Koder Pa Snor

There's a bit of a change for Valravn's second outing on Koder Pa Snor. On their debut, they'd mixed traditional and original compositions, with an emphasis on dark ballads from singer Anna Katrin Egilstrod's Faroe Isles. This time around, the songs are all their own work, but still heavily influenced by the tradition, at least lyrically. When they released their first disc, Valravn were already a fully developed unit, having taken time to develop their sound. Now, after extensive touring, they've refined it all. The darkness is still very evident (they could be reasonably called the first goth-folktronica band), but they've also expanded the acoustic instruments to include things like hammered dulcimer and lyre. It's all done subtly, not for effect, but to enhance the songs. That's true even with the gigantic sweep of the choir on the closing cut, "Farin Ut Tan At Verda Vekk," which ends the album on a large note. It's a complex album, moods shifting like the sea, moving away from folk music to something different. But regardless of genre (or lack of it), it's a record for the senses, and often a trip into the dark corridors of the mind. ~ Chris Nickson|

デンマーク領フェロー諸島のバンドによる2作目で、資料にある＜エレクトロニックと融合した北欧トラッドの新世代＞という文言そのままの、幻想的なワビサビを感じさせる音世界が美しい。ビョークっぽい女性シンガーの歌唱はケルト音楽やトラッドの近寄り難い神々しさをシアトリカルなポップスに昇華するかのよう。現代的なミキシングによる伝統音楽とエレクトロニクスの融和ぶりはシガー・ロス好きにもオススメです。
bounce (C)狛犬