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Jameson is joined by Maria Franz and Ingrid Aune Falch to talk about Songleikr's history with Midgardsblot and how important storytelling is as a part of Songleikr's music (and folk music in general). After taking us through their history with "medieval music", we get into a rather difficult and provocative discussion about what Nordic folk even is, with Maria and Ingrid both offering extensive commentary on the growing misuse of the term over the years. This particular conversation has been central to the Nordic Sound, and so I anticipate a lot of productive discussion to grow out of what was started here - especially as the vocalist of Heilung, a band so often labeled as Nordic Folk, Maria's perspective is a much needed shake-up to the conversation.
We wrap up the discussion with the question of how Nordic music has exploded over the years and the kind of changes that has brought to the scene, with yet another complex conversation about heritage and roots as they pertain to the reception of Nordic music.
Thank you both for the lively and productive discussion... we've all had quite a bit to think about since recording this!
0:00 Least chaotic nordic sound intro
3:09 Midgardsblot
13:54 Storytelling through music
22:44 Early experiences with "medieval" music
42:30 The Folk Music Question
1:00:07 Heritage and the Nordic music boom
1:14:14 What's next for Songleikr?
The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons:
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In Nordic Sound #40, Jameson is joined by Kjell Braaten to talk about Kjellâs approach to skaldic performance and his recent collaboration on the beautiful Lithuanian sutartines project with Stuba and Skaidra JanÄaitĂ© as part of an ongoing mission to preserve and revitalize Lithuanian communal singing tradition.
Key topics in this conversation include Kjell telling why skaldic tradition inspires him, how music is a form of active and communal remembering of the past, if viking music can ever be authentic, and a deeper discussion about the value of celebrating the living traditions around us that are at risk of being lost.
Jameson Foster is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Colorado Boulder specializing in Nordic music traditions with a focus on pagan revivalism.
0:00 Introduction
1:20 Skaldic music
12:53 Do limitation help creativity?
23:32 Making mistakes as a solo performer
28:59 Sources for skaldic performance
38:00 Music as memory
49:00 Sutartines and Stuba
58:26 What are Sutartines?
1:06:00 Serendipitous Meeting
1:11:14 Living Lithuanian traditions
1:22:00 Why vikings?
Previous interview with Kjell:
Nordic Sound #8 - https://youtu.be/Ch6-4uCUT00
The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons:
Alex
George
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Carrie
Gen
Leigh
Mike
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Eric
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Dan
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In this co-sponsored event between ByNorse and the University of Colorado Boulder's Ethnomusicology and Nordic Studies departments, Einar joins Jameson in front of a live audience to talk about the animist cosmology behind Wardruna's music, what animism means to Einar, how Wardruna's music has (or hasn't) changed over time, and an inevitable deep discussion about questions of authenticity and reconstructionism often nagging the reception of Wardruna's music. The interview concludes with a thought-provoking conversation regarding the bear, the namesake of Wardruna's upcoming record "Birna", and how Wardruna's music continues its mission to ask questions and give voice to nature and the ecological problems we face today.
Being live, and with the Nordic Sound being very DIY, there are some inevitable imperfections in the audio quality. Thank you for listening!
0:00 Intro
2:50 Red Rocks
6:18 Being a Cultural Ambassador
10:20 How has Wardruna changed over time?
15:13 Any lasting influence from Einar's heavy metal background?
17:04 The Animism of Wardruna
22:49 Animism in Nordic cultural heritage
25:40 Reconstructionism and Authenticity
38:31 Birna
47:44 Q+A
The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons:
Alex
George
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Carrie
Gen
Leigh
Mike
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Clayton
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Eric
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Dan
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In this monumental installment of the Nordic Sound, Jameson is joined by Mari Boine to reflect on her childhood, the rise and influence of her career through Gula Gula, how she has come to be an influential icon to so many around the world, and her place as a powerful voice for SĂĄmi culture since the 1980s.
