Vesselil

Vesselil are a female string trio from Denmark playing Nordic folk music and this is their eponymous debut. Their name is taken from a Danish folk song about a young, independent woman. Maja Aarøe Freese (cello and lead vocals), Elisabeth Dichmann (violin and vocal), and Clara Tesch (violin, viola and vocal) met studying folk music at the Danish National Academy of Music in Esbjerg. They've made their own arrangements of Danish, Swedish and Belgian tunes going back to the 16th century and composed a few of their own. The stand-out track ‘Boblerne i Bækken’ (The Bubbles in the Stream) is a lovely arch-like tune against pizzicato strings, sung and composed by Freese, ending with a bowed, dance-like episode.

There's a fresh purity in the non-vibrato playing, which makes the close harmonies edgy and bright. Tesch's tune ‘Opdagede Omsider’ (Finally Realised) begins with Philip Glass-like arpeggios before settling into a lament-like melody, while Dichmann's ‘Blå Vals’ (Blue Waltz) only really becomes a waltz at the end, but is full of scrunchy harmonies. The charming ‘Venindepolska’ (Girlfriends' Polska) sounds like an effective calling-card for this new band on the Nordic folk scene.