: Reviews & Comments / 2007+
Trollebotn CD >>>
'En plate som både er tuftet på dype, lokale tradisjoner og hevet over både tid og sted. Origami Arktika har dratt til Telemark for å bli bedre kjent med gamle sagn og fortellinger, og spilt inn plate midt ute på Seljordsvannet. - ”Trollebotn” er minimalistisk, intim og trolldomsbindende hypnotisk mener en fornøyd Ballades anmelder med granbar i håret og kongler i lomma.
Trollebotn er et både mytisk og reelt landskap. Mytiske Trollebotn ligger på kanten av verden, over de store vannene der tussene og fjelltrollene regjerer. Geografisk ligger Trollebotn idyllisk til ved Seljordshei i Telemark. Her i hjertet av Norge, midt i landet og lukket for innflytelse utenfra, har det vært godt grunnlag for alskens legender og myter. Dette er et område med gode vekstvilkår for underjordiske vesener og overjordisk tro, det er hit Origami Arktika tar oss med på sin helt ferske plateutgivelse.
Origami Arktika er en del av det verdensomspennende kulturnettverket Origami. ”Sondring” (1996) og ”Vardøgr” (2002) er to meget anbefalelsesverdige plater fra denne kanten, begge med røtter dypt nede i norsk folkemusikk, minimalisme, musique concrete og naturmystikk. Dette er alle elementer som føres videre på deres syvende plate.
”Trollebotn” er i første rekke verket til vokalist Rune Flaten, selv med røtter i Seljord. Han tok med seg en blandet krets fra storbyen, blant andre Bjarne Larsen (Salvatore), Kjell Rune Jensen (DEL) og nevnte Mikalsen, til Vesleøy ute i Seljordsvannet. Her blant tusser og sjørormer ble gamle sagn funnet frem igjen og tonesatt i omgivelser som helt tydelig har påvirket det musikalske resultatet.
Låtmaterialet er i stor grad bygget på gamle historier og sagn, ikke minst basert på dikteren Jørund Telnes (1845-92) fra Seljord. Telnes står blant annet bak syklusen om kjempekaren Sterke-Nils (han som løftet steinen som i dag står ved kirken i bygda). ”Sterkenils døyr” følger hans tre siste dager: ”Um ein er sterk aa stor, han endaa er som høy: Tidt fe ein liten Bjor ein kjempekar laut døy.”
Flaten synger også om ”Guro Heddelid”, en av de rikeste og fagreste kvinnene i Telemark - og akk så ulykkelig gift - og vuggesangen ”Anna sit heime og tullar fe Baane”, begge signert Jørund Telnes. De øvrige sporene er alle tradisjonelle og lokale folkeviser, stev, skjemte- eller drikkeviser. ”Trollebotn” er med andre solid forankret i Telemark; geografisk, historisk og poetisk.
Tekstene er alle skrevet og fremført på dialekt, i en noe arkaisk form, men i det informative innleggsheftet gis det korte, informative oppsummeringer om innhold og bakgrunn. Det styrker inntrykket av dette er et solid og helhetlig gjennomført prosjekt.
Men Origami Arktika har langt fra laget en tradisjonell folkemusikkplate. Trollebottens mytologiske plassering i ”ytterkanten” av verden kan med letthet overføres til musikken. Det er her platen løftes fra å være en lokalhistorisk kuriositet til å selv bevege seg inn i mytenes rike. Det er mystikken og overtroen i legendene og de gamle sagnene som snirkler seg fra bøkene og inn i instrumentene. Origami beveger seg ikke langs allerede utformede spor, men lager sine nye. De forsøker ikke å rocke opp folkemusikken, eller folke opp rocken, men heller å skape stemninger som kler innholdet uavhengig av genre.
Stilen er minimalistisk, intim og trolldomsbindende hypnotisk. Kompassnåla går i spinn, og jeg tenker både i retning av Tinariwens ørkenblues, Pink Floyds mest dempede øyeblikk på Pompeii og amerikansk post-rock av typen For Carnation. Det bør være unødvendig å legge til at den geografiske bindingen til Telemark dermed for lengst er oppløst, fjellheimen og det bunnløse vannet betraktes både ovenfra og innenfra. Jeg synes balansen mellom tekst og tone er bedre ivaretatt her enn nylige prosjekter som eksempelvis ”Grimen”.