Along the way, Mari explains what Joik means to her and how it relates to her belief that music has an ineffable power to remind us of our elemental humanity, while also reflecting on how proud she is of the new wave of SĂĄmi poets, artists, and musicians today. To conclude, we discuss Mariâs perspective on the cultural exchange between Nordic and SĂĄmi music, and the indisputable influence SĂĄmi music tradition, and Mariâs music specifically, continues to have on the new Nordic and global âVikingâ music scene. In this summary, Iâd be remiss to ignore the touching and raw conversation Mari sparks about her struggle with, and for, her identity and heritage throughout her career.
On a personal note from Jameson: this conversation has singularly made the years of effort put into the Nordic Sound project my most meaningful endeavor as a musicologist. My sincerest gratitude to Mari for giving me her time amidst her tour, and to ByNorse for organizing this special interview. I could end the project here and feel like Iâve done something worthwhile⊠but we all know Iâm taking this thing to the grave.
I hope you enjoy this conversation with the quâ an icon of Nordic music.
0:00 Intro
0:47 Signing with ByNorse
4:05 Mariâs Childhood
8:55 What is Joik?
13:29 Into the Music Industry
17:18 Learning SĂĄmi History in College
18:35 Gula Gula and SĂĄmi Heritage
23:11 The Reception of Gula Gula
27:40 Music as Catharsis
29:19 A Reluctant Leader
36:20 Alva
40:46 SĂĄmi Issues and Environmentalism
49:37 SĂĄmi Arts and Culture Today
54:25 Misconceptions about SĂĄmi Music
56:52 SĂĄmi Influence on New Nordic Music (Wardruna, etc.)
The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons:
Alex
George
Bets
Carrie
Gen
Leigh
Mike
Cindy
Clayton
Drake
Eric
Jamie
Julia
Mary
Michael
Sean
Simon
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Jonas Lorentzen returns to the Nordic Sound to discuss what Nebala's been up to since last time we met. In this conversation, we have a retrospective on the debut album, and where Jonas wants to take Nebala's sound and vision from there. We also discuss singing as community and Jonas' singing workshops, ponder why we don't sing as much as we used to, and of course, talk about the kickstarter that will be helping Nebala's next album now that Jonas has gone Indie. Oh, and would it be a Jonas episode if we didn't contend with questions of cultural appropriation?
0:00 Intro
1:30 Retrospective on Nebala's debut album
12:55 Working on new Nebala material
18:50 The craft of an album
24:16 Singing as Community
30:00 Why don't we sing anymore?
42:40 The future of Nebala and working with Christopher Juul
48:20 Kickstarter
1:00:25 Fire in the Mountains
1:00:10 Jonas contends with Cultural AppropriationSupport the show
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(#35 with RĂșnahild is only available on Youtube due to unfortunate audio issues on my end)
Today I am joined once again by Nils Edström, the man behind HindarfjĂ€ll perhaps best known for his performance of My Mother Told Me with Peter FranzĂ©n from the Vikings television series. Iâve had Nils on before, but now he is back to talk about his latest album Seden which released almost a month ago to the day.In this interview, Nils talks about his trips to Italy and his experience at this yearâs Midgardsblot before we turn the conversation to his origins in the pagan/viking music genre. As is tradition, black metal plays a part in introducing Nils to the old ways, though he himself is not the most dedicated listener of black metal, showing us yet again that the ideology of black metal seems to transcend the music itself. Nils takes us through his nature walks as a kid with his friends as well as his walks with his grandmother learning the names of the trees, where from a young age Nils had an inclination towards animistic questions and perspectives.
He was brought to this genre by the way of Wardruna, MĂ„negarm, and Anders Hagberg, which gave him a more suitable expression for his love of nature, mythology, and older ways. In talking about his growth through the years leading up to Seden, Nils and Jameson talk about the importance of being self-critical (in a healthy amount) to grow as a musician, as well as the experiences heâs had writing and making the music of Seden. We talk about that pesky âis this folk musicâ question, as well as conflicts of theory and intuition when it comes to writing music. We then spend a long time diving into the mythology of Seden in which Nils takes us through his perspectives on things like Odin, Yggdrasil, Asatru, and thanks to a misunderstanding on Jamesonâs part (it keeps him humble): Seidr vs Seden and reconstructionists.Thank you for coming back on the podcast, Nils, and congratulations on a stellar album.
