Ankerdram

Here we have a good example of the old adage about not judging a book by its cover. The photo fronting Ankerdram pictures the trio of fiddlers – Anna Lindblad, Elise Wessel Hildrum and Maja Kjær Jacobsen – looking rather like they have been dressed as Pippi Longstocking and dropped into the set of The Sound of Music. It prompts expectations of the cheesier end of instrumental folk. So it's a pleasant surprise to hear exuberant and sophisticated Scandinavian fiddle music that is not over-polished or remotely middle-of-the-road.

The album opens with ‘Halling etter Glenne’, a crystal-clear halling that rings out joyously in the way that only several fiddles playing in sympathy with one another can. ‘Munkedal’ is a bittersweet polska that shifts from minor to major in a satisfyingly twisty fashion. ‘Den Glade Brygger’, written by Maja Jakobsen is described as a Finnish-inspired ‘polkalypso’, and has a distinct ragtime feel. On ‘Somandsvals’, we're treated to some three-part vocal harmonising that sounds rather like The Andrews Sisters might have if they'd been Scandi folk fans; one instance where the music edges towards the sensibility of the album cover. But in general Ankerdam is an uplifting, engaging album with several reflective interludes, such as ‘Roll Your Rs’, that will appeal to fans of Leveret or Lau.