Groupa - Fjalar from 2001 New Nordic Folk Music torrent

...the music essence of the deep nature of Scandinavia infused with mesmerizing beats from woods, stones and Jew's harps.



Reviews:

Any band with Norwegian percussionist Terje Isungset in it is destined to have its wildness nodes comprehensively tweaked. He's well settled in as a member of Groupa now, and is having due effect. His unique wood, skin, metal and stone kit is rolling thunder, breath and clatter under and around the rich drones and surges of Mats Edén's fiddles, the airiness of Jonas Simonson's harmonic and other lutes, and Rickard Åström's natural-toned keyboards, which are so well integrated and free from electronic plasticiness that the music remains meatily open-sounding and non-chordal, with Isungset adding high-energy jew's-harp zizz as well as percussion, like an earthquake in Santa's workshop.



There's that exuberantly hefty halling/ polska swing that Groupa and Filarfolket pioneered, wild extemporisations lurching into heartland traditional playing, and limpid pools of stillness too. On top of that are the just-right vocals of the other newish Groupanaut, Sofia Karlsson, who like Isungset is now fully integrated and takes an equal part in arranging and composition. With her, the band has turned another corner in its long and continuously interesting career, the backbone of Swedish new-roots since the early 1980s, for most of which (apart from 1990's Månskratt featuring Lena Willemark), it has been instrumental. In both song and instrumental terms, this album is another high point; fresh, full of melody, deftness of touch and massive energy.



- ANDREW CRONSHAW, ROOTSWORLD 2002



Groupa have become identified with Swedish folk music and all the developments in its recent history ... more acoustic than before yet as lethal and dangerous, Groupa will challenge people's preconceptions of Swedish music .... a band worth their weight in gold.



LARS FAHLIN, ROCK N REEL



Facts:

Recorded summer 2001 in Studio 12, Sveriges Radio Göteborg by Lars Diedricson. Produced and Arranged by Groupa. Executive Producer Ann-Marie Beckman-Forsberg. Mixed in Bohus Sound Recording by Åke Linton, Jonas Simonsson and Rickard Åström, except for tracks 4, 5 and 9, mixed in 7 etg, Oslo by Reidar Skår and Terje Isungset. Mastered in Bohus Sound Recording by Dragan Tanascovic and Rickard Åström. Additional electronics in track 9 by Reidar Skår. Pianotuning Bengt Eriksson. Backing vocals track 3 Lars Diedricson. Cover design [email protected]. Photo Jan Nordberg. Produced with support by the Swedish national council for cultural affairs. http://home.swipnet.se/groupa





1 Det brinner en eld

Music: Sofia Karlssson/Terje Isungset

Lyrics: Trad/Sofia Karlsson/Ulrika Bodén



2 Polska från Bohuslän

Music: Trad adopted from Niklas Olsson



3 Tre heliga mö

Music: Mats Edén/Trad adopted from Olmorts Olof "Spaken" Svensson

Lyrics: Trad from Värmland



4 Kom helige ande

(Original title: Kom helge and)

Music: Groupa/ in tradition after Finn-Karin, adopted after Susanne Rosenberg

Lyrics: Trad



5 1:a Augusti

Music: Rickard Åström



6 Fjalar

Music: Mats Edén



7 Klyftileken

Music: Trad adopted from Lejsme Per Larsson



8 Thinner

Music: Mats Edén/Trad Orsa Brudmarsch



9 Norwegian Mood

Music: Terje Isungset



10 Förspel

Music: Jonas Simonsson



11 Fyra flickor

Music: Trad/Terje Isungset

Lyrics: Trad

11b Etterspel

Music : Terje Isungset

12 Solen

Music: Jonas Simonsson/Ingrid Brännström

Lyrics: Pär Lagerkvist



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