Pitchfork

Iceland's Amiina recently set to music what's said to be Lee Hazlewood's final recording, resulting in the previously posted "Hilli (At the Top of the World)". At first glimpse, the video might seem not to adapt Hazlewood's lyrics literally. Like a tough grandfather lovingly reading Dr. Seuss, Hazlewood intones, "At the top of the world, there's an island, a place where the sun never shines/ But the people don't care because the snow over there is so bright, they nearly go blind." However, we see no snow, only a young woman in a Little Red Riding Hood coat striding gracefully through a field, arriving on a boat, and bringing a package to a friend whose blue stockings match hers. Smiles abound. And then, as the Icelandic quartet's strangely affecting arrangement continues to unfold, the video turns out to be a depiction of Hazlewood's fairy story, after all. Let it snow.

[digital single; due 12/11 on iTunes and 12/18 worldwide on Ever]