Kvitre

Majorstuen are Norway's equivalent of Bellowhead. They bring a big-band attitude to folk music while always retaining the finer detail of the music, and at the same time the musicians are all highly regarded soloists in their own right.

Kvitre is the result of a commission from the Førde festival with various feathered friends being the focus of the compositions – the title relates to birdsong, being the equivalent of ‘cheep cheep’ in English.

Majorstuen's musical portraits of birds aren’t limited to what can be encountered in their back gardens: they include a baroque-style woodpecker, a ragtime-inspired Canada goose and a beautiful duet with the recording of a real blackbird. The dim-witted bullfinch is accorded a plodding mazurka on while ‘Gauken (The Cuckoo)’ brings us closer to the sound of Norwegian traditional fiddle music – it's the most representative of the Majorstuen sound. Of course there's a swansong, a sad moment of haunting beauty to bring the album to a close. Majorstuen's hardcore take on tradition is what we know and love them for, but everyone deserves permission to take flight and try something new – as they have done so well here.