Smile Som Sumarsole

Hallingdal is a Norwegian valley whose music is traditionally dominated by the Hardanger fiddle, and hailing is the name of an old folk dance in which each participant dances alone, in contrast to the more common couples’ dances. The climax of the dance is known as ‘thrown Halling’, where the goal is to kick down a hat from a stick. Having been an overawed observer at last year's Landskappleiken (an annual, competitive folk music festival), I can confirm that this is a terrific crowd-pleaser.

Firil, a young quartet with members equally drawn from Norway and Sweden, take their name from a Hallingdal dialect word that means ‘tracks’ or ‘footprints.’ Since coming together in 2009 to represent Norway at a festival in China, they've increasingly devoted themselves to Hallingdal's living music tradition, as reflected on many of the 13 tracks on their debut album. Despite their undoubted enthusiasm for the music, Smile Som Sumarsole suffers from a faint whiff of the academic, sucking life from the otherwise persuasive performances by Margit Myhr (vocals, Hardanger), Olav Luksengard Mjelva (Hardanger), Anders Hall (viola, octave fiddle) and Adam Johansson (guitar). That's a pity, as the tracks on which they break free, such as the delicate ‘Syrg Ikkji, Grat Ikkji’ and ‘Brennenvinvisa’, suggest that Firil could be real contenders, if and when they follow their hearts as much as their heads.