专辑简介

by Chris NicksonWhile Triakel's eponymous debut had many dark moments, Wintersongs definitely moves toward the light. It's a celebration both of winter and Christmas, a mix of traditional folk songs, lullabies, and Christmas carols, with one new piece, "Innan Gryningen," co-written by former ABBA man Benny Andersson, who also guests on accordion. Overall the mood is graceful, concentrating on songs rather than dance pieces, which means that upbeat material like "Julgranspolska" and "Staffanvisa From Orust" stand out for their relatively lively tempos. The beauty is in the way the harmonium, fiddle, and voice complement each other, as on the lovely "Torspar-Julaftas-Vaggvisa," where harmonium arpeggios set the tone, Härdelin's wonderfully clear voice sings the melody, and the fiddle weaves soft strands around it all, leaving the whole much more than the sum of its parts. There are a number of similarities between the pieces here and English folk music -- "God Morgan Här, Kär, Fader Var" could have come from across the North Sea with its cadences -- that emphasize the connections of folk, the real music of the people. For what's essentially a side project, as members of the group have real jobs in Garmarna and Hoven Droven, Triakel has a fully established identity perfectly suited to a themed album like this, with ideas turning into crystalline reality.