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by Genevieve Williams
Spring has sprung, especially in my back yard where the grass and the dandelions are fighting it out for supremacy. The geese are back, and so are the robins; there are pigeons nesting in the chimney and driving the cat crazy. And just in time for spring, I have a number of new (and maybe slightly less new) CDs to put a little bounce in your Beltane circle. First and foremost, Gaia Consort Evolves with a brand-new release; three Scandinavian CDs from Baltinget (Denmark), Over Stok og Steen (Norway), and Peter Puma Hedlund (Sweden) make for plenty to get up and dance to, and the Rough Guide to Asian Underground gives us the low-down on the most successful meeting of electronic and world music yet.
The spring season brings us a brand-new album from the Pacific Northwest's very own Gaia Consort, their first since Secret Voices (Suddenly Naked Arts Collective). Titled Evolve, the new CD is an evolution from the ensemble's previous work in many respects. A fuller sound, catchier tunes and more sophisticated lyrics are on offer here as Chris Bingham and company explore more inventive musical arrangements and new lyrical takes on familiar themes. The band still has that classic/folk/prog-rock sound, but it's added a few new ingredients to make for a spicy and sometimes surprising concoction. Evolve begins with the title track, which kicks off with an exciting percussive line appropriate to the song's theme of conscious living and interconnection. The energy drops back for the thoughtful meditation of "The Scythe," but then picks right up again for the call to action given voice in "Change the Way Things Are." This ebb and flow of energy continues throughout Evolve, from the urgent motion of "Moon She Rises" to the meditative chanting of "Aradia" to the balladic rock of the pointed fable "Peace Now." "Drawing Down the Moon" is, as one might expect, the album's musical and thematic high point, and an inclusive statement of faith. Evolve is by pagans and about pagans, but it's not just for pagans--if someone were to ask you about what you believe, you could do worse than play them this. Plus it rocks.
If you need a little something to put spring in your step, look no further than...Denmark. Classic (Go' Danish Folk Music Production, www.gofolk.dk) is the new CD from instrumental ensemble Baltinget. Surfing the wave of a revival of traditional Danish music, Baltinget offers 13 tracks of highly danceable, fiddle-oriented music suitable for anything from a square dance to a circle. Traditional tunes are peppered with classical flourishes and inflections ("Mazurka efter A. Andersen" is a good example) that highlight the close association between classical and folk music in Scandinavia in general, and the ways that one can be put to the service of the other. "Mazurka" is a slow, stately piece, with a kind of lighthearted elegance, while "Falken" has a summer's-end sort of feel; but others are more upbeat. There's the "Perrevals/Reel i D" medley, for instance, that quite frankly rocks out, or "Tiger," which bounces along like a cat with a brand-new toy. If you're a fan of traditional Irish instrumental music, or of bluegrass for that matter, you'll probably find a great deal to like here, and the slightly bittersweet sunniness overall is like a promise of summer. Perfect for Beltane.
Similar in effect, though not quite as sunny, is the self-titled CD from Norwegian ensemble Over Stok og Steen (2L). The group's name means "over hill and dale," and it fits. With the exception of a few songs featuring guest vocalist Hege Nylund, Over Stok og Steen play traditional instrumental music spanning the history of Norway's Hedemarken region. This is a somewhat less accessible collection than the previous one, confined as it is to a particular region and musical tradition. Yet there is still considerable variety here, from the plaintive ballads, to the upbeat "Damerne Gaar," to the wistful waltz "Vals," to the slow, gentle, sweet "Polonaise". As one might gather from these titles, Over Stok og Steen's music has a broader range than you'd initially expect. If there is an insularity to this music, it's only that its players have adapted what they've heard from the outside world and made it their own. From stately waltzes to bouncy gallops and polkas, there's something here for every kind of springtime dance.
I was going to stay away from nyckelharpa music for at least one column, but Another Way (RPM Music) from Peter Puma Hedlund is too delightful not to share. Backed by an ensemble of friends and acquaintances, many of whom he has played with for years, Hedlund serves up a collection of mostly original material, featuring his own distinctive instrument. Like other Scandinavian string instruments such as the hardanger fiddle, the nyckelharpa is reminiscent of your standard violin, but at the same time has its own unique and decidedly less restrained timbre. It's perfect for the kind of music that is usually played on it; while often requiring as much technical discipline as classical music, it consistently gives the impression of being about to slip out of control, which makes it exciting. In this particular case, Hedlund's technical skill (he's a two-time winner of the Nyckelharpa World Championship) enables him to walk this fine line with apparent ease and also allows him to range all over the stylistic map. Many of the pieces are dance tunes, from the schottis, which have a stately, solemn energy, to the lively polskas. Of the other tunes, several were composed for particular individuals, an interesting and refreshing change from mass-produced music. With its gypsy inflection, "Hanna Larssons Schottis," a piece written for the composer's daughter, is a flight of imaginative fancy--played on the accordion, of all things. (In fact, I predict that after centuries of being the butt of every musical joke, the accordion is on the verge of becoming cool. You read it here first). Then there's "Älgmarschen," which, with its Uilleann pipes and snare drum, might have come right out of Scotland--which makes a certain amount of sense, if you think about the influence of Scandinavian culture on Scottish history. But most of all, Another Way is bursting with invention and energy, and that makes it perfect for spring.
If you've liked the Asia Massive I've recommended in previous columns (notably Karsh Kale, and some of DJ Cheb i Sabbah's work), you can get yourself a sampling on Asian Underground, courtesy of Rough Guide. This company, which also publishes a line of travel books, has released a number of compilations, some of which have been reviewed in previous installments of Earth Tones. This one, which came out last year, is subtitled Beats, Breaks and Tablas: Cultures Collide, and that's a pretty good description. There may not be a genre of world music left at this point that hasn't been combined with some flavor of electronica, but few of these combinations have spawned entire genres on their own. As is usual for these kinds of things, "underground" is an appropriate term; this music stayed under the radar for more than a decade, a staple of club nights in London for years before crossing the pond and easing into the mainstream. You still won't hear it on Top 40 radio--probably a good thing--but you can get a taste of it here. As it turns out, the rippling scales, bent notes and chanting vocal lines often heard in Indian music mate perfectly with the drawn-out rhythmic patterns of trance; and, as the name implies, you can fall into a trance with this stuff, especially if you're dancing to it. Some artists, such as Mahatma T, lean more to the electronica side of the equation, while others, such as Ananda Shankar and James Asher, favor a more organic approach with a greater complement of acoustic instruments. The nice thing about compilations like this is that you can decide which sound you like best--or which best suits your ritual purposes--and seek out more work by that artist.
Until next time, here are some tasty live music treats: Gaia Consort celebrates the release of Evolve on Saturday, May 8; see www.gaiaconsort.com for information. Seattle's Town Hall has a number of great music programs in store, including the Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra on May 22, and the Medieval Women's Choir on May 23. There's also an interesting panel discussion on "Information and the Quality of Life" on May 10; not music, but certainly of interest. Check out the Town Hall schedule at www.townhallseattle.org/calendar.cfm. Or, if symphonies aren't your thing, don't miss Great Big Sea and Carbon Leaf at the Moore Theatre, also on May 22. Finally, at the Tractor Tavern we have Erin McKeown on May 17 and the Red Elvises on June 19. Check it out!
Genevieve Williams is a Seattle freelance writer and drummer. She can be reached at rimrun@drizzle.com with feedback, suggestions or recommendations. Local musicians and pagan groups are encouraged to submit material for review.
Copyright © 2006 by the article's author