Tívils Døtur

This storybook of songs and legends from the Faroe Islands is suffused with both melancholy and mischief. It's the debut release from Kata, a female vocal quintet who deliver strange ballads, lullabies and nursery rhymes in beguiling will o’ the wisp voices. The soft Faroese words have an almost Celtic lilt, yet there's also something of the power of Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares or Scottish puirt à beul (mouth music) to it. The liner notes tell the stories in English for those less familiar with Faroese. It would be a shame to miss out on the tale of the giant who sets off to woo a maiden pretending to be a gallant knight. She spots an essential flaw – he can’t play the harp – and he goes back home to be scolded by his mother for being such a wuss. The title-track, which translates as ‘Tívil's Daughters’, tells of a particularly dysfunctional family who have offspring all over the place: in hell, at the mill, helping Grandma, and fetching water – there's 110 of them hanging around at home.
Gentle percussion and electronics vary the textures, musically differentiating between the dripping-knife ballads and the rocking-cradle tender songs. Beautifully produced, it could well have you heading for the Faroes. Watch out for those giants!