There is something very good yet strangely-strange about Jenny Hval, a Norwegian singer/writer/ novelist and exponent of the avant-garde.
Her no-holds-barred approach to the expression of sexual preferences is apparent on the opening track, Kingsize, a spoken-word piece that provocatively lays its cards on the table.
For the remainder of Apocalypse, girl – Hval's third solo album – there is an intriguing, but not always successful collision of styles.
Ambient, soft white-noise experiments such as White Underground and the closing 10-minute track, Holy Land, tend to drift aimlessly, and so it is left to tracks like Take Care of Yourself, Heaven and Angels and Anaemia to provide ballast.
This being said, Hval is clearly one to watch, and Apocalypse, girl is a smart one to listen to.
