"In the large deserted woods on both sides of the Swedish-Norwegian border, Finnish people settled down in the 15th- and 16th century. These areas are now called "Finnskogen", the Finnish woods. The settlers came from difficult times in Finland, and burned down forest to cultivate rye in the ashes. In these vast forests it was hard to tell if you were in Sweden or Norway. Culture does not know borders either, and the music is a common Swedish- Norwegian tradition.
So reads the intro text on "Finnskogen brinner", the collaboration between Swedish fiddle artist Patrik Andersson and his Norwegian counterpart Vegar Vårdal. I am by no means attuned to the many regional differences in Scandinavian folk tradition, so I can't begin to explain how the music of Finnskogen, but these gentlemen play beautifully together. Some of the more minimal folk records I've been listening to as part of my m/tag/listen-to-norway">"Listen to Norway" exploration (this is #5) can get grating, especially with the uncertain harmonies of the Hardanger Fiddle, but this one never falters. Two players and their instruments, maybe a little foot-tapping; that's all you need. "Dette var sagt at når Halteguten, Ola Porkkala, spilte denne valsen kunne ikke folk la vaere å gråte."
my apologies for not keeping up with weekly posts in this series, but my dayjob workload has been astounding. Rest assured, there will be lots more music (folk and otherwise) posted in weeks to come.
Danish act Ghost Society (feat. members fromBlue Foundation, People Press Play, Choirs of Young Believers) will play a new shows in the US this month:
03/21 - Littlefield, Brooklyn, NY
03/23 - Union Pool, Brooklyn, NY
03/24 - LitLounge, manhatttan, NY
03/25 - Sierra Grille music, Northampton, mA
03/26 - Castle Rockmoore, Syracuse, NY
is a new label founded by Håkan Jonson and Erik Enocksson with a focus on putting out limited edition vinyl records and books. Their first release will be "misantropi för nybörjare" ("misanthropy for beginners") by Chicagojazzen (aka Erik Karlsson of Skellefteå, Sweden), an record they describe as "37 minutes worth of instrumental pop, neatly tucked into a bed of tape-hiss and crooked arrangements owing as much to Norwegian second wave black metal and American Eastcoast hiphop as to late '80s Brittish shoegaze." The official release date is April 30 and said LP will be available limited to 250 copies on 140g white vinyl. Release #2 will be "Den vita staden", a poem by Jessica Andersson with an expected release later this coming spring. more here: https://www.irrlicht.se/
After releasing two stellar singles in 2009, Elias & the Wizzkids have returned with their second album, "Just do it!". They have changed their sound immensely since the early days, and said singles alluded to the band's new, finely honed pop sound and clean production as opposed to the alt-country leanings of their first record. I must say thought, it's quite enjoyable hearing Elias Åkesson's scratchy voice over the lush arrangements of this new set (see "Oh these nights" with it's anthemic chorus). However, the band doesn't fully forsake their old sound, they just consolidated it to the closing track "What would kill us". And it works so well, because each track recalls varying influences, and excels wholly on its own. The 80s-leaning opener "Waste of time", the 70s-pop-meets-Beatles aspect of "Crooked road" and the absolutely huge "Hit & run". But the underlying strength of each one makes this a much more cohesive set than this review may lead on -- the structure of the album is as impeccable as the songwriting and performance. It's hard not to gush (in the professional sense) over a great album, but when one hears it, it is the logical conclusion. - Matt Giordano
Check out a live video of The Tarantula Waltz playing their new single "Bacchus" with a guest appearance by Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters, Death Breath, Entombed, etc.): m/watch?v=4jtkF6WbpEQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jtkF6WbpEQ
Be sure to also peep the more/related for lots more clips from the record release show.
Elias & the Wizzkids