The Nordic Sound with Jameson Foster

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Rooted in ancient Finnish lore, Noiduin emerges with their first full-length album Lovi, an homage to an otherworldly state or space, a rift between worlds, and a place of crossing where the veil between the living and the dead thins. With a sound palette dominated by tagelharpa, percussion, kantele, and raw ethereal voices, Lovi brings songs both new and revisited to their already impressive repertoire.

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Anders Norudde is one of the minds behind the legendary Hedningarna - a band whose influence is still felt throughout the world of Nordic folk music today. With their reputation for bringing a more raw, primal, and percussive energy to traditional folk music, Hedningarna was one of a handful of bands out of Sweden in the 90s who pushed the boundaries of what folk music can be.

With Hedningarna's lasting influence on Nordic music today, cited as influences on the likes of Einar Selvik, Maria Franz, and others, we are truly grateful that Anders agreed to come onto the podcast to talk about the band's history, as well as showing us his own menagerie of instruments as a luthier. There's no overstating how much of a milestone this is for the podcast, as no story of the Nordic Sound would be complete without Hedningarna. 

0:00 Intro
5:06 Anders’ Early Music
12:58 The Story of Hedningarna
38:12 Hedningarna’s Influence
51:55 Instrument Making

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As you all know, MÍO's debut record Ingen Tid å Miste earned the top spot on my 2023 Nordic Sound Top 10 list. All these years later, I still stand by what I’ve said before: not only does MÍO weave a musical experience like no other, but their electrifying live performances put them in a league of their own. 

But Ingen Tid å Miste had the benefit of being without precedent. The sophomore album, on the other hand, is the arena in which a band like MÍO needs to buckle in and put in the work needed to follow through under the weight of a whole new set of expectations.

So, with Hva Nå, will MÍO conjure up a second record that stands on its own legs, or would they always be striving for, and not quite reaching, the heights of their inaugural album? Let's talk about it.

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Ingrid returns to the Nordic Sound for the 50th episode to talk about her recent performance project "Echoes" with Maria Franz and her solo project "Piina" - a multi-movement work seeking to explore the theme of pain through music. With no responsible adult in the room to keep us on track, we meander quite a bit through conversations about the effects of social media on live performance, the way pain is (or isn't) processed in our daily lives, and the importance of recycling. 

The interview concludes with Ingrid teasing upcoming new music from Songleikr for a much anticipated follow up to their first album Godtfolk. So stick around to the end ;)

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The Black Metal perspective makes a long overdue debut to the Nordic Sound in episode 49 with the inimitable Thomas Eriksen (Mork, Udåd). Not only has Thomas made quite the name for himself as the mind behind Mork, but kept himself and others entertained during COVID running his own Black Metal podcast, the "Thomas Eriksen Podcast" which featured some in depth conversations with big names in Norwegian Black Metal. Join us as Thomas takes us through what the style means to him, his recent work on Mork's seventh album "Syv", and my favorite, his haunting experimental project Udåd.

Thomas's work has captivated me over the last few years as I've explored his impressive discography defined by "urkraft", and a warm, organic approach to black metal inspired by rock production styles from the 60s and 70s. "Udåd" sealed the deal for me with its bleak and skeletal approach to a primitive black metal sound, reminding one of the atmosphere of films like the Blair Witch Project. If you haven't yet, I do sincerely hope you check out Thomas's music.

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0:00 Intro
1:47 Why Black Metal?
19:09 The Thomas Eriksen Podcast
32:57 Mork
56:16 Udåd
1:21:19 Midgardsblot
1:25:18 Black Metal Today
1:32:43 Closing Thoughts

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Over the course of his career, Olav Mjelva has become something of a face of the Hardanger Fiddle, with his fiddle being heard in settings such as Rings of Power, God of War: Ragnarök, and Marvel’s Loki. As well as being featured in over 60 studio projects, he is also well known in the Scandifolk scene for his work with Sver, the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, Rydvall/Mjelva, and the Lodestar Trio. After collaborating with Einar Selvik and Ivar Bjornson for Skuggsjá, Olav has returned to sign with ByNorse for his project Afargang, whose debut album “Andvake” is looking to reimagine what Folk Metal can be. 

I hope you enjoy this milestone episode of the Nordic Sound, in which Olav and I discuss his upbringing as a fiddler from Røros, his love of black metal, and how his upcoming album Andvake blends these two worlds, and as always, taking little detours along the way.

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

1:12 Sver in the States

4:38 Origin Stories

10:11 Learning the Hardanger Fiddle

13:00 Becoming a Studio Musician

18:04 Skuggsjá

23:02 Afargang

37:25 Black Metal as a Folk Musician

45:11 The Nordic Sound

48:29 Waiting for Andvake

52:22 ByNorse

56:24 Norway’s Folk Music boom

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Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, Frigg have long established themselves as one of the leading string bands in Nordic folk. A small army of six musicians, what has always astounded me about the band is how effectively they use their numbers to their fullest capabilities, often times in their recordings sounding like there’s a full orchestra at their disposal. Their attention to orchestration and texture is second-to-none, and even when all three fiddles are chugging along at full steam, everything just fits into the arrangement. This rich texture of Frigg’s sound, combined with a relentless spirit for both innovation and tradition, is what sets Frigg apart as one of the most versatile and captivating bands of their generation. 

Website: Nordicsoundarchive.com
Frigg's website: https://frigg.fi/

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A beautiful homecoming!

Ale joins the channel once again from balmy California where Dreamers' Circus begin their 2025 U.S. tour to celebrate the release of their new album Handed On.

In this conversation, Ale talks about the importance of music in bridging divides between cultures in tumultuous times, the Handed On project, and of course, that every present question of Nordic Folk music.

Thank you so much for coming back around these parts, Ale. It's always a pleasure!

Check out tour dates near you in the coming weeks here in the states at Dreamerscircus.com/tour

0:00 Intro
1:45 Handed on U.S. Tour
10:30 The Nordic Folk Question
17:25 Touring the U.S. in 2025 - The Elephant in the Room
25:30 The Handed On Project
43:11 Handed On, the Album

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This year, I made it a New Years' resolution for the channel that we'd finally start an honest effort in expanding the Nordic Sound into new and more diverse genres, and what better way to bring classical music back into the picture than by chatting with one of my favorite music writers. 

Join me in welcoming Ola Nordal (Ballade Klassisk, Store Norske Leksikon) to talk about Norway's contemporary classical scene, the practice of active listening, and writing about music. Ola has long been a friend of the channel, often giving his own time to introduce me to composers and artists active in today's Norwegian classical music. 

0:00 Introduction
1:55 Ola's Musicology
4:12 Getting into Classical music (from Bathory)
9:59 Becoming a Music Writer
13:34 Active Listening
37:44 Writing About Music
45:28 The Norwegian Classical Scene
53:01 Why Write About Music?

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Nordicsoundarchive.com

Fredrik returns to the Nordic Sound for his second appearance to talk about Torulf's recent record Ristningar i Ginnungagap and the stories that inspire his music. Along the way, we also talk about his earliest memories as a musician, how he became Torulf, and why it's difficult to keep up with new music.

Thanks for hanging out, Fredrik!

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