Malmin Med Åshild Vetrhus

With rugged fjords, stony cliffsides and fishing villages, Rogaland in Norway is also home to a remarkably raw-sounding tradition of folk music. The new album from Rogaland duo Malmin –made up of Hardanger fiddler Olav Christer Rossebø and guitarist, fiddler, mouth-harpist and Norwegian zither player Anders Hana – showcases these sounds, many of which dip into microtonality or haunting rhythmic arrangements. It certainly sounds Norwegian, and the sympathetic strings of the Hardanger fiddle are unmistakeable, but the music is more modal, even microtonal than I’d imagine from Norwegian fiddling. It’s also nice to see the langeleik, a Norwegian zither/dulcimer, featured so well. The singing of guest Åshild Vetrhus floats over the top of these old melodies in the most beguiling way. Rogaland’s musical traditions are obscure even in Norway, so it’s a special treat to hear something so new and yet so old.