The Nordic Sound with Jameson Foster

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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

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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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Live from University of Colorado Boulder, I sit down with the one and only Nicolas Schipper of Heilung after the last stop on their U.S. tour.

In this conversation, Nic tells us about his journey in Heilung as an immigrant from Ecuador, shares his thoughts on the ever-contentious conversation of cultural appropriation, and works through what "music as healing" means to him and his work for Vidaya Community. And, of course, everything in between.

At the end of the video is a q/a section with the audience which also brings us to the beautiful story of Nicolas' body paint he wears on stage, what spirituality means to him through Heilung's music, and more.

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January is usually a slow month for music in the post-holidays hangover. In spite of this, we've been given some pretty awesome singles from a wide range of bands and musicians since the new year. Let's get into the awesome singles Nordic musicians revealed to us so far in 2024, teasing some highly anticipated new albums from some of our favorite bands.

Featuring: Gåte, Lindy-fay Hela and Dei Farne, Byrdi, Jonna Jinton, Aftenstorm, Iterum Nata, Robert Santa and Folket Bortafor Nordavinden, and Tvinna.

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