Stuck on Repeat: Spells by Jenny Hval

Sometimes a good nap is what we look forward to the moment we wake up in the morning. The overwhelming relaxation and escape of crawling into bed can often feel like descending into a magic spell. Jenny Hval perfectly illustrates this feeling through The Long Sleep. Even though this EP is really good altogether, I just want to take a second and appreciate the first song, Spells. This song is the main theme throughout the EP and is recurred at the end or beginnings of the other songs, just in different styles. This reminds me of how J.S. Bach wrote canons called The Musical Offering for Frederick the Great all based on a single theme. Each canon contains the melody but is ornamented in other ways, played by different instruments, and in different keys. Isn’t it cool seeing the influences of “The Greats” in our music today???

The song starts with sporadic and fluttery piano, along with a saxophone melody, that gradually builds the sound. The drums then enter as the other instruments fade and Hval softly sings, “You…” The singing also plays with an unstructured rhythm along with a repetitive up and down stroke of the guitar lightly playing in the background. The piano chords pound out the correct rhythm making it hard not to sway your shoulders back and forth. Once the bass comes in, we get some cool percussion sounds that add to it. Then, a full block of sound into the chorus that sends ya flyin’.

She adds a few “dah dah daht daht daht”s using only her voice and the beat with clashing harmonies that sound a bit like being in a nightmare, yet it adds to the effect of dreaming while sleeping. What I enjoy most about this part is that it feels like you’re waiting for something to happen; you feel a bit uneasy. The other instruments and voices layer on and you’re back to the chorus. She also sings a funny oxymoron, “We’ll meet in the smallest great unknown,” which I find to be a reflection of what it’s like to dream. Dreaming can feel like being put under a spell. Although it feels like it lasts all night, it typically only lasts a few seconds.

Although the song can become repetitive, Hval creatively adds voices and harmonies to her chorus that keeps you drawn in. Even a swift descending line feels like you’re falling deeper into a dream. The song ends with all the instruments slowly fading out just the way they entered and Hval singing, “You are lost exercising everything by tapping into nothing.” We are lost for just a few seconds when sleeping. There is no pain, no worries, and your mind is free.