Björk, Björk. Björk, Björk, Björk – Christina Ryat has one big reference hanging above her album »Totem«. That’s mainly due to her voice, but her abstract sound could also well be dozing on a Björk-album. But it’s not Ryat’s intention to carry her singing close to the unbearable. »Object Mob« offers a lot of space for a vocal spectacle along the strings and a far-off rhythm, but in these terms, Ryat does it all just right on her third oeuvre. With it being released via Brainfeeder, one could speculate that »Totem« collects and manifests the most unconventional ideas in just forty minutes. But despite the sometimes scarce electronic sounds and the relaxed beats, these messengers carry an awkward groove. »Howl« is exactly sounded by Ryat. When a piano dozes off in »Hummingbird« and is awoken again by a crazy rhythm, that’s when the true core, Ryat’s main idea about »Totem«, becomes apparent. It’s is the only moment when this becomes obvious, though. Apart from that, Ryat has covered tracks like »Invisibility Cage« with an artsy-fartsy coat, so that no one can come too close to the minced vocal. No more thinking about references when it comes to that. And this is probably the biggest compliment for this album.
Totem
