8/10

Ever since she first emerged with her breakthrough debut album 'Viscera' in 2011, Jenny Hval has proven herself as one of the more adventurous and explorative names working today. While the Norwegian artist has leant herself to numerous collaborations and projects since then, it is her own solo material that has proven the most transportive and eclectic, regularly branching out from convention in order to pursue something new and exciting. And now after a few years away from the studio, she returns with her eighth solo effort 'Classic Objects', a record that builds on everything she has developed before.

For this new collection, Hval muses over her place as a musician but also a human being with stories to tell. Seeing herself more through the lens of a conventional artist, who looks to fuse personal traits with the abstract, 'Classic Objects' offers up some of her most intrinsic material to date. Regularly adopting a diverse approach to instrumentation in order to broaden the aesthetic of her songwriting, she sweeps and swoons her way through a beautifully rich and soaring array of cuts, conceiving this experimental yet engaging release that grows and swells at every opportunity.

There has never been any doubt toward the sprawling talent of Jenny Hval, but this new collection proves that her spark is far from diminishing right now. 'Classic Objects' stands as one of her most progressive offerings to date, and delivers another vibrant dose of allure that is hard to find these days.