Kerstin Blodig & Ian Melrose - Kelpie

Kerstin Blodig & Ian Melrose - Kelpie (2003)

I picked this album up at the Alma Highland Festival this past spring.  The CD was new when purchased, but some of the tracks contain glitches -- most notably #6, "Bedlam Boys / Bedlam Girls".  This is unfortunately an issue with the disc itself and not with the computer/software used to read the disc.  I have considered re-purchasing the album, but if this was an issue with recording rather than my disc I don't want to waste my money on it.  If anyone has a version of this track without glitches, I would love to know.

Blodig and Melrose have released other albums under the group name of Kelpie, though the Amazon listings for this CD attribute to them individually.

01 | Kråka
02 | Mine Viser
03 | Kelpie
04 | Halling fra Elverum
05 | Villemann og Magnhild
06 | Bedlam Boys / Bedlam Girls
07 | Sven Svane
08 | Guten og Mann / Fillefant Ril
09 | The Battle of Waterloo
10 | Paddy Goes to Tunesia
11 | Nelaugvatn Reels
12 | Polska efter Lars Orre
13 | Sumarnatta

Availability: Available in the U.S. on CD and in MP3.

Harv - Töst!

Harv - Töst! (2002)

"Going from Jimi Hendrix covers to traditional Scandinavian fiddle music might seem like a giant leap of imagination, but it's exactly what the Swedish duo of Harv has managed. Magnus Stinnerbom and Daniel Sandén-Warg first played together in 1992, when they were 14, while attending a high school for musicians in their hometown of Karlstad. In Harv's very earliest incarnation, Stinnerbom played drums and Sandén-Warg guitar, as they jammed on old Hendrix songs, aiming to be rock stars. The idea of moving to traditional music came a year later. Stinnerbom had grown up with the music, his father having been a fiddle player with the seminal Swedish folk band Groupa, and when he finally played some of the old sounds for his friend, Sandén-Warg was an instant convert. However, it would still be a while before the pair appeared in public. Their debut as Harv (which translates as "harrow") came in 1996, when they provided the music for a production of Hamlet by the Västanå Theatre, and their eponymous first CD arrived a year later." (From the group's iTunes page)

01 | Töst
02 | Ånonschottis
03 | Peer Reel
04 | Hälihövve
05 | Marianne Sinclaire
06 | Saivo
07 | Kavaljershalling
08 | Sviten
09 | Dären
10 | Tärningspolska
11 | Kejsarn

Availability: Available used from Amazon.  No MP3 available.

Väsen - Mindset

Väsen - Mindset (2013)

"Heavyweights in the nordic folk music scene, Väsen are a Swedish group combining the talents of Olov Johansson (nyckelharpa), Mikael Marin (viola), Roger Tallroth (guitar) and André Ferrari (percussion). The band has also released a number of albums as a trio without Ferrari." (Last.fm)

01 | Byxen Fisen & Blåsen
02 | Hembrännarmarsch
03 | Polska for Tom Morrow
04 | Marsch i April
05 | Lilla Kulturebidragsvalsen
06 | Träbens-Jonke
07 | Magnus
08 | Fanny
09 | Johans Vals
10 | Hundlåten
11 | Spacekadetten
12 | Maja & Tobbes Brudvals
13 | Kuldd'n
14 | Pilvi & Eskos Brudvals

Availability: Only available in MP3 format in the U.S.

The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc - The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc

The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc - The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc (2011)

"The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc is Olav Luksengård Mjelva, Anders Hall and Kevin Henderson who come from Norway, Sweden and the Shetland Islands respectively.  They are three of the finest young fiddlers currently working in the folk music scene and are in great demand playing in various musical constellations throughout the world.  The project is the brainchild of Anders Hall who felt that combining the three unique distinctive fiddle styles together would create a special sound." (Website)

01 | Sangenuten
02 | Un-named Shetland Reel
03 | Polska from Delsbo
04 | Da Greenland Man's Tune
05 | Jenna Reid of Quarff
06 | Maria's 27th Birthday Plattgympa
07 | Midnight on the Water / Bonaparte's Retreat
08 | Halling from Trondheim
09 | Fjellvåk
10 | Paella Grande
11 | Da Full Rigged Ship / The Rigged Ship
12 | Waltz after Lasse in Lyby

Availability: Available directly from the band's website, or in MP3 format on Amazon and iTunes.

