Earth Tones: Tuneful Pick-Me Ups for the Dark Time of the Year

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by Genevieve Williams

I'd originally planned to do something like last year and get together a holiday music roundup. But to be honest, there isn't anything that's crossed my desk in the last few months that I've liked, holiday-music-wise. You might as well dig up last Yule's Earth Tones and go for my recommendations there; there's a Chieftains album among them.

But that's not to say that I don't have some good listening for you this time around. It being Yule and all, we've got some offerings from Scandinavia: Sigrid Moldestad and Liv Merete Kroken play fiddle duets to die for, Väsen is back already with a new album, and Swedish ensemble Två Fisk Och En Fläsk gets crazy. Lúnasa also has another new release, the Hero soundtrack has as much grandeur and elegance as the film for which it was composed, and the Yoshida Brothers are a new and exciting import from Japan with their second CD, Yoshida Brothers II. It might not be holiday music, but it'll make you feel festive.

Fans of fiddle music are well rewarded this column--it just worked out that way, but I think you'll enjoy it. First up is Spindel (Grappa Musikkforlag AS) from fiddle duo Sigrid Moldestad and Liv Merete Kroken. At least one of them plays the hardanger fiddle, a Norwegian instrument with which I've become fascinated since hearing it on the soundtrack to The Two Towers. It surfaces frequently in Norwegian folk music, and can be heard prominently here alongside a more conventional fiddle. A mixture of original tunes and arrangements of traditional melodies, Spindel is a musical journey tracing threads of mythology, nature, and daily life. Moldestad and Kroken have a healthy respect for their material, but also treat it with warmth and humor. The liner notes (in Norwegian and English) are interesting; detailing the legends, tales, and inspirations behind the tunes; from a legendary witches' mountain ("Witches Tune from Hornelen") to a highway maintenance employee at work ("Loafing Around") to autumn weather ("The Storm"). The CD dates from 2001 and so might be a little hard to find, though it's listed on Amazon. Try www.grappa.no if all else fails.

Speaking of fiddle music, I'm delighted to bring you a new album from Lúnasa, titled The Kinnitty Sessions (Compass Records). As previously reported, Lúnasa are no longer with the Green Linnet label, following some disagreement over the release of their previous album, Redwood (you can get the band-authorized version from www.lunasa.ie). Anyway, Lúnasa is an entire ensemble of those rarest of musicians, the ones who combine out-of-this-world technical ability with a driving passion and overwhelming capacity for emotional expression. The result is an unmitigated pleasure, the pipes, guitar, fiddle, bass, and variety of flutes and whistles together making for a remarkably full and invigorating sound. Whether "Punch" or "The Island Paddy" is ripping along at a pace lively enough to give Riverdance a run for its money, or the group gets more contemplative with "The Dimmers," The Kinnitty Sessions never lets up, and never disappoints. The members of Lúnasa are clearly in love with what they do; their albums are slices of pure joy. If you need something to give you a lift during the dark days of the year, or just want something to tide you over until Lúnasa once again grace the Pacific Northwest with their presence (they come through every year or two), this CD is just the ticket.

Speaking of technical proficiency and liveliness, Swedish folksters Väsen are at it again. Hard on the heels of their 2003 release, Trio, comes Keyed Up (NorthSide), and it's hard to imagine a more appropriate title. As skilled in their genre as Lúnasa are in theirs--the pieces you hear on Keyed Up were recorded live after a mere two days of rehearsal--Väsen also possess the same lightness of spirit. There's humor and wit aplenty in this collection of tunes, many of them composed for special occasions or in honor of friends and family of the band members. Väsen once again perform here as a trio; Mikael Marin (viola and violin), Roger Tallroth (guitar and bosoki), and Olov Johansson (nyckelharpa and kontrabasharpa). The nyckelharpa is by and large the most prominent instrument to the ear, due to its distinctive and somewhat shrill tone; a bowed instrument, in appearance it somewhat resembles a lap dulcimer. The audible connection between the Scandinavian and Celtic folk musics is very evident here (in fact, one of the tunes is from Wales); both are echoed in American folk as well, particularly in the music of Appalachia and New England. Väsen's approach makes it all sound familiar, but fresh and appealing as well. Also, if you want to hear them live (which I highly, highly recommend), they'll be at the Triple Door in Seattle this coming April.

