The Finnish Music Information Centre reports that the brilliant vocalist Sanna Kurki-Suonio (Hedningarna) is in a new international group called SANS, along with Andrew Cronshaw, Ian Blake and Tigran Aleksanyan: http://www.fimic.fi/fimic/fimic.nsf/0/047C0D764BC11BB0C22579220045029C?opendocument
Look for their debut album "The unbroken surface of snow", out soon under Cronshaw's name.
Besides industrial, the other thing I've been listening to a lot of recently is Swedish folk. Spotify has actually been a really great tool for this even if their genre tagging is less-than-stellar -- you just gotta know where to look if you wanna dig deep. For instance, how else would I know about Jonas Knutsson's various "Norrland" album collaborations with Johan Norberg? "Skaren: Norrland III" with Kraja? Maybe not as edgy as I usually go for, but it is undeniably gorgeous. Plenty more where that came from, too. Novices however, are very much encouraged to start with Hedningarna since they are (were?) an act that can do no wrong. "Tuuli", off the 1994 album "Trä" piles on the works: brilliant dense vocal harmonies, hypnotic beats, Wimme's excellent and unmistakable joik, witchy cackling and more -- everything the band is renown for, aside from their creative hurdy gurdy playing. Absolutely essential listening and a major influence on me and my interest in Scandinavian music.
Hedningarna - Tuuli
The good folks at MIC Norway sent me a big box of CDs earlier this week as part of their "Listen to Norway" music promotion program, so to oblige them I will attempt to do some sort of weekly feature on one of the contents therein. I'm planning on listening to most of it anyway, so why not give it focus? Now as for the types of discs they sent me, there's a good selection of pop, rock, indie and metal stuff that I've either heard before or at least somewhat familiar with, so I decided to jump into the other stuff first. I know some Norwegian jazz, mostly through artists affiliated with or , and we'll get to those in coming weeks, but it's definitely the folk music that intrigued me the most. As regular readers should know by now, I love traditional Scandinavian folk, especially when it's done in contemporary fashion ala Detektivbyrån, but I'm also quite fond of the trad stuff, it's just that I barely know where to start with it so let us consider this to be a mutual exploration. There's a lot of folk music out there and I've listened to a damn lot of Hardanger fiddle this week and while I couldn't begin to tell you the history of the style or anything about the various regional variations, I know what I like and Valkyrien Allstars are a group I definitely can get into. According to the liner notes of their self-titled debut (2007), the trio got their start as the house band at The Valkyrien Restaurant in Oslo though they definitely seemed to have moved beyond that now, having been nominated for a Norwegian Grammy and toured Japan (and released a new album "To måner", which I do not have yet). Musically speaking, they are at their essence, a Hardanger fiddle trio, though they do mix it up by adding a few extra instruments and vocals. But what I like best about them is their energy and enthusiasm, a similar trait I heard in Swedish act Hedningarna, the band that first got me interested in Nordic folk. "Å gjev du batt meg" is one of the group's mellower tracks, but I just love the vocal on it, especially frontwoman Tuva Livsdatter Syvertsen's rough-edged tone. It reminds me of Hajen/Jaw Lesson a bit, in fact they even kinda look similar as far as hairstyle is concerned. Anyhow, it's those little cracks at the edges that make it, and that's why I'm sharing this song today.
Expect more folk discoveries and other new (to me) tunage in weeks to come.
Valkyrien Allstars - Å gjev du batt meg
Hedningarna, possibly my favorite modern Swedish folk group, will be playing a bunch of dates soon after a long period of inactivity:
07/30 - Parapanda Folk, Illora (ESP)
07/31 - Intercéltico de Sendim, Sendim (POR)
08/01 - Pardiñas Festival, Lugo (ESP)
08/04 - Fashing, Stockholm (SWE)
08/05 - Warfsholmen, Klintehamn (SWE)
08/07 - Kulturbrottet, Hide (SWE)
08/15 - RonnebyFolk, Ronneby (SWE)
The likewise excellent Hurdy Gurdy will be joining them on all Swedish dates.
