The cover of Avia Gardner?s debut strikes a delicate balance between the antique and the modern. A warn sepia toned image adorns a glossy tri-folded and sewn paper sleeve; intricate hand-drawn designs dot the landscape; liner notes are carefully written cursive text. Obvious care went into the construction of this artefact, seemingly at odds with today?s culture of consumption and destruction. The same fragility is observed in the music contained on ?More Than Tongue Can Tell.? Jenna Robertson and Mitchell Akiyama seem to reside in a world where time has fractured: ghostly horns and violins sit alongside chopped up drum patterns and chilly electronic glitch; pianos are mauled by digital carnivores, stripping the sound of flesh and leaving only skeletal remains; a storm of static assails us with gale force. The music is almost indescribable, except in terms of its dichotomy. Floating on top of the maelstrom is Robertson?s ethereal voice, breathy yet powerful. This mini-album is a welcome addition to the seemingly unending barrage of great music finding it?s way out of Montreal these days, but the short length leaves one wanting more? ?perhaps that?s the point. 8/10 -- Bryon Hayes (27 June, 2006)