Lumsk
Det Vilde Kor

The fresco is perfectly executed, the essence of Nordicism in musical terms, the neo-romantic folk operetta weeps with notes as pure as freshly forged crystal.

The trembling notes of Lumsk sink their roots into the source of elegance, capable at the same time of awakening the burning passion beneath the pale and ethereal skies of Trøndelag. Yes, it is indeed the outlines of the Norwegian coast that most come to mind, but in general the Scandinavian melancholy of hours spent in front of the fireplace in wooden cabins among misty skies, winter nights, and sparkling summer evenings.

The colors present in the music of the Trondheim ensemble find in "Det Vilde Kor" ("The Wild Choir") the perfect pairing with the lyrics of the famous Knut Hamsun. Indeed, a strange coincidence that the writer of this review has long adored the works of the Nordic author, a true creator of charismatic yet shy and excluded characters, of bitterly romantic stories like "Victoria," of internal contrasts and misery ("Hunger"), of restless and adventurous spirits celebrated in "Pan" and "Under the Autumn Star." A pleasure that one of the most interesting realities of the modern Norwegian folk scene is putting Hamsun's words to music, which is what makes this work so close to the heart. Stylistically speaking, the seven Vikings shed their metal-act guise to embrace the sinuous arrangements of traditional music, playing with violins, cellos, accordions, Hammonds, and a vocal interpretation that’s theatrical yet always seductive and shadowy. Few heavy-doom riffs, but deftly inserted into the melancholic contrasts of the opener "Diset Kvaeld" or the structured mini opera "Svend Herlufsens Ord". "Om Hundrede Aar Er Alting Glemt", from which the eponymous video is derived, unfolds smoothly and gently in four minutes of sweetness, with first-rate vocal refinement, amid the tender and sensual sighs of Stine and the sober tone of guest Ola Bremnes, all skillfully accompanied by the touch of barely caressed acoustic instruments... class! Another decadent-folk ballad named "Godnat Herinde" welcomes us with a fairy-tale sadness, a barely hinted farewell among the contours of sharp mountains and fishermen’s cabins with crimson roofs while the song of solitude in "Skaergaardsö" is around the corner. Slow, a true "doom" symphony where northern violins plunge into the serious, tearful notes of the oboe, where Langstrand lets her charming talent explode in an incredible duet with deep choirs emanating from distant valleys, an intensity that leaves you stunned and seduced. Majestic yet not redundant, epic but with style, light-years away from any sort of exaggeration, this disk will reach you on tiptoe only to keep you moved for a long time. Listen to it sitting by a frozen river, in the silence of gorges nestled between plumes of eternal glaciers, or by closing your eyes and imagining the sense of freedom and exoticism it emanates. Bon voyage.