Tag Archives: Nordic music

Various artists’ Folk and World Music Galore Vol. 3

The German label Folk Galore, part of the CPL-Music group, has put together this year’s compilation of top tracks from the group’s 2024 folk music releases. Folk and World Music Galore Vol. 3 is, as usual, a good way to … Continue reading

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Gjermund Larsen Trio’s Christmas Sessions, and Berit Opheim’s Helgasong

If you’re looking for some winter holiday music that almost totally avoids the familiar and yet is still recognizable as yuletide music, here are two that fit the bill, one by a longstanding Norwegian folk trio, the other by a … Continue reading

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Annbjørg Lien’s Aliens Alive

Asher Black wrote this review. “Behind every traditional hardanger fiddle tune there is always a story, always a fairy tale, and you actually tell the stories when you play the fiddle.” ~Annbjørg Lien Annbjørg Lien finds, in folk music, everything … Continue reading

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Hulbækmo & Jacobsen Familieorkester’s Rundsnurrknurr


Rundsnurrknurr is pure musical fun. The music of Hulbækmo & Jacobsen Familieorkester is based on Norwegian folk dance music, but the proclivities and unbounded creativity of the four multi-talented players take it in too many wild directions to count. This … Continue reading

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Gangar’s Brobakken

The Norwegian folk (hard-) rock band Gangar, one of my current favorites, has a new single out, to keep their worldwide fans happy while they’re touring Australia. “Brobakken” is an instrumental reinlender (what the Norwegians call a schottisch) after the fiddling … Continue reading

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Nils Økland Band’s Gjenskinn

The advance for Gjenskinn arrived on a Friday in mid-February and I spent most of the weekend listening to it on repeat. It’s music that perfectly complements things like taking a rainy walk on a cold February day. This is … Continue reading

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Väsen and Hawktail in concert

OK, so I haven’t been paying close attention, but I signed on to go see Väsen and Hawktail on a damp February night in Oregon. Because I’ll pretty much always go see the contemporary Swedish roots musicians of Väsen when … Continue reading

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Liv Andrea Hauge Trio’s Ville Blomster

This trio’s first studio album opens with what could be a classical solo piano piece, a lilting parlor waltz with a hint of jazz in a couple of blue chords. But over its five minutes it slowly opens up into … Continue reading

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Marthe Lea Band’s Herlighetens Vei

Stretching jazz in different directions is a common goal of the members of the Marthe Lea Band, and this Norway-based quintet certainly does just that on its sophomore date Herlighetens Vei. With sounds and influences as wide-ranging as Ugandan and … Continue reading

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Naaljos Ljom’s 2

Cutting edge electro-acoustic Nordic folk is as close as I can come to putting the music of Naaljos Ljom in a category. But why categorize, why not just listen? “Microtonal folk music mixed with electronics and noise” is the description … Continue reading

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