Det eneste jeg ønsker å sette fingeren på er faktisk Rune Flatens litt for dominerende tilstedeværelse. Han slipper ikke helt taket i musikerne, som fint kunne fått større instrumentalt spillerom. Vi bringes hele tiden tilbake til historiefortelleren, da vi av og til heller burde fått lov til å forsvinne inn i tåkeheimen for å møte Fanteguten, Haugebonden og de andre skikkelsene som går igjen der inne. Men det sparer de vel til konsertene sine, tenker jeg.
”Trollebotn” griper stillferdig tak og fører deg med inn i skogen. Den hvisker lydløst i mørket, det bunnløse vannet ligger urørlig og venter, månen kaster et dunkelt skjær over landet og bare tussenes tasling kan høres rundt hytteveggen.' - Bjørn Hammershaug, Ballade
'Every once in awhile an extremely interesting release comes along that despite being absolutely intriguing to listen to, one realizes it won’t have universal appeal. Origami Arktika’s latest album Trollebotn is one such release. Mixing in traditional Norwegian folk songs with ambient and haunting instrumentals, this is an extremely atmospheric and absorbing release if given the chance. But as it is entirely in Norwegian, that appeal is not as universal as one would like.
Origami Arktika took quite a bit of time to record this album, as they had retrieved the songs from those who still remembered them (they were beginning to fade away into legend and folklore). Not only that, but Trollebotn was recorded outside on a remote island near where the original legends came from.
The result of this is an extremely unique and natural sounding album that mixes instrumentals in with the sounds of nature that were surrounding the band. Each and every song is extremely ambient, and often minimalist in nature. It may be hard to get into for some, but this album is almost tribal in its unique use of instrumental compositions.
What is going to severely limit this release for some listeners is the fact that all of the vocals are in Norwegian. Because of this many people are going to be unable to understand the lyrics, and as I cannot speak Norwegian either I will not be analyzing them. However, vocalist Rune Flaten does a great job singing on this album. Flaten’s voice has an almost otherworldly sound to it as he sings each folk song in his native language.
Trollebotn isn’t going to appeal to the mainstream because of how different it is. But those with an open mind who don’t bash something just because it’s unique will find an extremely compelling album that is almost a key to Norway’s past. Most may not be able to understand the lyrics, but that doesn’t keep Origami Arktika’s latest masterpiece from being a mysterious and entrancing release.' - Chris Dahlberg/Cosmos Gaming, September 2007
'Recorded on a small island overlooking the nearly mythical region of Trollebotn Norway, this album is filled with an icy beauty, taking traditional folksongs and then weaving magical sounds around them, in a sonically charged alchemy session, resulting in a monolithic frozen landscape of sound.
Opening song “Anne Sit Heime”, is a creeping mist of stringed instruments and rumbling percussion, the haunting voice telling sad tales of relatives lost at sea and mountain giants, the tune slowly building in intensity over nine sublime minutes. Following on, the shorter “Fjellmannjenta”, has a more traditional folk flavour to it, although an underlying drone adds a wyrd edge to the song. Beginning with some wonderful rattling percussion and precise drumming, ”Fanteguten”, has a funereal bass that offers the perfect beat for the almost chanted vocals, reminding me of United Bible Studies in full flow. The whole song has a hypnotic feel, creeping across the shoreline and disappearing into the trees that surround the lake.
With the gentle lap of water as its starting point, “Guro Heddelid” is a soft drone, an incantation to the pain and folly of love, the delicate and sparse accompaniment adding acres of atmosphere to a cold and beautiful piece of music. Concerning the last three days in the life of a mythical strongman, betrayed and beaten by his friends, “Sterke-nils Doyr” continues the oppressive melancholy that runs through the album, you can imagine the local people rejoicing on a sunny day, a light to change the stark grandeur of the scenery. On “Min Pipe”, (enjoy yourself now your grave is already dug), the band discover the perfect balance between tradition and wyrd, the song walking the line between the mythical and the Geographical, searching for a way to escape the earthly wheel and regain a state of grace.
