Search - Garmarna :: Garmarna

Gamarna was one of the first Swedish bands to blend dance tunes and songs from the ballad tradition, much like a Scandinavian version of the Irish group De Dannan. Garmarna is a remastered version of their self-titled 1993 debut EP, which has been expanded on CD by the addition of six songs from their 1992 demo. After those recordings were made, the band went on to become one of Sweden's most innovative folk groups. And even though all the tracks here are acoustic, with none of the amplified instruments and drum loops the group experimented with on later recordings, the music still exhibits an adventurous spirit. The musicians use a wide assortment of instruments--hurdy-gurdies, Jew's harps, bouzoukis, guitars, and violins--to create sonic tapestries that weave together medieval-sounding harmonies with modern rhythms. Their "modern-ancient" sound is a perfect backdrop for Emma Hardelin, whose vocals add a soft edge to the sometimes dark ambiance of the music. (One band member is credited on percussion and death grunts.) The music on Garmarna is more folk-oriented than most of their later recordings, but the power of these performances shows that the band learned the rules of traditional music, before they went on the break them. --Michael Simmons