Nykomlingen

This CD contains so much that is unexpected and surprising. It feels as though the band is on a journey of openness and discovery, yet never imposing themselves on the music. It was recorded in the spectacular Ocean Sound studio in Giske near Ålesund on Norway's west coast, where the waves lap on the shore. This sense of space is crucial to the feel of the album. Listening to the early tracks, I mused on whether a drummer might have added something, some sort of beautiful disruption. By track seven, we have one: the ever-inventive Øyvind Skarbø (whose musical partners include the Hardanger fiddler Nils Økland). ‘Oppdal’, in particular, is outstanding.
But this is Erlend Viken's trio; Viken is an award-winning fiddle and Hardanger player with a passion for experimentation and a disregard for the constraints of genre. His playing and singing find exciting pathways along wonderfully risky routes taken by guitarist Marius Graff – on the heartwrenching ‘Borte’, in particular. Leo Svensson Sander's cello playing is magical. Nykomlingen is a truly collaborative, adventurous CD.