Tag Archives: Nordic music

Færd’s Færd, Harv’s Töst!, Spælimenninir’s Spælimenninir Í Hoydølum, Rekavidur – Hinvegin, and Umaftur, and Bukkene Bruse’s The Loveliest Rose

You’ll likely remember Karen Tweed (accordion) and Ian Carr (guitar) from Swåp, but both of ’em also played in Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell’s band, as well as more projects than one should attempt to remember! I’d expect anything that they … Continue reading

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Gangar’s Tre Danser EP

If you’ve been wishing for some heavy metal arrangements of Nordic folk tunes, St. Nicholas has heard you and answered with this fresh new recording. Tre Danser is the first release from the Norwegian folk-rockers Gangar, a brief three-song EP … Continue reading

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Lena Willemark’s När som gräset det vajar, Ale Möller Band’s Bodjal, and Maria Kalaniemi Trio’s Tokyo Concert

I’ve seen Lena Willemark play with Frifot more times than I can remember. Frifot is Willemark on voice and fiddle, Per Gudmundson on fiddle and bagpipe, and Ale Möller on mandola, hammered dulcimer, and flutes. Their music is some of … Continue reading

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Trygve Seim and Andreas Utnem’s Christmas Songs

If you’re up for a new jazz-inflected holiday album, Trygve Seim and Andreas Utnem’s Christmas Songs might just do the trick. Especially if you look fondly upon George Winston’s breakthrough album December. Not that it’s very much like that multi-platinum … Continue reading

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Uusikuu’s Karuselli

Life seems very serious these days, and a lot of music is very serious, too. But sometimes it’s good to dive into some music that’s just fun, and that’s what the Nordic ensemble Uusikuu is handing out on a cake … Continue reading

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Lodestar Trio’s Bach to Folk

These days I particularly enjoy music that combines roots or folk music with other traditions including jazz and classical. The musicians of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland seem particularly adept at this sort of thing: Norwegian guitarist Jakob Bro, the … Continue reading

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Enkel’s Love Hurts

The third studio album by Finland’s folk quartet Enkel is an altogether enjoyable affair. Enkel is Finnish for angel, and Leija Lautamaja, Miia Palomäki, Maija Pokela, and Iida Savolainen indeed sing like angels, sometimes solo or in duet, sometimes all … Continue reading

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Erlend Apneseth’s Nova

I’m usually not a huge fan of strictly solo instrumental albums, but I can easily overlook that rule of thumb for Erlend Apneseth’s Nova. It’s hard to overstate just how much I enjoy this record. Some of that is simply … Continue reading

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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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