Tag Archives: Nordic music

Trond Kallevåg’s Amerikabåten

Norwegian guitarist and composer Trond Kallevåg’s Amerikabåten is one of my favorite albums of 2023 – and of this still young though momentous decade. It’s his third as a leader on Hubro, following his acclaimed 2019 debut Bedehus & Hawaii, … Continue reading

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Gangar’s Stubb, Fränder’s Fränder II, and Rüüt’s Kiriküüt

Gangar’s Stubb Norwegian metal folk-rock is one of my new favorite things, thanks to Gangar. We already previewed the first single from Stubb back in June (2023). As I said of “Sukkeri er søtt” (“Sugar is Sweet”) at the time, … Continue reading

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Vimma’s Tornadon Silmässä

A listener, especially one who doesn’t speak Finnish, could be excused for mistaking the music on Vimma’s Tornadon Silmässä for standard World music folk pop. The pretty voice of Eeva Rajakangas and the catchy, often lilting melodies of main composer … Continue reading

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The Poozies’ Changed Days, Same Roots

The Poozies include Karen Tweed (accordion, vocal), Patsy Seddon (electro-harp, Aziliz – a small Celtic harp, fiddle, vocal), Mary MacMaster (electro-harp, Aziliz, temple bells, clarsach, vocal), and Eilidh Shaw (fiddle, vocal). This recording is my introduction to the group and … Continue reading

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Trond Kallevåg’s Fargo single

One of the albums I listened to the most during the darkest days of the Covid pandemic was Norwegian guitarist Trond Kallevåg’s Bedehus & Hawaii, released by Hubro in 2019. So I’m especially happy to learn that Hubro is scheduling … Continue reading

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Emilia Lajunen’s Vainaan perua: Satavuotinen Sakka (Legacy Of The Dead: Deep In The Dregs)

”Plays like a village full of haunted fiddlers,” wrote the leading Finnish newspaper about Emilia Lajunen. I found this quote on Finnish fiddler Emilia Lajunen’s website while looking for more information about her staggering new solo album. It’s titled Vainaan … Continue reading

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Emmi Kuittinen’s Surun Synty

Finnish folk singer Emmi Kuittenen and her trio of backing musicians delve into various shades of nostalgia, longing and mourning on her debut album Surun Synty (The Birth of Sorrow). Solidly based in Finnish folk traditions but with touches of … Continue reading

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Sinikka Langeland’s Wind And Sun

Magical. That’s the first word that came to mind as I listened to Sinikka Langeland’s Wind And Sun. This is Langeland’s 11th solo album and seventh on ECM (her work has also appeared on Grappa and Heilo labels). I first … Continue reading

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Morten Georg Gismervik’s Dunes at Night

Here’s an album that’s hard to categorize. The young Norwegian guitarist and composer Morten Georg Gismervik’s Dunes at Night draws on contemporary jazz, classical, progressive, film scoring, and the wintry pallette of atmospheric Nordic jazz to tell a story of … Continue reading

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Silver Arm’s Never Despair

The world is a strange place, full of people who think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. In Europe, where I live, we are crowded with singers and musicians who do their best to sound … Continue reading

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