Norway, as a (virtual) musical destination, is now a frequent stop for this listener. I think it all started with Stian Westerhus and Pale Horses 2014 release, Maelstrom. Maybe not. It could have been Space Monkey’s, The Karman Line that first drew me to the varied sonic vistas offered by Norwegian label, HUBRO.
From their Bandcamp page:
HUBRO is a record label dedicated to releasing music from the vital Norwegian jazz and improvised music scene. We cherish the album as a physical object. All releases come with exclusive design by the very talented design group Yokoland.
I can attest to the quality of HUBRO's pressings, the few I've owned were high quality and supremely quiet. We'll be featuring a record from Hubro's catalog each week, until, well, until we stop. We'll see.
Today, it's Benedicte Maurseth and Mirra.
Again, from Bandcamp:
On the album Mirra, the innovative folk musician Benedicte Maurseth once again invites us to the vast Hardangervidda plateau—this time with a focus on the wild reindeer.
When Benedicte Maurseth released the album Hárr in 2022, the visionary Hardanger fiddle player was praised for creating a masterpiece. Her blend of the distinctive sound of the Hardanger fiddle and the use of concrete sounds from wildlife immersed listeners in a unique soundscape.
For Hárr, she received the prestigious Nordic Music Prize, and the album was named one of the world’s top ten folk music releases of the year by The Guardian.
Now she releases the long-awaited follow-up Mirra, which, like Hárr, is a concept album where concrete sound plays a central role in the compositions. This time, the focus is on the wild reindeer, native to Maurseth's home area of Eidfjord in Hardanger. The work follows elements of the reindeer's distinctive sounds and annual cycle, as in “The Calf Rises,” “Summer Grazing,” and “Hunting March,” as well as their behavior and masterful adaptation to the nature they live in harmony with.
Mirra is an old, forgotten dialect word from Hardanger, describing when reindeer run together in a circling pattern—both to keep warm and to ward off predators. The word was also used to describe a time when reindeer “teemed” in large numbers.
The music is repetitive and marked by the hypnotic repetitions of folk music, also inspired by American minimalism, krautrock, and free improvised music.
Enjoy.
