Album Reviews
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.