Garmarna – “Vengeance ” – [Northside]

Thurston Hunger   9/4/2005   A Library, CD

Haunting neo-traditional sounds, electric
village folk music. Slithering fiddle
music mated with “bleak beats.” Atop it
all Emma Hardelin’s voice soars like a
falcon…hunting for prey. A cool constant
flow of electronic trickery (as if Tucker
Martine was buzzing about) keeps an edge
on an otherwise almost too polished album.
Proud dirge fury. As much as I like the
violins, and the dark clouds of electronics
the source of power here is Emma; you feel
like you are a jagged stone in her mouth
as she sings, rolls her r’s, stretches
her vowels, splits her voice into overdub
harmonies. Swedish Ragnarok’n’rol!