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https://seidrblot.bandcamp.com

In this interview, I'm happy to be joined by Visy Bloodaxe of Seidrblot to talk about a range of topics including the music he makes with the band, working with wood, how a love of medieval music led to him learning how to build his own instruments, and finding escape through music in a world filled with noise.

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Do musicians get the final say in what their music is called, and is genre meant to be a literal descriptor of the music we hear?

In the 3 years I’ve been running this channel, covering the music of Wardruna, Heilung, and almost everything in that sphere, I have had endless conversation over what to call this music with many alternatives offered for the sake of “anything but Viking music”. Dark folk, pagan folk, nordic folk (the worst option for reasons obvious to traditional musicians), heathen folk, new nordic folk… and even the major artists themselves have been outwardly disassociating from the level. But why don’t any of the alternatives stick instead of Viking music?

Join me in this conversation about the contentious yet seductive nature of the Viking music phenomenon from the perspective of an ethnomusicologist. Questions here are posed around the nature of genre, the binding themes of this music scene, artist and audience perspectives, and whether or not any of this is about historical accuracy at all, and if that matters to the ultimate enduring label of Viking music. 

Or, can we not change how we talk about Viking music at all before we change how we talk about the Viking age itself?

My ultimate hope is that questions brought up in this video start some needed conversations to be carried on as this genre continues to grow, instead of continuing the trend of dancing around the subject as we run on the euphemism treadmill. Because remember, I don’t have the answers, only the questions. The answers are what we as a community make them to be.

Thank you for watching.
-Jamo

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Long have I been enchanted by the music of Ævestaden. The way these captivating musicians utilize instruments typically associated with dark folk (such as the lyre and bukkehorn), but instead put it in a folktronica setting where it somehow just fits so organically is a feat within itself. Solen var bättre där was on my top 10 albums of 2023 not only because of this incredibly original use of familiar instruments, but also because the songwriting is on another level of melancholy - reaching out to the feeling of nostalgia and yearning for a better time in a way that only music could. So, join me in welcoming Kenneth, Eir, and Levina onto the Nordic Sound Channel for the first (and hopefully not the last) time as they bring us into their musical world.

Thumbnail photo: Klara Bond

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aevestaden.bandcamp.com

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In this installment of the Nordic Sound Channel, I sit down with pagan folk veteran Kati Rán to talk about her two decades in the nordic dark folk scene, the changes she's seen take place over time, and of course, her new album Sála and her approach to the feminine skaldic perspective. Thanks for joining Kati, I'm really glad we got to tread some new ground for the channel in this chat!

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A very different interview this time around talking to a fellow academic! Join me in picking Ruben's brain about his archaeology scholarship on immersive sound in museums and music's ability to cultivate affective attachment to our world and history.

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What a crazy, eclectic month for Nordic music! As good a time as any to try out recording in 4k ;)

All of the new music this month (including singles and others not included in the video) are now featured in the Nordic Sound Channel's Discovery playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LMGZolMTYQgLu0uFbEHgO?si=b43d29f7017d4917

Join the patreon for the Nordic Sound Journal and the listening circles: Patreon.com/nordicsoundchannel

Written reviews over on Medium at Medium.com/@nordicsoundchannel

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:37 Lindy-Fay Hella and Dei Farne - Islet
5:45 Udåd - Udåd
9:03 Mads Kjøller Henningsen, Niller Rasmussen, Clara Tesch - Rundt Segen
11:13 From the Infinite Light - Iterum Nata
13:58 Gjenskinn - Nils Økland Band
18:38 Men Gu∂s hond er sterk - Hamfer∂
20:48 Odrüngal - Nordstille

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In this interview, I’m humbled to be joined by Lindy-Fay Hella of both Wardruna and Dei Farne to talk about her new album “Islet”, her undying love for Depeche Mode, and the mysteries of the sea. Thank you for joining, Lindy. As a long time fan, you have no idea how starstruck I am by the opportunity to chat with you about your music and our shared love of birds. 

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Hailing from beautiful Värmland in Sweden, Andreas Axelsson of the project Nattramn joins Jameson to talk about his latest album Gravmarken, his inspiration, and what brought him to the Dark Folk scene. Like myself, he's of the mind that "less is more" and we dive into our philosophies around writing and performing dark folk music.

And he's NOT the singer for Silencer!

https://nattramnsvitjod.bandcamp.com

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In this interview, I am humbled to invite Jacob Hee Lund for his first appearance on the Nordic Sound Channel. Mostly known as a member of Heilung, Jacob is actually a man of many, many hats and is a seasoned performer in the medieval reenactment scene in Denmark. In this interview, he walks us through his background, his countless music projects he’s contributed to as a percussionist, and offers advice and reflection for young musicians looking to make a full time career. Also, as a veteran of this music scene over the last two decades, Jacob gives us some much needed perspective on the evolution of this genre we begrudgingly call “Viking music” for want of a more satisfying name. We close with a discussion of his new drum project Thrymskapr and reminiscing on Heilung at Red Rocks. Considering how much we still had to talk about after almost two hours, let’s call it a safe bet that Jacob will be back on the channel before long.

Jacob’s associated bands: Asynje (Viking, electronic, folk); Auroq (folk, early music, fusion); Heilung; Mallebrok (folktronica); Virelai (medieval/ Viking); Fabel (renaissance early music); Fortuna (early, classical music); Huldre (folk metal); Leikarar (medieval); Norerne (Viking music for Moesgaard Viking market 40 anniversary celebration); Wicked strings / Lilly and the wicked strings (gothic metal); Eldjudnir (black metal); Bo-Nordmand (Danish folk music); Maja Kjær si orkester (Danish raw folk music). He’s also a session musician for Efrén López and Eivør.

For those who want to further explore the musicians Jacob mentioned: Jordi Savall (viol da gamba) and Otava Yo (Russian folk)

0:00 Preamble
1:53 Introduction
4:25 Jacobs background
8:20 The drum in early Europe
13:05 Back to Jacob’s background!
34:15 Versatility and working as a professional musician
43:04 Heilung
49:36 Reflections on “Viking” music scene
54:30 How genres evolve
1:06:00 Collective imagining through music
1:13:58 Thrymskapr and knowing your roots
1:26:55 Heilung at Red Rocks

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PLEASE READ:

This audio was stripped straight from Youtube, so I want to clarify for podcast listeners: I will be keeping up with reviews dedicated to podcast listeners even though this format will be leaving youtube. What this means for you all is, instead of getting audio from youtube videos for the podcasts, I will from here on out be recording these reviews specifically for podcast.

Support music journalism through the Nordic Sound Journal: patreon.com/nordicsoundchannel

Change is coming with the spring winds to the Nordic Sound Channel, all for the better. Stay tuned for a larger “state of the channel” address, and for a new battery of interviews.

0:00 Preamble

4:16 Torulf

6:00 Akleja

9:05  Tvinna

10:15 Aegir

11:05 Jonna Hinton

12:43 Tyr

14:58: Kati Rán

16:27 Lindy-Fay Hella and Dei Farne

18:29 Korpiklaani

19:38 Afterword

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