The Montréal-based Swedish vocalist and composer Erika Angell defies categorization. Across sixteen independently produced albums and innumerable collaborations, Angell has been a poetic and audacious force in genre-defying music. Her voice has been described as “a guiding presence” (Exclaim) that “splits the difference between the divine and demonic, skillfully unhinged” (Under The Radar) and “sits alongside the greatest indie female artists who are not afraid of anything” (Le Devoir).
Raised on an island on the west coast of Sweden, her musical trajectory began in earnest when she moved to Stockholm in 2004 and became a member of noted collective label and venue Fylkingen (the oldest organization in Europe for experimental music and art, founded in 1933). Relocating to Montréal in 2012, her career now spans two decades, characterized by a fearless pursuit of originality, an inexhaustible desire to traverse genres, and a dedication to artistic collaboration.
Angell melds musical territories from classical, folk, rock and pop to jazz, electronic, free-improvised and avant-garde. She is known foremost for her unconventional artistry with the celebrated and Polaris-nominated avant-rock band Thus Owls, which she has co-led with her husband Simon Angell since 2007. Earlier ensembles include the Swedish vocal-bass duo Josef & Erika and the electronic noise group The Moth.
She has toured the world extensively in support of these and other projects, counting Daníel Bjarnason (Ben Frost, Sigur Rós), Liam O’Neill (SUUNS), Karl Lemieux (Goodspeed You! Black Emperor), Lisen Rylander Löve (Midaircondo) and Anders Jormin (ECM) amongst her many collaborators. Her distinctive and virtuosic voice has graced recordings and live performances with a wide spectrum of artists, including Loney Dear, Patrick Watson, Leonard Cohen, Kim Myhr, Arve Henriksen, Land Of Kush, Wildbirds and Peacedrums, La Force and The Besnard Lakes to name just a few.
More recently Angell co-founded the New Music trio Beatings Are In The Body with Róisín Adams and Peggy Lee. Her debut solo album of unfettered vocal exploration and expressionist avant-electronic composition was released on Constellation in March 2024.
“Absolutely remarkable music” ~ BBC 6
“An eerie, vocal-led gothic song-cycle, (...) laced with Patti Smith-style stream-of-consciousness poetry.” ~ The Guardian
“She seeks to create not just one world, but a constellation of planets and stars made of glimmering words, electronics and strings.” ~ The Quietus
“It feels like she’s created her masterwork” ~ Pop Matters
“Sonically alive” ~ The Arts Desk
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