The Swedish nyckelharpa is a fabulous instrument. It combines the earthy, slightly rough sound that echoes from the medieval times with the fluid clarity and beauty of the classic violin. Since I first heard it when I was a teenager, already then fascinated by centuries past, I have been enchanted by it. That instrument, with … Continue reading The Väsen duo’s brilliant “Vågor” proves that two musicians are sometimes more than enough
Tag: album review
Aoife Ní Bhriain & Cormac McCarthy’s “Cosán Casta”: two masters create a unique musical presence
We humans love to label and categorize things. Be it animals, plants or historical periods, we like to see the world ordered and compartmentalized neatly into concepts that we can arrange and rearrange, that we can control. The same applies to arts where we slap labels of style and genre on to works whose creators … Continue reading Aoife Ní Bhriain & Cormac McCarthy’s “Cosán Casta”: two masters create a unique musical presence
A happy surprise: “Moment in Time” by The Gothard Sisters
I've never been much taken with the Gothard Sisters, the talented Celtic trio from the American Pacific Northwest. They started their musical careers very young indeed and now, as they have released their 17th (!!!) full length album, they are still young. Amazing. But there was always been something about their music that kept me … Continue reading A happy surprise: “Moment in Time” by The Gothard Sisters
Nigel Eaton’s “Lymington Fair”: the magic of the hurdy-gurdy
I'm absolutely fascinated by Old Music, have been ever since I was maybe 15-16 years old. Go figure…One Xmas in the early 1980's, I asked my mother for "something medieval" for a present, and she went to the biggest record store in Helsinki and got me, of all things, David Munrow's "Music of the Gothic … Continue reading Nigel Eaton’s “Lymington Fair”: the magic of the hurdy-gurdy
Pettit & Gira’s “Here to Stay”: winning fiddle/cello mastery with excellent tunes
It's always super nice to discover by chance artists you have never heard of and find out they're great! That's what's happened to me this week when I came across the North American fiddle/cello combo of Jocelyn Pettit and Ellen Gira. They are 2024 Canadian Folk Music Award Winners so it's high time I became … Continue reading Pettit & Gira’s “Here to Stay”: winning fiddle/cello mastery with excellent tunes
Superb creativity: “How To Raise The Wind” by Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola
If you have set your folk radar to scan the landscape a bit deeper, you may already be familiar with Sarah-Jane (fiddle, Scotland) and Juhani (guitars, Finland), both long time residents in Norway. Both have their own, widely respected careers in contemporary music but together, they have created several works that both retain and renew … Continue reading Superb creativity: “How To Raise The Wind” by Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola
Salt House hits another 10/10 with “Scarrow”
Scarrow - faint light, reflection, the shadow of a crow or hill, the faint light from a wall. Something gleaming intermittently or indistinctly.ˈska(ˌ)rō. plural -s. Scots. Salt House's previous album, Riverwoods, was one of my absolute favorites of 2023, an utterly entracing, beautiful work that radiated nature in music. A couple of years have passed … Continue reading Salt House hits another 10/10 with “Scarrow”
Woodlands Bäckafall’s “Traditional Colours”: joyful and borderless northern folk
I feel almost silly, having to write another "oh this album makes me so happy!" review only a few days after I went joyfully bananas over Ampouailh's latest release. But here we go... Let's begin by noting that Woodlands and Bäckafall are two separate entities that created this album as a unit. Woodlands Duo: Kristina … Continue reading Woodlands Bäckafall’s “Traditional Colours”: joyful and borderless northern folk
My soul dances with Ampouailh’s “Lang(u)ages”!
I have never been to France, so I haven't been to Brittany/Bretagne/Breizh either. I guess I should visit that northwestern corner of France, because it has a fabulous culture of Celtic music, there's a unique Celtic language and the history of the region is fascinating. And it's where the village of Asterix was located, so … Continue reading My soul dances with Ampouailh’s “Lang(u)ages”!
Fergal Scahill & Ryan Molloy’s “The Gannet’s Dive” connects trad and (almost) classical
There's something about instrumental duos. The interplay between two musicians and their tools, nothing else. Everything is there to hear, everything hangs not only on the skills of the individual musician but just as much on their communication. The earlier Scahill-Molloy album One Day :: November Woods, from a few years ago, was a prime … Continue reading Fergal Scahill & Ryan Molloy’s “The Gannet’s Dive” connects trad and (almost) classical
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