0:00 Intro
2:57 Midgardsblot
4:20 Performing with Peter Franzén
5:45 Filling in for GĂ„te
7:21 How Nils got into Pagan folk music
10:21 Nature walks with Nils
12:30 Early HindarfjÀll inspirations
15:17 The rise of Nordic Animism
18:55 The Black Metal influence
20:35 HindarfjĂ€llâs instrumentation
23:40 The Folk Music Question
30:20 Seden
37:00 The harmonies of HindarfjÀll
41:38 The mythology of Seden
1:04:32 The songs of Seden
1:08:58 Seden restrospective
1:15:17 Whatâs next?
1:20:02 Nils turns to Scuzzlebutt
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In this very special Nordic Sound Channel interview, I sit down with Espen Winther of Eldrim for an exclusive early look at the new record "Daudrastev" as we preview and discuss each track before the album releases.
Espen has long been a vocal supporter of the channel, and it's truly been an honor to do this special collaboration in anticipation for both the new album release and the return to Midgardsblot. Cheers Espen, and thank you for trusting the channel with this cool opportunity to do something a little bit different.
So sit back, relax, and let Espen take us through not only his story, but the story of Eldrim's new record "Daudrastev".Support the show
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In Nordein's newest offering, "Reisa", we're given a three-course meal teasing some new and old ideas to expect from the project in the future, taking us from the world of early 2000s "celtic" folk world of into a more contemporary dark folk sound by the EP's end. A short review for a short EP - let's talk about it!
"Nordein, fronted by Norwegian musician and producer JĂžrn Ăyhus, blends Nordic folk with rich, evocative sounds. Known for his work with Nordjevel, Varde, and Byrdi, JĂžrn brings a unique touch to Nordeinâs three albums and new EP, Reisa. This latest release merges traditional and modern elements, capturing the essence of nature's rebirth.
Nordein have for the past years been the main focus, with its three full length albums plus a handful of singles. Reisa is the new EP, hinting both backwards and forward in time musically, hailing back to the debut Nordariket, as well as pointing to new soundscapes. Spring is a journey on its own, beginning with melancholic Irish bouzouki in the forest accompanied by a owl (own night time recording). The track evolves beautifully from an introspective dark folk mood into a triumphant blooming ritual of spring, with sounds of flutes, choirs, viking drums and strings. Listening to the track is like going from a misty and gloomy early dawn, through full blown sunny mid-day and into the night. Spring is the celebration of nature coming back to life after the harsh northern winter, and encapsulates the very essence of growing, blooming and thriving, though with thoughtful undertones all the way."Support the show
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One of my favorite groups in the Nordic folk scene today is finally back, joined by the wonderful Norwegian hardanger fiddler Gura Kvifte Neisheim for the new maritime record "Kystnaert"
This has been my most anticipated album of the summer, and for good reason. I fell deeply in love with this group back in 2016 with their incredible "The Moon We Watch Is the Same" due to the fresh, exciting, and organic nature of their sound and original instrumentation which continued through "Neighbourhood" and "Sofa Songs".
Kystnaert has delivered in every way, and I really hope you all give this album a spin to experience the many things to love about the Floating Sofa Quartet.
"Revived coastal music from Norway, Sweden, Denmark & Finland.
For almost a decade Floating Sofa Quartet (FSQ) has been working across borders with their own take on Nordic folk music â shedding light on the shared cultural heritage of the Nordic countries and creating music that is both preserving and renewing their tradition(s).
Now FSQ joins forces with the renowned Norwegian fiddler Guro Kvifte Nesheim to take a plunge into the kindred musical traditions of the coastal regions of Norway, Sweden, Denmark & Finland!
Commissioned by the Farsund Folk Festival the project KystnĂŠrt (near the coast) is centered around the regional folk music of Agder in sourthern Norway â a tradition that has a clear kinship to the music of its neighbouring countries. With Agder as a starting point KystnĂŠrt explores the similarities between an assortment of musical bits and pieces from the Nordic coastal regions, fusing them all into a vivid contemporary concert experience."Support the show
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Let's dive into the debut album from a daring new folk/jazz quartet from Sweden.
