Jenny Hval mixes multiple languages with synth beats and complex sounds

Jenny Hval

Show: With Olga Bell on Sunday at DC9. Show starts at 9 p.m. 202-483-5000. dcnine.com. $12.

Vampirism flows in Jenny Hval's veins. Not literally, of course, but the Norwegian singer-songwriter did start her career playing black-eye shadow rock with a goth-metal band. And her new album, the fourth under her own name, is titled "Blood Bitch." It interweaves a saga derived from '70s horror flicks with another tale of blood, one reflected in such song titles as "Period Piece."

A published novelist as well as a musician, Hval takes language seriously. She studied at an Australian university and is adept at vernacular English, including taboo words. Yet her lyrics, intoned and whispered as well as sung, can melt into the complex sound mix. Relentless synth beats often drive her songs, but the pulse serves as a foundation for music that flits and murmurs. The results are as intimate as the singer's musings on life, society and female identity.

Hval acknowledges the influence of Bjork and Kate Bush, and her performances emulate their theatricality on a much smaller budget. For her 2015 tour, the props were a yoga ball, a track suit and a blonde wig. Eventually, the costume came off. That’s because the ultimate goal of Hval’s artifice is to reveal herself.

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