As much of this album as possible was recorded outside, giving the album an expansive ambience, the water never far away adding textures to the gentle sadness of “Som Lindi Baerer Lauv”, a traditional refrain that is used in many different songs. Finally “Haugebonden” closes the album with graceful majesty, a wonderful haunting song that slowly fades, leaving only the waves lapping at our souls. This is a collection of songs that demands to be listened to, filled with melancholy and a deep longing it is a deeply rewarding experience for those who take the time to hear its sombre heartbeat.' - Simon Lewis, Terrascope
'From the extended family tree of Origami, the one that is called Origami Arktika is in my eyes the one that is musically the most accessible one. No laptops, no noise, no harshness. Origami Arktika is a kind of big band including members from Kobi, Del, Motorpsycho, Salvatore and founding member Tore Boe. They play a wide variety of instruments, such as guitars, drums, organ, bass but also strange objects. Trollebotn is a remote area in Norway, with their own strong traditions. Somewhere in the booklet there is a picture of a shed. Perhaps the recording studio? The music evolves around the voice of Rune Flaten, who recites rather than sings the lyrics. They are of course in Norwegian. Origami Arktika apparently improvises freely around those lyrics. Slow and intimate music this is, and it's great, but but but - it starts sounding the same after a while. That is the great weakness of this album. I couldn't help thinking after the fifth song, alright, I get your drift. Maybe it's best to play this in a few parts anyway... But some of it at a time is truly beautiful.' - FdW, Vital Weekly 596
'The music of the album is related with Trollebotn, a small area in Telemark in Norway with a wide open landscape and with a lake and mountains, a wild place associated with trolls and mountain giants. It used to be a backwards area with remains of extremely old customs and habits. In a time of further globalisation with fast consuming cultivation and regulation of land and all that is on it, this not only means that so much diversity in nature dies out ; the same happens in the diversity of mankind and all its privately kept and communal secrets, but also all the local variations of more recognisable memories and life stories.
I just read that every two weeks another language dies out, and together with it all its customs, myths but also specific wisdoms related with certain areas, and learned in and for specific circumstances. But sometimes just variations of what is generally known dies out as well. Origami Arktika decided to sit down and try to preserve and relive all of what is left in especially Rune Flaten’s memory, because he had some of his musical roots in this area. Some traditional folk songs from Trollebotn and surrounding areas were suggested, and the group worked on them and let them mould very organically into something they felt most comfortable with.
To succeed well in this, and with respect for preservation, and also in order to get the right feelings, just in case, not to be distracted from the true sense in them, they went for the recording session to this secluded island and shut themselves of from the rest of the world for a week, playing day and night. Eating, drinking and diving for the sea-serpent (the local legend) while not making music. Only a few extra musical additions were added later near Oslo. A first thing that is great about the concept is that there is included great background info with each song, and for the Nordic people, lyrics, something which adds depth to the songs. The music is much improvised.
The first track, “Anne Sit Heime”, a lullaby, is softly accompanied by a repetitive pattern by the band, a result which works with a humming to sleep trance effect (even when the band uses drums and electric guitars). But also the next few tracks sound similar as if an old lady sings them to her children, while the band accompanies them with drums, bass, thumbpiano, percussion, rhythmically and with the same kind of humming drone effect.
At other times the band plays more organically and technically free, and then it is as if the natural elements of the area reveal itself, with similar sounds like a wooden boat on water, iron or tin clancking to wood and so on, but also with use of water sounds or a soft rhythmically thunder-like bass drumming. The songs and also the stories behind them have very much the desolateness of the area in them, where you cannot escape from circumstances even when new things happen. In that way the band captured this well and express all the sad ballads moodily with a new contemporary sound.' - Psychedelic Folk
'Norska Origami Arktika bildades redan 1992 och har under tiden blandat och gett såväl när det gäller medverkande musiker som kvalitet. ”Trollebotn” är tveklöst deras till dags dato mest imponerande verk vilket kanske är föga överraskande med tanke på vilka som medverkar. Grundaren Rune Flaten omger sig numera med underjordsikoner såsom Tore Bøe (Origami Republika), Kai Mikalsen (Kobi), Kjell Runar Jenssen (Motorpsycho och Del), Kjell Øyvind Braaten (Varde, Ehwaz), Kjell-Olav Jørgensen (Salvatore) och Bjarne Larsen (Salvatore).
