Bodies of Water, Pt. I by Minua

The record opens with Moraine, a slow-forming mass of sound where bass clarinet, euphonium, and synthesizer lock into a stratified, glacial pattern. There’s weight in this terrain, a sedimentary buildup of timbre and tone. As the track unfolds, it begins to shift and settle, like compacted snow giving way under pressure. Eventually, the mass fractures into a thrust-block of distortion—sudden and jarring—before collapsing into quieter new formations.

Within these new textures, the piece introduces a serpentine melodic motif that resurfaces throughout the album. It first appears in Oxbow, winding through the soundscape with fluid grace. The synth ticks with mechanical precision, its pulse steady like clockwork. A shruti-box hums gently underneath, and the bass clarinet and euphonium slowly emerge, their voices like sediment disturbed from stillness. The recurring motif undulates across the instruments in slow, wave-like motion.

As Oxbow progresses over twenty minutes, it builds gradually. Raphaël Rossé offers a subtle euphonium improvisation that flows naturally within the structure. Fabian Willmann introduces a rhythmic figure on bass clarinet that weaves together with the synth. A descending melodic fragment, quoting Irradiance, flickers into view—familiar, but transformed. Midway, the atmosphere darkens as a deeper harmonic field emerges and droning electric guitars fade in and out like underwater shadows. Toward the end, all voices converge in a swelling cycle. Each pass intensifies and then pulls back again, like waves in a slow storm. Eventually, the piece returns to calm, subsiding into quiet resolution. 

credits

Kristinn Kristinsson – electric guitar, synthesis
Luka Aron – acoustic guitar, modular synthesizer
Fabian Willmann – bass clarinet, clarinet
Raphael Rossé - euphonium, serpentino

All compositions by Kristinn Kristinsson.
Recorded by Adam Asnan.
Mixed by Kristinn Kristinsson.
Mastered by Luka Aron.
Cover photography by Kristinn Kristinsson.
Graphic Design by Luka Aron.
© 2025 Hout Record