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For all that’s written about Sweden’s drums-and-vocal duo W&P harnessing a primal urge to holler wildly and bang stuff, the two EPs paired here suggest rather more ingenuity is involved in their craft than simply awakening their inner troglodyte. With assistance from wintry soundscaper Ben Frost and the eerie incantations of Bjork’s preferred hired-hands, the Schola Cantorum Reykjavík Chamber Choir, Mariam and Andreas tread gently this time. Emerging from a foreboding ambient mist in the ‘Retina’ half, they ring with hope on the stunning ‘Iris’ songs, steel pans flashing prismatic melodies around Mariam’s soulful wallop like the dawn light through icicles. A fine evolution.

Chris Parkin

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