Detektivbyrån will be performing at this year's Nordic Roots Festival in Minneapolis, MN in late September, which will apparently be the 10th and final year of said festival. Also on the (amazing!) lineup are Hedningarna, Hoven Droven, Hurdy-Gurdy, Frigg, Väsen and many more. More details: http://www.nordicroots.org/NRF2008/index2008.html
Hey, look! More jazz to bore all you indie music fans. I make no secret that I'm a huge fan of Nordic folk-inspired jazz such as Jan Johansson and Cornelis Vreeswijk and other modern folk-influenced acts such as Detektivbyrån, Det Gamla Landet and Hedningarna, but did you know that I am also a soprano sax player? Or was I guess I should say, as I am waaaay out of practice. I know most people immediately think Kenny G when they think soprano, but please put such thoughts aside! Think John Coltrane, Steve Lacy. Anyone else! Or maybe start thinking Jonas Knutsson & Horn Please. Six sax players (from sopranino to baritone, but mostly soprano) plus a rhythm section playing "Country & Eastern" music (as the cover proclaims), or as you may have guessed, ethnic folk-inspired jazz. I became hooked on this stuff way back when John Zorn first started his acclaimed Masada project- I had been a fan of his work with Naked City among other projects, but it's his roots-based work with Masada that I consider to be his best. Did you realize that there are many similar tonal qualities in Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Scandinavian folk? It's true. The styles blend together far more easily than you might expect. That's why me, as some Jewish kid getting into Masada, can also similarly appreciate a "polska" piece from Jonas Knutsson. Now, I'm not actually posting a polka today, but you get the idea, right?
Jonas Knutsson - Bosambo-Revati
The playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Jan Johansson - Visa från Utanmyra
02. TALK 1
03. Annika Norlin/Säkert! - Generalens visa
04. Don't Be a Stranger - Mon-chi-chi
05. Audionom - In the streets
06. TALK 2
07. Elias and the Wizzkids - Fourth of July
08. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
09. Kasper Bjørke - Humming song
10. The Carny - Bestseller
11. TALK 3
12. Marybell Katastrophy - Hip
13. Flyphonic - The truth is
14. Universal Poplab - Heart apart (Timo Räisänen acoustic remix)
15. TALK 4
16. E.S.T. - Tuesday wonderland (live)
17. Rigas - Dead like you
18. TALK 5
19. Bröderna Lindgren - En hund som jag
20. Springfactory - Swedish folk highschool
21. Loud Pipes - Don't you ever
22. Sophie Zelmani - To know you
23. TALK 6
24. The State of Floral Beings - Man you owe me
25. Caitlyn - Oh no!
26. The Bombhappies - And at Belle Bed Inn, I told you
27. TALK 7
28. Brick - Call Batman
29. Smalltown - What's going on?
30. Desert Planet - Return of the ninja droids
31. TALK 8
32. Hedningarna - Neidon laulu
33. Dreamboy - What have I done
34. Captain Murphy - Sailor behaviour
35. TALK 9
36. Lemonator - Heart burns
37. The Kissaway Trail - Smother + evil = hurt
38. Johndoe - Rastløs rock'n'roll
39. Lukestar - Shade you hide
40. TALK 10
41. The Fine Arts Showcase - Teenage poetry
Christopher Porter was kind enough to pass along his full, unedited interview with Norwegian artist Sinikka Langeland for your reading pleasure - check it out!
As you may or may not be aware, one of the things I like best about Scandinavian music is the way that folk traditions are kept alive in modern times. Whether it's acts like Hedningarna or Detektivbyrån playing folk tunes using home-built instruments and electronics, Enslaved exploring their viking roots, Amorphis using the Kalevala for lyrical inspiration or Jan Johansson borrowing folk melodies for jazz (much in the same way that Sinikka does), there's a vast, rich musical heritage that's constantly being reinvigorated in new and interesting ways.
Artists confirmed for this year's Nordic Roots Festival in Minneapolis, MN on September 28-30: Sinikka Langeland Trio, JPP, [NI:D], Harv, Hedningarna (instrumental) and Den Fule (reunion). More details to come.
