To Tiår

Norwegian quartet Kvarts return with their eighth album To Tiår. Featuring a multi-instrumental line-up spanning 12 tracks, Jo Asgeir Lie, Øystein Rudi, Tom Willy Rustad and Erlend Styve play a variety of instruments ranging from strings (including Hardanger fiddle) to accordion and jaw harp. If you're looking for pleasant Nordic folk sounds, then look no further, though for experimental, boundary-pushing material, you are wiser to look elsewhere. Tat said, there is plenty of variety here – joyful dances alongside darker material – to keep you satisfied, and the album is long enough to properly immerse yourself without feeling short-changed. A variety of instruments as you go through each track avoids the pitfall of each number sounding like a variation of the other. There's energy and polish to the more uplifting material, with bright tempos and a deft touch from the players. And there's an equally yearning sorrowfulness in other tracks. The ensemble playing is tight and assured, surely a result of two decades of playing together. Booklet notes with personalised descriptions of the inspiration for each track make an interesting read (in Norwegian). A pleasant, rewarding and varied album.