Oesterleide
'Where are you from? What is your music?'
Guitarist Andreas Haddeland was left speechless when he was asked these questions by his long-time colleague, the Sami musician Ulla Pirttijärvi. With a desire to find his own roots, he began, together with folk singer Liv Ulvik and percussionist Ulrik Ibsen Thorsrud, to research melodies and stories from the Norwegian folk music tradition. Together they have found an expression that dresses folk melodies in new costumes; of light, delicate, bright, dark, strong and rough materials. In open musical landscapes or narrow claustrophobic musical spaces, the listener is carried on by the indefatigable and timeless folk melodies that have been shaped and honed over the centuries.
“ Liv Ulvik’s voice is the sun. And it is the snow. It is sacred, and she has a sacred presence in the way she shows us the tones. And she is searching. Searching for new ways to find sounds within herself. And actually a little supernatural in the way she performs them. My body goes numb when I hear the first hymn on the record, and I feel myself reaching for some romantic formulations. But this is not just Liv Ulvik’s record. When you listen to it, you understand that quite quickly. Because the other two musicians are also strongly present. strongly, but not markedly, because they are anything but brash. They often play lightly and listen to overtones, small nuances, always in solidarity with the soundscape that conjures up. Never boring, always surprising and original. But even though they are often airily present, they also sometimes provide resistance in a rough way. Rough and elegant. ”
Liv Ulvik – vocals
Andreas Haddeland – guitars, bass, rubab, percussion
Ulrik Ibsen Thorsrud – drums, percussion, glockenspiel, saw