The final mp3 from our week of Scandinavian folk comes from Hedningarna, the group responsible for getting me seriously interested in the genre. I can still remember the first time I heard them - a friend of mine who worked at a record store had picked up a copy of "Trä" on a whim and we were both blown away by how amazing and unique it sounded. The instruments are traditional, but they're amplified and distorted and far away from the stodgy, pristine production usually found on world music recordings. I was already fairly heavily interested in Scandinavian music at the time (this was around '97, if I remember right. I was probably just getting over my At the Gates infatuation.), but hearing Hedningarna took it to the next level. This live track that I've posted for you today is a great example of what the group is capable of. Wimme starts off the piece with a joik over a droning bass note. The piece builds and band gets louder and louder until the hurdy gurdy comes in takes things to a huge, buzzing climax. It's way more intense than what most post-rock bands are capable of.
The final mp3 from our week of Scandinavian folk comes from Hedningarna, the group responsible for getting me seriously interested in the genre. I can still remember the first time I heard them - a friend of mine who worked at a record store had picked up a copy of "Trä" on a whim and we were both blown away by how amazing and unique it sounded. The instruments are traditional, but they're amplified and distorted and far away from the stodgy, pristine production usually found on world music recordings. I was already fairly heavily interested in Scandinavian music at the time (this was around '97, if I remember right. I was probably just getting over my At the Gates infatuation.), but hearing Hedningarna took it to the next level. This live track that I've posted for you today is a great example of what the group is capable of. Wimme starts off the piece with a joik over a droning bass note. The piece builds and band gets louder and louder until the hurdy gurdy comes in takes things to a huge, buzzing climax. It's way more intense than what most post-rock bands are capable of.
Hedningarna - Live from P3
We continue our exploration of traditional Scandinavian folk this week with a track from the aptly-named Hurdy Gurdy. Artist monikers don't get much more self-explanatory than that! The concept is staightforward enough: two men (Stefan Brisland-Ferner of Garmarna and Hållbus Totte Mattson of Hedningarna) and their instruments. Except that it's not really that simple - the men don't just play their instruments - they also process and chop the recordings on their computers so that every single nuance of sound you hear on the album originated from a hurdy gurdy. The so-called "medieval synthesizer" is an unexplored landscape of noise, especially when it comes to modern recording technique. It's not at all like electric guitar where there's an established and accepted standard for mic placement, tone range and so forth. Most engineers, when faced with a contraption like a hurdy gurdy, would have absolutely no idea what to do. Stefan and Hållbus use that to their advantage and are free to play around and create something completely new from the old device. It's a fascinating instrument and I highly recommend that, if the opportunity presents itself, you see it performed live. I caught Garmarna on tour a few years back and Stefan stole the show. Never would I have imagined that a hurdy gurdy player could rock out with such reckless abandon.
We continue our exploration of traditional Scandinavian folk this week with a track from the aptly-named Hurdy-Gurdy. Artist monikers don't get much more self-explanatory than that! The concept is straightforward enough: two men (Stefan Brisland-Ferner of Garmarna and Hållbus Totte Mattson of Hedningarna) and their instruments. Except that it's not really that simple - the men don't just play their instruments - they also process and chop the recordings on their computers so that every single nuance of sound you hear on the album originated from a hurdy gurdy. The so-called "medieval synthesizer" is an unexplored landscape of noise, especially when it comes to modern recording technique. It's not at all like electric guitar where there's an established and accepted standard for mic placement, tone range and so forth. Most engineers, when faced with a contraption like a hurdy gurdy, would have absolutely no idea what to do. Stefan and Hållbus use that to their advantage and are free to play around and create something completely new from the old device. It's a fascinating instrument and I highly recommend that, if the opportunity presents itself, you see it performed live. I caught Garmarna on tour a few years back and Stefan stole the show. Never would I have imagined that a hurdy gurdy player could rock out with such reckless abandon.
Hurdy-Gurdy - Venjan
PopMatters reviews Swedish folk act Triakel, a trio featuring the vocal talents of Emma Hardelin from Garmarna and members of Hedningarna: http://popmatters.com/music/reviews/t/triakel-songs.shtml
The first set of artists confirmed to appear at this year's Nordic Roots Festival in Minneapolis has been confirmed and it's a beauty: Garmarna, Hoven Droven, Triakel, Hurdy Gurdy (with Stefan Brisland-Ferner of Garmarna and Totte Mattsson of Hedningarna), Gåte, Frigg and Ellika & Solo. The event is scheduled to take place September 30 through October 2 and more details such as ticket information will be coming soon. Hopefully Gåte will do some other US dates as well.