Bring It On

Estonia's folk music is noted for its lyrical richness and depth of local and national feeling, rather than for highly evolved and complex melodic lines.

Perhaps this is the reason that Trad.Attack!, an experienced trio of folk experimentalists, have chosen to set their interpretations of Estonian folksong against an almost-dizzying series of backing styles. ‘Keera’ uses a playfully off-centre drum groove to subvert and recast a very simple two-note melody. ‘Ann Läts Aita’ (Ann Went to the Barn) converts an archive recording into an unsettling dance track, while ‘Tere’ (Hello) sounds almost Saharan – with bagpipes. Not everything succeeds – a collaboration with the Georgian Iberi Choir on ‘Kiigelaul’ (The Swing Song) sees soppy acoustic guitar harmonies sucking the life from the music, the inventive percussion only partially rescuing it. But this is an aberration.

I was reminded of the tale of Nail Soup, in which a traveller suggests to some stingy villagers that a nail would make a fine base for a pot of soup – intrigued, the villagers add a little onion, and a little potato, and a little bacon, and… the final product is a rich and tasty dish, and that is exactly what Trad.Attack! have served up with Bring It On.