appetizer in a meal where the main dish never appears. This three track single for “Seoul”, following their debut EP AnimaminA is a smaller taste of what their ouevre has to offer. It took me multiple listens of this fifteen-minute affair before I got through it without distraction, but just barely. Yet, at the same time, I can’t say why I dislike it other than it simply didn’t hold my attention. There is a music box like quality to their songs that is certainly compelling, and “Seoul” does succeed in building up somewhat effectively to it’s closing melodramatic finish, but the ridiculously cutesy Casio-performed “Ammaelis” washes whatever good tidings were remaining right out. You can buy the disc, but don’t be surprised if the minute it’s over, you’ve forgotten about it completely.