Aardvarchaeology

I'm a big fan of Swedish-Finnish ethno band Hedningarna ("the Pagans"). Centred around three musicians working with a series of very fine singers, the band released five albums from 1989 to 1999. Their method was to go for the most primitive acoustic instruments known to Swedish ethnic music and plug them into various exotic electronics, producing a sound heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix yet unmistakeably rural and Scandinavian. Most aficionados count the second and third albums (Kaksi and Trä), where two amazing Finnish traditional female singers dominate the sound, as the band's creative peak. But I really like the fourth one too.

1997's Hippjokk is the only Hedningarna album without any female vocals. The songs are either instrumentals or sung by men, including Sami guest vocalist Wimme Sarri who puts in some really badass yoik. Another thing that really sets this disc apart is its focus on groove, repetitive string figures, harvandet as the band put it in interviews. It's not really riffing, more basic, more monotonous. And hugely groovy.

One funny and rocking track on the fourth Hedningarna disc is "Drafur och Gildur", a song they picked up from live roleplayer darlings Sorkar & Strängar. This is a testosterone-drenched song telling a gory tale of woodland trolls who mess with the wrong pair of dwarves. I translate from the Swedish original:

Drafur and Gildur
By Martin Ahlman

Heavy-booted footsteps ring
Dwarven singing rides the wind
Down into a little clearing
Where wily trolls are waiting

Trolls have set an ambush here
To test the mettle of the dwarves
Drafur enters the woods
Keeping his axe handy

The trolls have waited long enough
Sneaking out from the forest eaves
Drafur stands listening
The birds are strangely quiet

Suddenly roaring and screeching
Trolls come running from the woods
Drafur muses to himself
"Time for some axercise!"

The first troll is hoping
To bash Drafur's legs to pulp
This ambition is thwarted
When his head takes leave of his neck

More and more trolls appear
Drafur wishes they would just go away
Trolls have tiny brains
But there are too many of them

Suddenly the trolls' luck turns
And hope springs in Drafur's heart
Through a scarlet mist
He spies Gildur kicking troll ass

Trolls in hordes advance
Drafur and Gildur join forces
Back to back the dwarves
Paint the ground with blood of trolls

Drafur, grinning like a wolf
Swings his double axe
Stiff-necked trolls he chops
Dispatching them unfalteringly

The wrath of the dwarves has awakened
Any troll in range gets its skull cracked open
They start backing away
As Gildur beheads the stragglers

Few trolls are left now
Soon the dwarves will get some rest
Their blood boiling
They slay the last attacker

If you haven't understood our song
Let us sing it once again:
The best fighters around
Are dwarves, no doubt about it

[More blog entries about music, ethno, Sweden, Finland, Hedningarna, fantasy; musik, folkmusik, Hedningarna, fantasy.]