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CD Review
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All Music, CD Review >>
The problem with Scandinavian folk music is usually that dang jaw harp.
On the third album from Finnish-Norwegian power-folk band {$Frigg}, the jaw
harp is there, but it's nicely buried in the sound by multiple fiddles,
mandolin, guitars, the occasional bagpipe, dobro and even horns. The band's
sound is lushly produced and at times almost slick, but their energy keeps
them from tipping over insto sappiness. So does their cheerfully promiscuous
approach to national sources, which results in numbers like {&"Polka
International de Louisiane"} (with its country-rock rhythm and laughing horn
chart) and the strange and wonderful title track, which combines a swinging
lilt with a crooked rhythmic structure and a melody that sounds for all the
world like it could have come straight out of Texas. ({&"Jalla Jalla"}
features a charmingly crooked rhythm as well.) The album ends with a
tremendous bang: {&"Lars Lenkelifot"} is a jig with a soaringly beautiful melody which then turns into a choral song and then segues into a complex and gorgeous coda for horns. An amazing end to an amazing album.
By: Rick Anderson 10/21/08 >> go there
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