Bergen (Norway)

We need to have a talk about the Hubro Music label.

Frode Haltli – Avant Folk

I’ll admit it right now:  Initially, I didn’t spend enough time with this recording.  But these last months, I’ve been revisiting a bunch of Hubro Music releases from 2017 & 2018, and this April 2018 release from Frode Haltli is floating my boat even more than it did when first I gave it a listen one year ago.  The accordionist fashions a most intriguing fusion of Nordic folk, modern jazz and chamber music, and the final image ranges anywhere between jaw dropping beauty and object of fascination.  There’s a whimsy to this music that builds humor with a serious intent… a combination that has driven the avant-garde expressionism of musicians like Frank Zappa, Kamikaze Ground Crew and the Flaming Lips.  Avant Folk received some year-end Best Of list consideration at the time, but as I find myself hopelessly addicted to this recording on my second go-around, I realize, had I had more time, Avant Folk would certainly have been given a slot on this site’s Best of 2018 list.  It’s that good.  Music from Svartskog, Norway.

Your album personnel:  Frode Haltli (accordion), Erlend Apneseth (Hardanger fiddles), Hans P. Kjorstad (violin), Rolf-Erik Nystrøm (saxophones), Hildegunn Øiseth (trumpet, goat horn, vocals), Ståle Storløkken (harmonium, synthesizers), Juhani Silvola (guitars, electronics), Oddrun Lilja Jonsdottir (guitar, vocals), Fredrik Luhr Dietrichson (double bass) and Siv Øyunn Kjenstad (drums, vocals).

Read more on the Hubro Music site.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Amazon

Splashgirl – Sixth Sense

The tag doom jazz gets tossed about when describing Splashgirl, and it’s not without cause.  The trio’s cinematic atmospherics exhibit a dramatic flair that borders on ominous, and its tendency toward ambient drones more often than not ramps up the intensity to higher and higher levels.  Their latest release Sixth Sense embraces these tendencies with even greater zeal, and the result is an immersive experience that almost forbids the act of daydreaming… even as the music displays those qualities that make conditions ripe for drifting away into deep, fanciful thoughts.

Your album personnel:  Andreas Stensland Lowe (keyboards), Jo Berger Myhre (bass, guitar, electronics) and Andreas Lonmo Knudsrod (drums, percussion)

Read more on the Hubro Music site.

Read more about Splashgirl on Bird is the Worm.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Amazon

Stein Urheim – Utopian Tales

There’s no end to the fascinating patterns that emerge from a Stein Urheim project.  The guitarist unleashes a kaleidoscopic array of sounds and textures and imagery.  Perhaps most impressive is how distinct one project is from the next, so that even though the approach and motives may be the same, the visceral experience of the music is as different one from the next as the sound manifesting from its beating heart.  On Utopian Tales, there’s a space age electronic pulse and haze that drives the affair, light years distant from the rustic folk and psychedelic ambient of previous recordings.  But differences aside, it is no less riveting or lovely than its counterparts.  Music from Bergen, Norway.

Your album personnel:  Stein Urheim (slide guitar, guitar, vocals, tambura, lute, bass, sampler, sound collages, electronics), Kjetil Møster (saxophones, bass clarinet, electronics), Mari Kvien Brunvoll (vocals, sampler, electronics), Per Jørgensen (trumpet, vocals), Ole Morten Vågan (double bass), Jørgen Træen (synths, effects), Kåre Opheim (drums, percussion) and contribution from the Cosmolodic Orchestra.

Read more on the Hubro Music site.

Read more about Stein Urheim on Bird is the Worm.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Amazon