Cooler Days

Finally, the fiddle band Frigg, from Norway, has me captivated with the instrumental virtuosity found on their latest release, Grannen (Frigg 00007). Melding Finnish-Norwegian folk melodies with American and Irish folk influences, they produce a lively, entrancing sound. So layered and interwoven are the stringed instruments on this disc that it’s nearly impossible to tell the number of players, and while seven members are credited with having made Grannen, Frigg admits that their roles often shift -- all the better, for the music’s free spirit and fluidity suit an equally revolving cast of characters. The music is at times soothing and calm; the near-lullabies of "Verna" and "Jepuan Marssi" relax me into a dreamlike state. But more often, as with "Potatisvals" and the waltzing title track, I feel an exuberant spirit alive in the music that recalls a simpler time, when dancing to a good jig solved the problems of the world. Perhaps, given the chance, Frigg could still help us in that regard.