The Nordic Sound, a Nordic Musicology Podcast
What is the Nordic sound? Is there even a Nordic sound to begin with? Why has the music of the North long invited so much popular attention and imagination across the centuries? Join musicologist Jameson Foster as he explores the very question of music and Nordic cultural heritage through interviews with some of the most prominent musicians in the Nordic music scene today across genres, from black metal, to classical and trad folk, and everything in between. Remember: No Nazis in Valhalla.
Episodes
What a year to be a Nordic music geek, eh? This is already my fourth year of doing these year-end lists, and looking back, I do believe this year has left the greatest impression on me. Not only as a listener, but as a musician myself. I look forward to what next year has in store, but for now, it's time to reflect and enjoy on the awesome music Nordic artists have brought us this year.
Thanks for anothe...
Faber and I had such a good time hanging out for Nordic Sound 52 , that we just had to have him back on the channel to talk about Sowulo’s latest album, NIHT. We also talk about our shared challenges of listening to music as musicians (cognitive vs emotional listening), mythology, paganism, and why we seem to always use esoteric languages in this style of music.
The Nordic Sound is supported by its patr...
Runahild joins the channel once again for Nordic Sound #61 to chat about her upcoming album (and book!) Seid, in which she takes us through a personal and spiritual journey with "seid" - an ancient Nordic shamanic practice of which there is woefully little archaeological or literary record.
Seid is out October 17th!
The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons over on Patreon.com/nor...
Live from the Pike's Peak Center in Colorado Springs, Einar and Jameson sit down for a retrospective on Wardruna’s “Birna” and the historic Fire in the Mountains festival in Montana this past July.
Jameson Foster is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Colorado Boulder specializing in Nordic music traditions.
Thumbnail photo: Morten Munthe
The Nordic Sound is suppo...
Maja Kjaer joins the Nordic Sound for episode 59 to talk about her debut album "Landing", why Danish music is "like that", fiddling traditions in Denmark, and more.
The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons over on Patreon.com/nordicsound
Bar
Monica
Ember
George
Bets
Carrie
Gen
Leigh
Mike
Cindy
Clayton
Drake
Live from Midgardsblot, MÍO returns to the Nordic Sound for a second time for an interview about their signing with ByNorse, their new album "Hva Nå", and how they use creatures of folklore to tell their stories about modern issues through their lyrics.
The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons over on Patreon.com/nordicsound
Bar
Monica
Ember
George
Bets<...
In this installment of the Nordic Sound live from Midgardsblot, Jameson the Garden Gnome is joined by Mathias Dahlsveen of Norwegian folk metal band Vanvidd for a chat about the band's history and how they approach their own style of folk metal in their latest album Avlivsritualer. Featuring special guest, Borrepus
I highly recommend checking out Vanvidd's discography if you haven't already.
Johannes Geworkian Hellman is one of the foremost names in the Nordic folk music sphere today, impressing audiences the world over with his acrobatic and innovative approach to an often underestimated instrument - the Hurdy-Gurdy.
Johannes sits down with Jameson for Nordic Sound 56 to reflect on his Hurdy-Gurdy journey and his own identity as a musician, the story of his acclaimed gurdy/accordion duo Symbio w...
Björn Kaidel (Akleja, Plønk) joins Nordic Sound #55 to talk about how the Scandinavian folk revival of recent decades is leading to renewed interest among German musicians to reclaim a folk music tradition of their own. Diving deeper, Björn and Jameson discuss the importance of medieval folk/rock bands such as In Extremo and Faun in keeping some semblance of folk music alive in Germany, how the folk revival is using a...
Please join me in welcoming the inimitable Mia Guldhammer to Nordic Sound #54. Performing with acts such as Virelai, Mallebrok, and now Guldganger, Mia has long made a name for herself as a passionate keeper and performer of the Scandinavian ballad tradition at Medieval markets and reenactments, as well as a celebrated vocalist in the Danish folk music scene. Mia takes us through her experience in both, diving deep in...
Most known through her bands Diket and Ævestaden, Levina Storåkern joins Nordic Sound #53 to talk about her recently released solo endeavor “Månadsvill”. Captivated on the first listen, Jameson sits down with this rising star to talk about her songwriting process and the inspirations that went into the record, as well as learning more about her journey as a folk musician. Along the way, we also get into a pretty inter...
Painting vivid impressionistic landscapes through their ancient instruments, Nordic folk titans Maija Kauhanen and Johannes Geworkian Hellman join forces on their debut album Migrating. Each of these musicians are heavy hitters, or even icons, if I could be so bold on their respective instruments, Maija on kantele and Johannes on hurdy-gurdy, so I have been fairly curious in the lead up to this record to see how thes...
Faber Horbach of Sowulo joins the Nordic Sound for episode 52 to talk about Sowulo’s origins, the recent tour, and walk us through the band’s development from Alvenrad to Wurdiz. We also get into a pretty good discussion about artistic integrity when bridging music, mythology, and history. Thanks for hanging out, Faber!
0:00 Intro
1:08 Europoean Tour, Echoes and Mervailles, Opening for Heilung
12:52 E...
Rooted in ancient Finnish lore, Noiduin emerges with their first full-length album Lovi, an homage to an otherworldly state or space, a rift between worlds, and a place of crossing where the veil between the living and the dead thins. With a sound palette dominated by tagelharpa, percussion, kantele, and raw ethereal voices, Lovi brings songs both new and revisited to their already impressive repertoire.
Anders Norudde is one of the minds behind the legendary Hedningarna - a band whose influence is still felt throughout the world of Nordic folk music today. With their reputation for bringing a more raw, primal, and percussive energy to traditional folk music, Hedningarna was one of a handful of bands out of Sweden in the 90s who pushed the boundaries of what folk music can be.
With Hedningarna's lasting ...
As you all know, MÍO's debut record Ingen Tid å Miste earned the top spot on my 2023 Nordic Sound Top 10 list. All these years later, I still stand by what I’ve said before: not only does MÍO weave a musical experience like no other, but their electrifying live performances put them in a league of their own.
But Ingen Tid å Miste had the benefit of being without precedent. The sophomore album, on the ot...
Ingrid returns to the Nordic Sound for the 50th episode to talk about her recent performance project "Echoes" with Maria Franz and her solo project "Piina" - a multi-movement work seeking to explore the theme of pain through music. With no responsible adult in the room to keep us on track, we meander quite a bit through conversations about the effects of social media on live performance, the way pa...
The Black Metal perspective makes a long overdue debut to the Nordic Sound in episode 49 with the inimitable Thomas Eriksen (Mork, Udåd). Not only has Thomas made quite the name for himself as the mind behind Mork, but kept himself and others entertained during COVID running his own Black Metal podcast, the "Thomas Eriksen Podcast" which featured some in depth conversations with big names in Norwegian Black ...
Over the course of his career, Olav Mjelva has become something of a face of the Hardanger Fiddle, with his fiddle being heard in settings such as Rings of Power, God of War: Ragnarök, and Marvel’s Loki. As well as being featured in over 60 studio projects, he is also well known in the Scandifolk scene for his work with Sver, the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, Rydvall/Mjelva, and the Lodestar Trio. After collaborating with Ein...
Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, Frigg have long established themselves as one of the leading string bands in Nordic folk. A small army of six musicians, what has always astounded me about the band is how effectively they use their numbers to their fullest capabilities, often times in their recordings sounding like there’s a full orchestra at their disposal. Their attention to orchestration and texture is...
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