|
Triakel
Sånger från 63° N / Songs from 63° N
Triakel Records, Sweden / Westpark, Germany / Northside, US
Triakel are well-known players in the Swedish folk scene. Emma Härdelin (vocals) is in Garmarna, Kjell-Erik Eriksson (fiddle) is in Hoven Droven. Janne Strömstedt (pump organ/harmonium) is also prominent in the scene centered on the region of Jämtland, somewhere around the 63°N latitude. Twenty-two degrees to the south, these songs never fail to impress me and warm my heart. Somewhere along the line from Emma's wonderfully clear and intense vocals through Kjell-Erik's beautiful fiddle-playing to the pump from Janne's organ is the heart of this music, pure as the snow, wide as the endless landmass, plaintive as a mass.
There are cases with Swedish music where it sounds too caught up in its own shadow, too sad, too pessimistic, but those would be attributes of lesser musicians. Triakel have a dynamic on par with their motto: "quiet but intense."
The themes are those that can be found in every traditional song, not only in Scandinavia, but all over the world: death, love, pain and longing; sooner or later you are bound to end up with one of those. But there is nothing banal about the delivery, especially in those cases where Emma goes back to her early years and sings versions she remembers from her childhood or favorite songs from her adolescence. Some of the songs go back centuries, others mere years. Yet the entire record fits together incredibly well, creating a potent and unified whole.
It would be a pity to choose specific tracks from a record that works so well as a piece. Particular notice, though, should be given to the booklet which includes excellent liner notes (in Swedish, German and English), while on the band's website one can find the translations of the lyrics, too. All in all, a dedicated attention to detail that really makes the listener feel catered to.
A really wonderful record from Sweden that no friend of the northern folk tradition should be without. All this coming from a band that was formed as part of a New Year's resolution.* Sometimes the smallest ideas can lead to the most wonderful results! - Nondas Kitsos
CD available from cdRoots:
Westpark edition - digipak
Northside edition - jewel box
|