Med kunskap baserad i hur ovan nämnda band låter är det lätt att förstå att vi här bjuds till en musikalisk resa genom mångfacetterad, och tidvis oländig terräng. Origami Arktika väljer att placera sin försiktigt smygande norska folkmusik på ett lapptäcke av elektroakustisk improvisation, spöklika ambienta toner, majestätiska dimbankar av droner och överraskande postrockstrukturer.
Det är en imponerande helhet som tack vare Flatens mystiska röst och det tidlösa musikaliska anslaget innehar en kraftfullt absorberande förmåga. Legenderna och historierna kring livet i svårtillgängliga Trollebotn är många och jag anar att bandets avsikt är att försöka förmedla den känslan innan atmosfären försvinner. Man gör det genom att omtolka traditionella visor och att musiksätta sägner och resultatet är lika delar meditativt och deprimerande.' - Mats Gustafsson, Sound Of Music #9
'Origami Arktika's seventh album is a classic example of living up to its billing fully -- Trollebotn is a physical and mythological place in Norway, as the extensive liner notes explain, along with brief English synopsis of the subjects of the songs and their origins. Even without such a handy guide, the album is a lovely experience on its own, as the various psych/folk inclined members of the group create another excellent, mysterious album that is both perfectly of the moment and centuries old.
Given how Norwegian folk songs have gripped the imagination of the country for decades, from Edvard Grieg to any number of post-black metal experimenters, Trollebotn is a traditional album in more ways than one, but the understated arrangements supporting Rune Flaten's lilting singing could just as easily be experiments from Pink Floyd in 1970 or any recent Terrastock Festival, a continuing exploration of the psychedelic flow.
Living up to the dark cover art and illustrations, everything feels appropriately shadowy, with soft room ambience and echoes adding an element of near-eavesdropping to the listening, as if one is a silent observer or participant to something not quite understandable. The buried drones and percussion fills on "Fanteguten," not to mention the sudden rings and chimes, isn't quite the soundtrack to a horror movie, but still calls to mind sudden jumps (all this while the song is about how to trick a pretentious woman!).
Some of the lyrics suit the generally contemplative if not always downbeat mood, but others provide amusing contrasts -- "Min Pipe," for instance, is a classic "eat, drink and be merry" song, yet it's given possibly the murkiest of all the arrangements, with drums sunk low in the mix.' - Ned Raggett, AllMusic.com
'To get to Trollebotn in Norway, the geographical location at least, is relatively easy for the prepared outdoorsman, but for the mythical and legendary place of Trollebotn, the land where Trolls and Giants reputedly lived, is a much more perilous journey. So much so that the locals who lived around the area of Trollebotn (apparently keeping ancient traditions longer than other parts of Norway) have kept alive countless tails of myth and folklore.
Not wanting this aged spoken word and folk tradition to be lost in the deep seas of modernity, Origami Republika, a global movement of artists, musicians, writers, film makers (et al) set about recording their own versions of these archaic and colorful tales (via their musical offshoot, Origami Arktika) with a sound as cosmopolitan as their members. With styles ranging from folk to industrial, from post rock to drone, Origami Arktika recorded Trollebotn in a remote island in the heart of Norway and the results are heard explicitly throughout.
Take ‘Anne Sit Hieme’ for instance, the first track on the album and a measure of just how talented a group Origami Arktika really is; blending psychedelic post rock sentiments and traditional Norwegian folk roots with ease.
‘Fjellmannjenta’, while steeped lyrically in Nordic folklore, produces a very global feel in its sound no doubt due to the use of a plethora of world music instruments at work in unison. Origami Arktika show off with precision the cosmopolitan and liberated make up of their group and their musical structures.
