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Selected Reviews for Fire Star (LP/CD, Under the Spire Recordings, 2011)

“Myrmyr’s music is distinguished by being uncompromisingly experimental yet at the same time wholly accessible, and at no time does the group’s music lose its clear sense of musicality and purpose.”
– read more at Textura

“The secret to a great deal of Myrmyr’s beauty and uniqueness lies in their instrumentation, as Szelag (a cellist) and Jakobsons (a violinist) are both gifted multi-instrumentalists with a fondness for organic, acoustic textures. Marielle and Agnes Szelag deliver an alternately enchanting and disturbing suite of classical-damaged drone pieces.”
– read more at Brainwashed

“At turns melancholic, playful, complex and for some brief moments even almost childishly simple, Jakobsons and Szelag’s songwriting strengths seem to bounce off each other, driving the album onward as each artist provides a counterpoint to the other, giving the necessary spark to inspire music of a rare calibre.”
– read more at Fluid Radio

“Really beautiful new album… casting soaring chamber compositions in perfect ambient space. This is a very, very fine album, and if like us you’re a sucker for the moody string-led romanticism of Hildur Gudnadottir, Esmerine, Max Richter, Marcus Fjellstrom, Johann Johannsson et al, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Highly recommended.”
– read more and listen at Boomkat

“Like its predecessor, the new album dissolves the lines between classical music, Scandinavian folk, texture-based experimentation, and ambience, and despite its gossamer atmospheres and un­structured feel it has some of the focus and directness of rock or pop. Moods and tone colors morph fluidly but briskly, so that the music never feels like it’s simply drifting without purpose. A clear compositional logic shapes Myrmyr’s frameworks and gestures, and it’s audible in the careful interaction among instruments.”
– read more at Chicago Reader

“‘Fire Star’ is forged from elements such as modern classical, moody post-rock and experimental folk but seems so much more dream-like and vibrant than any of that would suggest! At times it recalls some of the more ecstatic, otherworldly Bedroom Community stuff, or maybe Richard Skelton’s A Broken Consort project. Simultaneously gentle and chamber-like and overwhelmingly celebratory, this is a very full-sounding and emotional album.”
– read more at Norman Records