Frost on Fiddles

One of my enduring WOMAD memories is of a cold, wet, muddy night in 2007 when the seven-piece Finnish band Frigg walked onto the stage and, against all odds, made everyone smile and dance. Ten years later they've truly earned the title ‘Finnish folk supergroup,’ second only to the legendary JPP. Their roots, of course, are the same as ever: the traditions of the Kaustinen region and the Järvelä's family wizardry.
Frigg were formed 15 years ago and I was curious to hear how they might have grown or developed in their latest release. Known for their captivating takes on traditional polskas, their energy and their immaculate, finely crafted phrasing, I wondered if these heroes of ‘Nordgrass’ still retained their fervent desire for creative risk. The answer is a resounding yes. Petri Prauda's ‘Friggin’ Polska' demonstrates all their virtues: living dangerously, taking harmonic liberties, infecting the listener with the Finnish equivalent of the bite of a tarantula and making them weep with a deep Nordic melancholy. And if you still need convincing, ‘False Legenyes’ is a deliciously wicked Finnish window on Transylvanian craziness. This is outstanding music making.