What helps to make this recording unique is, as previously mentioned, the fact that Origami Arktika recorded it on a remote island, Vesleoy to be precise, and not just on the island but outside, in the wilderness, allowing the field recordings of wind and most prominently with the track ‘Guro Heddelid’ the water surrounding the island, reputedly inhabited by an ancient sea serpent, The Seljordsorm, to feature.
A combination of both geographical poignancy and diagetic sound that when mixed with the haunting and subtle folk sound of the band and the vocals of Rune Flaten, make for an as-damn-near-perfect-as-one-could-hope-for neo-folk composition.
‘Min Pipe’ too makes prominent use of the recorded ambience surrounding the island, with the faint yet hallmark beat of a tribal drum becoming ever more important in our marginal hearing until it at last dominates the audible space, mixing smoothly and successfully with Flaten’s calm and traditional vocal talents capturing the dark ages feel of the music with every note elegantly produced.
For a deeply powerful and spiritual track look to ‘Som Lindi Baerer Lauv’, with its gentle brush of the cymbal and slow and repetitive ancestral drum beat, the composition acts almost as a musical gateway, a fey gate crossing from the material aspect of Trollebotn to the mythical one sung about in the folklore adaptations heard here.
Those able to translate the lyrics within this release or are native Norwegian speakers will surely be able to appreciate this compilation of old Norse tales in a way I can only enviously dream of, but despair not fellow linguistic philistines as the free folk sounds here alone are enough to help you on your peaceful journey to Trollebotn even if the captain’s tales are incomprehensible; truly a brilliant piece of musical, cultural and anthropological history and one of Origami Arktika’s most unique releases.' - Michael Byrne, Lefthip
'The seventh album in 15 years from this cult Norwegian septet (whose members are identified by the letter “A,” presumably for Arktika to distinguish them from other projects in the overall cultural collective known as Origami Republika, followed by a number) is a collection of ancient folk tales from the mythical titular land, which is also an area in Seljord, Telemark. To absorb and, thus imbue the ambience of the area into the material, the band recorded the album on Vesleøy, an island in the middle of the Seljord lake. As with most OA releases, there’s a loose, improvisational feel to the recording sessions, which were recorded outside as much as possible to capture the natural sounds of the area. Opener ‘Anne sit heime og tullar fe Baane’ relates the tale of Strong-Nils by Jørund Telnes. Nils’ mother Anne sings the song to her son, telling him of his father’s adventures fighting over in Denmark for the king. The band back this story with an ominous, stalking backing, reminiscent of The Doors and one of Morrison’s lengthy tales, such as “The End.”
“Fjellmannjenta” is the ribald tale of the farmer’s daughter going out for a few rounds on a Saturday night, dancing and flirting with the boy she fancies. The music here is tender, flowing…representing the playful innocence of the young maiden. “Frå Guro Heddelid” is another tale based on a Telnes cycle about a 14th century woman who lived in Seljord right before the plague broke out. The ethereal, improvisational backing reflects her state of mind as she sits and watches her children play, ruing the decision she made long ago to marry a rich man she didn’t love. Now, sadly, many years later, her husband and her true love are both gone and she sits alone beside the river near her home, contemplating how life could have been so much different. The final verse ends with the heartbreaking, symbolic couplet, “The green Linden tree was beautiful to watch/Now she stands all dried up by the Vallar River.”
Although the tracks are all sung in Norwegian, the events in the tales are summarised in English, so you can follow the stories even if you cannot understand the individual lyrics. Overall, “Trollebotn” is another fine outing from this experimental project, whose challenging but always rewarding work is a prime example of the intriguing New Scandinavian Folk scene, and this will definitely be a welcome addition to the collections of fans of similar bands, like Kemialliset Ystävät and Avarus from Finland, Kobi (whose Kai Mikelsen doubles as a current member of OA), or other members of the Origami Republik. Together, the individual artists offer some of the finest avant folk music of the day, and this is a good place for newcomers to jump in and explore what the project has to offer. 7/10.' - Jeff Penczak, Foxy Digitalis
>>> more reviews 1999-2006