Some people think folk music is uninteresting. In the one negative review I've read of folk-rockers Gåte's new album Svevn (for more on that, stay tuned), VG's journalist criticized the songwriting, claiming that the reliance on old folk tunes is "unimaginative", and that "Norwegian cultural heritage is not necessarily a good thing", that "while searching for their fairy tales, many of the stories Asbjørnsen & Moe came across were rude stories for men's magazines" and that "many of our songs are just melodies for drunken parties". It's a surprising read, but reflects the longstanding attitude helds towards folk music by the cultural "elites". But it's also a giant misstep, placing these songs in the past. They may not be what we consider high culture today, but on average, a song that has been passed down for hundreds of years will obviously have more staying power than whatever is popular at the moment. So criticizing Gåte for using boring source material is... well, I'm not surprised his voice is a lonely one.
When they started up in the early 2000's Gåte's hard-hitting combination of traditional Norwegian folk music and modern rock quickly won over fans of both genres and those that lieth betwixt. After releasing the now classic albums Jygri in 2002 and Iselilja in 2004, they went on a hiatus. Singer Gunnhild Sundli was only 14 when they started, and by age 19 she needed a break from leading a wildly popular rock band. I was a bit young to be on board the Gåte train the first time around, so I've always grown up just knowing about them, that they were popular and probably quite good. But they returned last year, first with the promising comeback EP Attersyn, and next with the album in question here, Svevn. It's a triumph, to say the least.
For longtime fans, the most pressing question is obviously whether the 'magic' is intact, 14 years later. As a first-time listener that's hard for me to judge, but maybe that's a good thing. What I can tell you is that this album is the absolute shit. They do what I suspected they've always been doing - combining Norwegian folk songs full of violin shredding and near-yodeled vocals, with the rock from branches such as prog, heavy, goth and emo. There's some Nightwish here, there's some Jesus Christ Superstar, and only some growling is missing before they touch on Enslaved. All of it sounds killer. Much of it is thanks to Gunnhild Sundli's stunning vocals. Listening to the old Gåte-albums, though, the first thing I realize is how much she's progressed as a vocalist. Her pipes have always been amazing, but now there's rock solid technique as well. She does the archaic language justice throughout - always taking care to pronounce every messy old-nynorsk consonant.
It's also fun to notice how 2018 Svevn actually sounds, despite its traditional folk tunes and its early 2000s roots. Where Jygri and Iselilja are strongly colored by the nu-metal wave of the turn of the millenium, Svevn only revives this is in a fun, mildly retro way, and a much broader pallette is heard instead, with both beats and electronic effects that sound subtly modern. The stripped-down ballad "Tonen" builds up with masterful production and strange industrial embellishments that highlight Gunnhild's beautiful vocals. "Tonen" leads straight in to the 8-minute epic "Åsmund Frægdegjæva", a medieval poem given the grandest of grand rock makeovers, complete with mirror-shattering modulations and prog breakdowns that have grown on me considerably since the first time around, where it was admittedly a bit exhausting. The other of the two longer songs on the album is the title track, an equally epic affair but in a much more subdued way, trading grandiosity for an ominous 7/8 ostinato and super cool drumming, making it a late-album highlight.
Gåte are a great band with a great concept, but there was never any doubt that Gunnhild Sundli was their ace card - and now even more so than before. Seeing them live in November, guitarist Magnus Børmark jumped around wildly on stage despite doing his best to imitate Jonny Greenwood's guitar playing, and Sveinung Sundli provided plenty of exhilarating violin shredding, but Gunnhild completely stole the show even when she isn't singing. Highly pregnant and dressed in ice queen white, her sheer presence builds up the songs more than the entire rest of the band. The show on their home turf in Trondheim was a victory lap and a concert I will remember for a long time, combining the old and new in their catalogue seamlessly, chilling and thrilling with every song. Gåte returned just in time: When Gunnhild was ready.
Best tracks: "Kom no Disjka", "Tonen", "Svevn", "Bannlyst"
When they started up in the early 2000's Gåte's hard-hitting combination of traditional Norwegian folk music and modern rock quickly won over fans of both genres and those that lieth betwixt. After releasing the now classic albums Jygri in 2002 and Iselilja in 2004, they went on a hiatus. Singer Gunnhild Sundli was only 14 when they started, and by age 19 she needed a break from leading a wildly popular rock band. I was a bit young to be on board the Gåte train the first time around, so I've always grown up just knowing about them, that they were popular and probably quite good. But they returned last year, first with the promising comeback EP Attersyn, and next with the album in question here, Svevn. It's a triumph, to say the least.
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| Not an amazing cover, but this is basically their aesthetic these days. She wears that crown and a white dress at concerts. The logo has grown on me. |
For longtime fans, the most pressing question is obviously whether the 'magic' is intact, 14 years later. As a first-time listener that's hard for me to judge, but maybe that's a good thing. What I can tell you is that this album is the absolute shit. They do what I suspected they've always been doing - combining Norwegian folk songs full of violin shredding and near-yodeled vocals, with the rock from branches such as prog, heavy, goth and emo. There's some Nightwish here, there's some Jesus Christ Superstar, and only some growling is missing before they touch on Enslaved. All of it sounds killer. Much of it is thanks to Gunnhild Sundli's stunning vocals. Listening to the old Gåte-albums, though, the first thing I realize is how much she's progressed as a vocalist. Her pipes have always been amazing, but now there's rock solid technique as well. She does the archaic language justice throughout - always taking care to pronounce every messy old-nynorsk consonant.
It's also fun to notice how 2018 Svevn actually sounds, despite its traditional folk tunes and its early 2000s roots. Where Jygri and Iselilja are strongly colored by the nu-metal wave of the turn of the millenium, Svevn only revives this is in a fun, mildly retro way, and a much broader pallette is heard instead, with both beats and electronic effects that sound subtly modern. The stripped-down ballad "Tonen" builds up with masterful production and strange industrial embellishments that highlight Gunnhild's beautiful vocals. "Tonen" leads straight in to the 8-minute epic "Åsmund Frægdegjæva", a medieval poem given the grandest of grand rock makeovers, complete with mirror-shattering modulations and prog breakdowns that have grown on me considerably since the first time around, where it was admittedly a bit exhausting. The other of the two longer songs on the album is the title track, an equally epic affair but in a much more subdued way, trading grandiosity for an ominous 7/8 ostinato and super cool drumming, making it a late-album highlight.
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| Gåte's Sveinung Sundli, Gunnhild Sundli and Magnus Børmark live in Oslo 2018. |
Best tracks: "Kom no Disjka", "Tonen", "Svevn", "Bannlyst"
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