Hedningarna - Trä

Hedningarna - Trä (1994)

"Hedningarna is a Swedish band, playing Nordic folk-rock.  'Hedningarna' is Swedish for 'the pagans' or 'the heathens'. They combine traditional instrumentation and lyrics - with occasional help from Finnish singers - and modern technology.  Current Hedningarna members are Hållbus Totte Mattson (lute, hurdy-gurdy, mandora, mora-oud, etc), Anders Norrudde (violin, hardingfela, moraharp, basmoraharp, stringed harp, swedish bagpipe, willowflute, cow- and goathorn), Magnus Stinnerbom (viola, hurdy-gurdy etc) and Christian Svensson (percussion and sampler)." (Last.fm)

01 | Täss'on Nainen
02 | Min Skog
03 | Vargtimmen
04 | Gorrlaus
05 | Skrautvål
06 | Pornopolska
07 | Räven
08 | Såglåten
09 | Tuuli
10 | Täppmarschen
11 | Tina Vieri

Availability: Available on Amazon in MP3 and both new and used physical copies.

Bukkene Bruse - Bukkene Bruse

Bukkene Bruse - Bukkene Bruse (1993)

"Bukkene Bruse is a Norwegian musical group, focusing on a varied repertoire of traditional and folk-style Norwegian songs, but also including many new compositions based on various Norwegian musical traditions. The members of the group include Annbjørg Lien, a prominent Hardanger fiddle and nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle) player, fiddle player and vocalist Arve Moen Bergset, flautist Steinar Ofsdal, and pipe organist Bjørn Ole Rasch.

The group was formed in 1988 in Norway, and has travelled and performed widely in Scandinavia and elsewhere. They were selected as official Olympic Musicians for the Lillehammer Olympic Games, and performed at the closing ceremony." (Last.fm)

01 | Til Sætersdal
02 | Seljefløyel
03 | Haslebuskane
04 | Tabhair Dom Do Lahm (Give Me Your Hand)
05 | Bøn
06 | Nåvårsetermarsjen
07 | Miriams Voggelåt
08 | Fanitullen
09 | Nu Rinner Solen Opp
10 | Målfrid Mi Fruve
11 | Bruremarsj Etter Fiskestigen
12 | Holalsbrura
13 | Rotnheims-Knut

Availability: Readily available used; does not appear to be in print or available in MP3 format in the U.S.  Supposedly it was re-issued in 2013, but Amazon has no copies.

Harv - Direktör Deg EP

Harv - Direktör Deg EP (2005)

"Going from Jimi Hendrix covers to traditional Scandinavian fiddle music might seem like a giant leap of imagination, but it's exactly what the Swedish duo of Harv has managed. Magnus Stinnerbom and Daniel Sandén-Warg first played together in 1992, when they were 14, while attending a high school for musicians in their hometown of Karlstad. In Harv's very earliest incarnation, Stinnerbom played drums and Sandén-Warg guitar, as they jammed on old Hendrix songs, aiming to be rock stars. The idea of moving to traditional music came a year later. Stinnerbom had grown up with the music, his father having been a fiddle player with the seminal Swedish folk band Groupa, and when he finally played some of the old sounds for his friend, Sandén-Warg was an instant convert. However, it would still be a while before the pair appeared in public. Their debut as Harv (which translates as "harrow") came in 1996, when they provided the music for a production of Hamlet by the Västanå Theatre, and their eponymous first CD arrived a year later." (From the group's iTunes page)

01 | Direktör Deg

02 | Raggarvals (Yobbowaltz)

03 | Mor Åse (from Peer Gynt)

04 | Hälihövve (Live)

05 | Sviten (Live)

Availability: The EP can be purchased used and the first two tracks are on the Polka Raggioso album.  There is no MP3 version available of the last three tracks in the U.S.