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A new kind of album review on the Nordic Sound Channel. And what better way to return to the grind than with a new release from one of my favorite Nordic singers, EivĂžr.
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"EivĂžr calls her Nordic home in the remote Faroe Islands a landscape of extremes. Sitting in the North Atlantic Ocean just above Scotland and southeast of Iceland, with a total population of about 50,000, the climate is âfull of contrastsâvery dark, heavy winters and bright summers.â Growing up in a small village there, of about 400 people, itâs those contrasts that have inspired EivĂžrâs music throughout her career.
Often considered to be one of the most prolific and unique Nordic artists of her generation, EivĂžr has released 11 studio albums to date, crossing musical genres and always pushing the envelope of the expected. Awarded with the Nordic Council Music Price in 2021, EivĂžrâs musical journey continues to fascinate and has seen her perform across the globe; from Europeâs biggest festival stages to providing the soundtrack to Netflixâs hit series The Last Kingdom and the video game God of War: Ragnarök.
Her forthcoming new album ENN ties back to EivĂžrâs Nordic roots. Most of the lyrics, sung entirely in Faroese, were penned in collaboration with the Faroese poet Marjun SyderbĂž KjelnĂŠs. EivĂžr calls the lyrics to the title track especially âhardcore.â The song is about warââthe wars that are going on in the world especially lately, but that have always been going on,â EivĂžr says, âand how to find a glimpse of light in this overwhelming darkness.â The guttural penultimate track, âUpp Ăr Ăskuni,â is a thrilling outlier mixing growling beatboxing with visceral throat singing (itâs certainly EivĂžrâs most metal moment).
ENN stands out among EivĂžrâs discography as a bold new venture. Her debut for Season of Mist, the album leans heavier into dark electronics. Her new Prophet-5 synthesizer hardly made it out of the box before she keyed up âHugsi Bert Um Tegâ, a swooning bit of dream-pop that dances like the colors of the milky way.
On a grand scale, ENN follows a cosmic arc. The title track is a symphonic, war-torn space odyssey. But the album also dwells on more earthly concerns. Lead single âJardartraâ is told from the perspective of a wounded mother earth, who calls to us with a steadily thumping bassline thatâs as dark and warm as our planetâs molten core. âCome lie down in my blue embraceâ, EivĂžr sings, reaching into her operatic register, as if beckoning us toward the light.
On ENN, EivĂžr moves heaven and earth."Support the show
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In a first for the channel, multi-instrumentalist and folk musician Chris Welsh sits down with me in my own living room to talk about his storied career with over a decade as Sun and Moon Dance, his multiple collaborations with some Nordic Sound Channel fan favorites, and his perspectives as an American working in the Nordic music scene. Along the way, Chris reflects on the importance of animism and land stewardship in his creative voice, some minor grievances with the dark folk scene, and his own work cleaning up thousands of pounds of litter from the North Carolina wilderness with his Clean Sacred Lands project and how it relates back to his music.
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Join me in welcoming Jonathan Barendsma of Gealdyr, a rising star in the dark folk scene. In this conversation, Jonathan and I discuss the importance of music and art as escape and vicarious living for those in difficult situations, a mutual love of soundtracks, and dancing the line between Nordic and Celtic soundworlds.
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In this very special episode I'm joined by fellow musicologist and mentor Ross Hagen to talk heathen musicology and how he and Mathias Nordvig went about approaching "Ancestral North: Spirituality and Cultural Imagination in Nordic Ritual Folk Music" - a musicological book on the nordic pagan music scene. Thanks for the good hang Ross!
