It has been a maddening day, and it’s been hard to pay attention to anything, predominantly because I suspect I may have food poisoning but also because I’ve had about five hours of sleep in the past two days, so I’m a cranky hag.
Anyway, I thought I’d retreat to the world of Swedish folk visionaries Garmarna. I haven’t given their latest album, Förbundet, the time it deserves, so I settled on that. The songs are inspired by traditional Swedish folk music and Scandinavian ballads, and though they’re played with acoustic instruments, they’re accentuated by modern electronics, which makes things really interesting. Also, that artwork people, that artwork!
The whole album makes for a mesmerizing experience, but it’s the last song, Din Grav (Your Grave), which I kept repeating. It’s short – 1:56 – but Emma Härdelin’s vocals are just so haunting and so heart-achingly gorgeous, I can’t stay away.
If this is your first time hearing of Garmarna, I’d like to point you in the direction of their songs Herr Mannelig and Varulven after you’ve listened to Din Grav.
– Katie
Journey On
A Hex On Your Head 