Fans of medieval music with a twist might enjoy Två Fisk Och En Fläsk (Two Fish and a Pork), whose 2003 release, Jungfruburen (Alula/NonStop/Allegro), brims with wild energy. That "medieval music with a twist" description might make you think of the Mediæval Bæbes, but I promise you, Två Fisk couldn't be more different. (For one thing, they're Swedish.) Having expanded both their instrumentation and their repertoire beyond a trio that initially played medieval Swedish ballads, they're still more traditionally-oriented than other groups I've reviewed, but quite accessible listening all the same. The liner notes (the Allegro release has notes in English) say it best: "We do not try to re-create the music as it might have sounded. The intention is the same now...as in the Middle Ages: to make ourselves and the audience sing, dance and have a good time." The musicians have incredibly diverse backgrounds, including studio session playing, folk and world music, blues (very popular in Sweden; one of the members has played with highly-regarded American bluesman Eric Bibb, who lived in Stockholm for several years), electro-acoustic music, and death metal (that's the fiddle player, by the way). In other words, if you're looking for an attempt at a faithful re-creation of medieval music, Två Fisk might not be your cup of tea -- especially since it's more of a shot of espresso delivered like a brick to the head. If that sounds good to you, especially at a time of year when a lot of us would rather be hibernating, look for this one in the world music section, or else try www.allegro-music.com or Amazon.

Heading to the other side of the world for a bit, I have to mention Tan Dun's score for last summer's Hero (Sony Music Soundtrax). If you liked the music for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you'll probably like this one too--they were composed by the same person, who at times uses some of the same musical motifs. Either because he likes them, or because Zhang Ziyi is in both films; I'm not sure. Either way, like the movie it was written for, it's intriguing, complicated, stylistically dramatic, and somewhat meandering. Instead of Yo-Yo Ma, this score's special guest star is violinist Izthak Perlman, and the magnificent Kodo Drummers provide some heart-thumping percussion (by the way, if you want to see them--also highly recommended--they'll be here in February. See events at the end of this column for details). Once again, Tan Dun combines classical motifs from both China and the Western tradition, creating music that captures the mood of the film while remaining accessible to Western ears. Like the movie itself, it's an elegant piece of work that flows seamlessly from one segment to the next. Parts of it are meditative, parts of it dramatic--and not always the parts you'd expect. There are few film scores that can stand on their own, and the one for Hero is a little too closely tied to its object for independence, but it's still an intriguing listening experience.

Finally, we come to my impulse buy, found in the Japanese music section of Tower. The cover of Yoshida Brothers II (Domo) suggests something fairly traditional, but what's actually on the CD is world fusion of epic and ambitious proportions. The brothers in question, both in their 20s, play the shamisen, a stringed Japanese instrument that rather resembles a lute, though it doesn't sound much like one. (The way they play it, however, it occasionally sounds like a banjo.) Incorporating Latin music, blues, jazz, flamenco, and electronic backbeats with improvisatory flair, the Yoshida brothers bring a whole new meaning to the term "old school." Reportedly very popular in their home country, the Yoshida Brothers are apparently ready to take on the U.S. This new CD, with its mix of traditional and modern styles, typifies a phenomenon common in world music right now, which I've often profiled in this column. In the wrong hands, this kind of thing can sound stale, overdone, and culturally predatory, but the Yoshida Brothers do it up right.

As always, thanks for reading. Check out these upcoming events: Seattle-based modern world music DJ Darek Mazzone has moved to Saturday nights at the Mirabeau Room on Lower Queen Anne. Ring in the new year with music from Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Crocodile on December 31. Also on December 31 (with an all-ages rendition on January 1), the folks who brought you the Middle Earth Ball present Fest of Rohan, see www.middleearthball.com/rohan.html for information. Kan Zaman Ensemble presents music of the Arab world at Seattle Town Hall on February 5. Candye Kane performs at the Triple Door February 9. The Kodo Drummers are at Meany Hall on the UW campus, February 11-13, 2005, see www.uwworldseries.org for this and other events. Gaia Consort will be performing at Darwin's Evolutionary Mystic Ball on February 12, location to be announced; see www.gaiaconsort.com/calendar.html for details and updates. Whew, that's a lot. See you at Imbolc!

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 and show listings.