HEDNINGARNA - Tra 2LP

Is that thing on the cover the sort of tripwire trap that killed campers in movies like The Final Terror? When even Varg Vikernes is a fan you know it must be primal and Norse.

Great little folk album if you're in spiritual turmoil and need to get in touch with your inner shaman.

Part of the innovative folk movement of the nineties, where traditional elements from different European countries are combined with modern ideas. Typical instruments are fiddle, hurdy-gurdy (kind of fiddle with spinning mechanism), bagpipes, tambourine and the comical moraharpa (mouth harp).

The opening track uses the irregular time signature of 5/8. Pornopolka has obsessive rhythms over a drone. The male voices are a deep foundation. The female voices are flat without vibrato, sometimes with brief shrieks and bends. The final track Tina Vieri uses polyphonics imitations over pedal tones, along with stereo effects.