Birna

Four years in the making, Warduna’s new album is a journey into the world of Birna – the she-bear in Old Norse. It opens with what sounds like a heartbeat, and the sound of beating hearts pulsates throughout the album, notably on ‘Dvaledraumar,’ driven by the slowed-down heartbeat – nine beats per minute – of the semi-hibernating bear. The music of Birna is recognisably, distinctively, Wardruna, but their sound has developed and this is a more expansive album than 2021’s Kvitravn. The Norwegian dark-folk band is fronted by Einar Selvik, the singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer who has created authentic-sounding soundtracks for television and videogames (such as Vikings and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla). Over the years that Birna has been gestating, Selvik has led Wardruna on a world tour including performances at some remarkable venues, from Red Rocks in Colorado to the Acropolis in Athens. Some of the excitement of Warduna’s live performances is conveyed in tracks like ‘Hertan’ and the title-track, but Birna is also an immersive, meditative album. The tracks often begin and end with field recordings, bringing us back to the world of the bear, as a thread running throughout. These sounds from nature are at their most evocative on the ambitious, 15-minute track ‘Dvaledraumar’, conjuring up the ‘dormant dreams’ of the semi-hibernating bear. We are placed in the position of the she-bear, hearing the sounds that surround her as she dreams. The remarkable sound of ‘singing ice’– the mysterious noise ice makes when freezing on the lakes – provides part of this backdrop, (as captured by Swedish film-maker and multi-creative Jonna Jinton). Wardruna are known for using traditional Scandinavian instruments (taglharpa, kravik-lyre, bukkehorn, moraharpa and lur all feature here), but Selvik’s attention to detail extends to the use of the Finnish kantele (an instrument associated with ‘bear country’). He also chose the willow flute (played by Hans Fredrik Jacobsen) on ‘Jord til Ljos’, to represent the arrival of spring (since, traditionally, willow flutes can only be cut from green willow bark in the spring). The effective use of the all-female choir, Koret Artemis, adds yet another dimension to the Warduna sound on tracks like ‘Ljos til Jord’ and ‘Himinndotter’. Selvik seems to have a genius for finding sympathetic musical collaborators, whether it’s the singing of Koret Artemis, Jacobsen’s willow flute or Jinton’s field recordings. After the tour de force of ‘Himinndotter’, ‘Hibjørnen’ is a Skaldic interlude – just Selvik singing, accompanied by his kravik-lyre – before the three closing tracks build to a climactic end. Are those still heartbeats we hear, or are they Birna’s heavy steps, once again treading the forest paths?