It’s taken a while, but I believe we (and by “we,” I mostly mean “I”) have all finally come to accept the fact that the mysterious audio-visual project known as iamamiwhoami was not the work of pre-Bionic era Legendtina, but rather Swedish chanteuse Jonna Lee and her producer, Claes Björklund.
Ever since those viral videos started cropping up in my inbox in early 2010, the duo has continued to create stunning visuals for their otherworldly tunes, gone on tour and put together two critically acclaimed, award-winning records — kin and bounty.
Admittedly, I’ve all but ignored much of what’s come out since those first few videos — if only because the iamamiwhoami project is so dauntingly involved.
But today, a brand new song and video surfaced, called “fountain.” And after watching, it’s become clear that there is no other option: It’s time to get re-immersed in the iamamiwhoami world.
The luscious return sees our faithful protagonist Jonna navigating out to sea, stopping briefly to put in some work on the beach. It’s a new chapter in the iamamiwhoami series — the first taste of new music in two years, in fact — which means it’s time to begin anew. And what says spiritual renewal better than some pilates in saran wrap?
The song itself is truly exquisite: It’s a little bit of a blend between the alien beauty of The Knife and Grimes (especially “Genesis”), mixed with the electronic majesty and wonderment of M83. “When all has gone to blazes, I start to run/Until I find places where nobody’s gone,” Jonna croons. Shivers for days.
This is some truly beautiful work — sonically, lyrically and visually speaking. Let us all sail away toward the great unknown with iamamiwhoami. (And I swear to God, if there’s even one lotus in any of the new videos, I’m firing up the Legendtina conspiracy theories again.)
“fountain” was released on January 22. (iTunes)