The Arts Desk

Her new album, following last year’s wonderful Viscera, is a collaboration with jazz guitarist Håvard Volden. It’s not jazz or even folk although parts evoke the Incredible String Band at their most drifting. Showcasing her conversational yet detached voice, the literate songs draw on the poetry of Hungary’s Agnes Lehóczky and dig into Hval’s exploration of the tension between the body’s conscious and involuntary functions. The sparse Nude on Sand shows that even bare bones can create an impact.