Áššu

If joik was a person, it'd be the type who could turn up at any house party and somehow find a way to blend in. This chameleon-like quality has taken the Sámi vocal tradition in all sorts of surprising directions (including into the mainstream, with joik recently featuring on a track by the electronic producer, Alan Walker).

Áššu is a new collaboration between one of my favourite female Sámi joikers, Ulla Pirttijärvi, and two talented multi-instrumentalists: Harald Skullerud and Olav Torget. True to form, it sees joik crashing another sonic party and somehow making it work. West African desert blues might not be the most obvious companion for joik, but here – thanks in particular to Torget's expertise on oilcan guitar, baritone guitar and konting (one of the possible African ancestors of the banjo) – the combination flies. Skullerud lends textural and percussive lubrication throughout, while tracks such as the propulsive ‘Basejávr-Hánsa’, the beautifully balanced ‘Vulleš Heaika’ and the stunning softness of ‘Ealu Čohkken’ amount to some of the finest moments of Pirttijärvi's career to date.