Tag Archives: Nordic music

Päivi Hirvonen’s Kallio

Kallio is the second solo album from Päivi Hirvonen, a Finnish folk singer and fiddler, but it scans like the work of a mature artist who knows where she’s going and what she’s doing. To be fair, Hirvonen has been … Continue reading

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Various artists’ Folk and World Music Galore Vol 1

Over the past couple of years I’ve greatly enjoyed reviewing a number of offerings from the German family of labels Nordic Notes and CPL-Music. Their releases cover a much greater variety than I am capable of covering (or even aware … Continue reading

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Gåte’s Iselilja

In 2003 I wrote that Gåte had taken folk rock into the 21st century with their first full length CD Jygri. After having sold more than 40,000 copies of that album and been awarded a platinum record in Norway for … Continue reading

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Fylgja’s Strå

“Fylgja” in Scandinavian folklore is a guardian spirit that appears in dreams, a spirit often seen as female. Fylgja in contemporary music is a group composed of three Danes and two Swedes, with strong roots in traditional Scandinavian music and … Continue reading

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Al Reko and Oren Tikkanen’s The Finn Hall Recordings

Judith Gennett wrote this review. “The music and dancing was what we went for. And there was Viola on the bandstand, a big woman with her accordion strapped to her chest. And always a big smile on her face. And … Continue reading

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Ale Möller’s The Horse and the Crane, and Myllärit’s In the Light of the White Night

Brendan Foreman wrote this review for Folk Tales. Ale Möller’s The Horse and the Crane is a thoroughly entertaining, thoroughly entrancing set of music made for a theatre concert based upon a set of novels by Sara Lidman about the … Continue reading

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Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus’s Lopunajan Merkit, and Itku Pitkasta Ilosta

Judith Gennett wrote this review. Timo and his Trio Niskalaukaus (“Neckshot”), along with their soulmates Viikate (Scythe), perform Finnish metal … cult ethno metal might be a good term to use. Unlike Viikate, who incorporate depressing vignettes of rural Finnishness … Continue reading

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Samla Mammas Manna’s Kaka

Naomi de Bruyn wrote this review. This is a brilliant quartet out of Sweden. They are full of hi jinx and hilarity in between tracks – and sometimes during. Not only that, but they are very talented musicians and would … Continue reading

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Tapani Varis’s Jews Harp

Liz Milner wrote this review. It’s hard to develop warm and fuzzy feelings for an instrument that produces the sounds of prolonged belching. Nonetheless, I was prepared to try. Listening to a master musician has often opened my ears to … Continue reading

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Espen Berg Trio’s Fjære

Fjære is the fourth album by Espen Berg Trio, an award-winning jazz trio from Norway. Composer and pianist Berg in 2016 received Norway’s biggest jazz scholarship, which led to a commissioned work for the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. The trio’s recordings, … Continue reading

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