Debut album from expat Aridni Orca sounds ‘dazzlingly ambitious’

Technically the second solo album by Doprah vocalist Indira Force, this 10-track collection matches its name in terms of ambition, and possibly excess. It’s glittering and ornate almost to a fault: initial listens threaten to overwhelm you with detail, but on repeat her vocal melodies emerge with enough lode-bearing heft to support such an ambitious structure.

Doprah originated in Christchurch, and for their brief lifespan, burned brightly. The singles preceding their debut release ran up the student radio charts and garnered acclaim, leading to support slots for Lorde and Liam Finn, and attention from American outlets like Spin.

The music on their self-titled EP drew comparisons to Portishead, and they expanded to a six-piece for its full-length follow-up Wasting. At some point after that, they called it a day.

Force briefly worked with Joel Little (who co-produced Lorde’s Pure Heroine), then formed the neo-classical outfit New Dawn with Anita Clarke (aka Motte), before dispatching her solo debut Precipice from Berlin.

There were still traces of Doprah’s smouldering aesthetic on that release, and a newfound focus on orchestration, mixed with leftfield sound design and intricate drum programming. In the seven years since, she relocated to London and worked on this album, the first under the Aridni Orca pseudonym.

The name change is intriguing, because The Bell, the Swan & the Golden Thread is a clear continuation of her first record. Swirls of harp brush up against clavinets and otherworldly synths, liquid bass stabs, complex (and sometimes pummelling) percussion, and her voice, at times emerging from cavernous reverb, at others whispering in the listener’s ear.

It feels like Force has taken ideas from her debut and pushed them further, and deeper. You can hear how much thought has gone into each moment, and the seven-year gap makes sense in hindsight.

All these sonic accoutrements can threaten to derail the songs themselves (and clearly Force is interested in a grander canvas than a traditional pop album), but there are hooks to be found.

When she sings “I don’t know where I am Anymore” on ‘Will o’ the Wisps’ the music falls in line with her cadence, before marching drums buffet a serpentine falsetto somewhere more adventurous. The childlike delivery on ‘Saint Mikhael and the Dragon’ is joined by sampled whistles to create a shared melody over scrunched rhythms.

‘Soaked’ might be the closest thing here to pop, with a steady tempo and relatively sparse production, before a closing synth freakout. And album-ender ‘Hyperlove’ is gorgeous, her singing and swooping countermelody creating something greater than the sum of its parts.

Ideas around English or Celtic mythology seem to hang in the air - aside from those song titles, there’s a folk-ish quality to the melodies, and some vaguely medieval instrument choices - but they’re too dense to parse without a lyric sheet. What’s more clear is the musician’s love for Björk, whose influence hangs over the whole project, up to and including the way some words are pronounced.

This is more than imitation though (and it’s tough to think of someone harder to imitate). It’s more like Force’s bone-deep knowledge of Björk’s catalogue has permeated her own work, like she’s paying tribute to every album simultaneously.

All this adds up to an album that may seem impenetrable initially, but opens up on repeat listens. There are mysteries within mysteries, but trying to solve them gets you some exquisite ear-candy.

Following up her triumphant album My Method Actor, the British singer/ guitarist reteams with producer Will Archer for more yearning balladry and propulsive beats. It’s only four songs, but for us devotees a welcome morsel while we wait for the next LP.

A Canadian-Jamaican DJ who’s comfortable blending everything from jungle to techno to pop into one spicy brew, Bambii weaves a wide roster of guests into her second album. It’s a headspinning journey over 12 tracks, sure to move your hips if you’re that way inclined.

Listen to Tony Stamp play more tracks from The Bell, the Swan & the Golden Threadon Music 101 on Saturday 23 August.