Album Reviews

Pøbel, “In Amicis”
Pøbel is a band that plays captivating and danceable medieval music performed on a multitude of instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy, vielle, bagpipes, lute, shawm and various medieval drums. Bringing authentic instruments, tunes and costumes on to the stage Pøbel is not only a qualified guess on how a renowned “dance band” might have looked like in the late 1400s – it is also one of most busy and ambitious medieval bands in Denmark today! … ”Pøbel” is an old Scandinavian word for ”mob” or ”crowd” and as the name suggests, the approach to the music is that of the common man i.e. the music that ordinary people could have experienced at the faire or at other festive occasions around medieval Europe.

Vanvidd, “Avlivsritualer”
Hailing from Agder, what pulls me in with Vanvidd’s folk metal style is their unique and conscientious focus on 19th century romanticism and folklore which I have previously only gotten from Finntroll, and TrollfesT’s 2019 Norwegian Fairytales. Considering this is the century that gave the world Asbjørnsen and Moe’s internationally acclaimed Norwegian Fairytales (as well as Edvard Grieg, Theodore Kittelsen, Henrik Ibsen, and Edvard Munch, just to name a few), this era is rich with potential inspiration to draw from.

Afargang, “Andvake”
Andvake is the debut record of Olav Mjelva’s latest project Afargang, which announced its signing to ByNorse back in March of this year. Olav has always been something of Norwegian folk music’s “wild child” - thoroughly steeped in the traditions of Røros and Hardanger, but always exploring the boundaries of Norwegian fiddling. Not only known for his band Sver and collaboration with Eric Rydvall, he has also become something of a global face for the hardanger fiddle through his soundtrack performances on some minor projects like God of War: Ragnarök, Loki, Rings of Power, and Cocaine Bear. And, of course, many followers of the Nordic Sound will be at least somewhat familiar with this fiddling on Ivar Bjørnson and Einar Selvik’s Skuggsjá record. It’s with this hefty CV in tow that led to a highly anticipated release of this fiddling icon’s latest heavy metal endeavor.

Maija Kauhanen and Johannes Geworkian Hellman, “Migrating”
Painting vivid impressionistic landscapes through their medieval instruments, Nordic folk titans Maija Kauhanen and Johannes Geworkian Hellman join forces on their debut album Migrating.

Noiduin, “Lovi”
Rooted in ancient Finnish lore, Noiduin emerges with their first full-length album Lovi, an homage to an otherworldly state or space, a rift between worlds, and a place of crossing where the veil between the living and the dead thins. With a sound palette dominated by tagelharpa, percussion, kantele, and raw ethereal voices, Lovi brings songs both new and revisited to their already impressive repertoire.

MÍO - “Hva Nå?”
After much anticipation riding off their debut hit Ingen Tid å Miste, the Oslo underground heartthrobs of MÍO are finally back with their sophomore endeavor, Hva Nå?

Blód Dyr, “Vekja”
One of the great pleasures I take in running this platform is the excitement of catching new bands and artists early, when they’re often at their most inspired and energetic. This excitement is amplified in young and niche music scenes like pagan folk, in which there’s more room for experimentation and personal expression, and when a new band (ideally) brings something new and unexpected to the table. This was the exact excitement I felt in March 2023 when I first stumbled upon a little French outfit called Bló∂ Dyr and their fresh-off-the-press EP, Reisa.

Frigg, “Dreamscapes”
Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, Frigg have long established themselves as one of the leading string bands in Nordic folk. A small army of six musicians, what has always astounded me about the band is how effectively they use their numbers to their fullest capabilities, often times in their recordings sounding like there’s a full orchestra at their disposal. Their attention to orchestration and texture is second-to-none, and even when all three fiddles are chugging along at full steam, everything just fits into the arrangement. This rich texture of Frigg’s sound, combined with a relentless spirit for both innovation and tradition, is what sets Frigg apart as one of the most versatile and captivating bands of their generation.

Nordein, “Bergart”
Rooted in the "Nordic sound" that predates the rise of Scandinavian Black Metal, Nordein draws on a tradition that is both melancholic and uplifting, reinterpreting it in ways that transcend clichés often associated with folk-inspired music.

Dreamers’ Circus, “Handed On”
“The result of this introspection is an album that manages to at once retain the magic and soul of what makes the band so enchanting despite a more reserved and down-to-earth sound and approach to songwriting. In other words, even when you pare Dreamers Circus back to their bare essentials, they are still a one-of-a-kind ensemble. That’s something special.”

Wardruna, “Birna”
Birna is a gentle giant. It has a softness in its demeanor that allows the space for other emotions and expressions typically excluded from this style often called “dark folk”. I’m taken in by a sensitivity, and even a vulnerability, which runs through the the record compared to that icy veil of earlier albums. But make no mistake: much like the beast for which the record is named, the warmth of Birna does not sacrifice the teeth that Wardruna’s music has shown now for over a decade.

Best Nordic Records of 2024
This was the year of the fiddle. That much was easy for me to decide – this year’s fiddle albums, from flat fiddle, to hardanger fiddle, to jouhikko, are what really defined the Nordic music scene for me in 2024, what have inspired me to become a better musician myself in ways no other folk music records have, and given me music I know I will be listening to for decades to come. And looking outward, these albums have set a new standard across folk and classical scenes for what magic can be done with just one fiddle, one microphone, and one living room.