"Ancestral North: Spirituality and Cultural Imagination in Nordic Ritual Folk Music offers a detailed exploration of Nordic ritual folk music, a music scene focused on the revival of ancient folkways and archaic music that has found remarkable popularity around the globe. Once the domain of Viking reenactors and neopagan practitioners, the niche sonic and visual aesthetics of this music have found widespread visibility through a new generation of popular films, television series, and video games. The authors argue that many of these musical and media products connect with longstanding cultural attitudes about the Nordic region that conceive of it as wild, exotic, and dangerous, while also being a place of honor, community, and virtue. As such, the Nordic region and its music often becomes a vessel for reactionary escapes from all manner of modern discontentment. However, the authors also posit that spending time re-creating the music of an imaginary past offers participants the possibility for engagement and re-enchantment in the multicultural present."
Link to the Book
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https://seidrblot.bandcamp.com
In this interview, I'm happy to be joined by Visy Bloodaxe of Seidrblot to talk about a range of topics including the music he makes with the band, working with wood, how a love of medieval music led to him learning how to build his own instruments, and finding escape through music in a world filled with noise.Support the show
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Do musicians get the final say in what their music is called, and is genre meant to be a literal descriptor of the music we hear?
In the 3 years Iâve been running this channel, covering the music of Wardruna, Heilung, and almost everything in that sphere, I have had endless conversation over what to call this music with many alternatives offered for the sake of âanything but Viking musicâ. Dark folk, pagan folk, nordic folk (the worst option for reasons obvious to traditional musicians), heathen folk, new nordic folk⊠and even the major artists themselves have been outwardly disassociating from the level. But why donât any of the alternatives stick instead of Viking music?
Join me in this conversation about the contentious yet seductive nature of the Viking music phenomenon from the perspective of an ethnomusicologist. Questions here are posed around the nature of genre, the binding themes of this music scene, artist and audience perspectives, and whether or not any of this is about historical accuracy at all, and if that matters to the ultimate enduring label of Viking music.
Or, can we not change how we talk about Viking music at all before we change how we talk about the Viking age itself?
My ultimate hope is that questions brought up in this video start some needed conversations to be carried on as this genre continues to grow, instead of continuing the trend of dancing around the subject as we run on the euphemism treadmill. Because remember, I donât have the answers, only the questions. The answers are what we as a community make them to be.
Thank you for watching.
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Long have I been enchanted by the music of Ăvestaden. The way these captivating musicians utilize instruments typically associated with dark folk (such as the lyre and bukkehorn), but instead put it in a folktronica setting where it somehow just fits so organically is a feat within itself. Solen var bĂ€ttre dĂ€r was on my top 10 albums of 2023 not only because of this incredibly original use of familiar instruments, but also because the songwriting is on another level of melancholy - reaching out to the feeling of nostalgia and yearning for a better time in a way that only music could. So, join me in welcoming Kenneth, Eir, and Levina onto the Nordic Sound Channel for the first (and hopefully not the last) time as they bring us into their musical world.
Thumbnail photo: Klara Bond
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In this installment of the Nordic Sound Channel, I sit down with pagan folk veteran Kati RĂĄn to talk about her two decades in the nordic dark folk scene, the changes she's seen take place over time, and of course, her new album SĂĄla and her approach to the feminine skaldic perspective. Thanks for joining Kati, I'm really glad we got to tread some new ground for the channel in this chat!
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A very different interview this time around talking to a fellow academic! Join me in picking Ruben's brain about his archaeology scholarship on immersive sound in museums and music's ability to cultivate affective attachment to our world and history.
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What a crazy, eclectic month for Nordic music! As good a time as any to try out recording in 4k ;)
All of the new music this month (including singles and others not included in the video) are now featured in the Nordic Sound Channel's Discovery playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LMGZolMTYQgLu0uFbEHgO?si=b43d29f7017d4917
Join the patreon for the Nordic Sound Journal and the listening circles: Patreon.com/nordicsoundchannel
Written reviews over on Medium at Medium.com/@nordicsoundchannel
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:37 Lindy-Fay Hella and Dei Farne - Islet
5:45 UdÄd - UdÄd
9:03 Mads KjĂžller Henningsen, Niller Rasmussen, Clara Tesch - Rundt Segen
11:13 From the Infinite Light - Iterum Nata
13:58 Gjenskinn - Nils Ăkland Band
18:38 Men Guâs hond er sterk - Hamferâ
20:48 OdrĂŒngal - NordstilleSupport the show
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