Ein Etter Mor

Raabygg are an adventurous trio of musicians who explore the folk music of southern Norway and, in particular, some of the traditional music that has been nurtured by women, hence the title which translates as ‘Mother's Tune’. The region itself is interesting, a mixture of mining communities, coastal workers, farmers and travellers, and it has given rise to a wealth of varied music.

Raabygg play a variety of instruments: Hardanger fiddle, octave fiddle, zither, jaw harp and vocals with great thought having gone into the textures of the stories, ballads, songs and dance tunes. A stroke of genius on this release is the inclusion of the legendary Norwegian singer and blues guitarist Knut Reiersrud as guest musician. ‘Skjallmøyan’, the tale of the female warriors who were excommunicated for luring the congregation outside to listen to their music, is as alluring as it should be with Reiersrud on blues harmonica. ‘Fyri Borgår’ is a feist celebration of a woman fiddler in what was a man's world and ‘Ivar Elison’ is an old ballad of avenging murder set to new music by Reiersrud, a thrilling yet subtle unfolding of the narrative with all of the impact it deserves.