Ara

Ara is the second album from Norwegian group, the Erlend Apneseth Trio.

On the astonishingly vivid 'Utferd', Ara's opening track, the sound begins as an inchoate, unformed thing, like an orchestra tuning up, before the musicians gradually find their level. A series of repetitive plucks and glissandos leads into an almost trip-hoppy rhythm over-ridden by the drones and keening wails of the leader's Hardanger fiddle until they reach a climax then slowly retreat into pure sound, trailing wisps of the dying melody as they go.

The Erelend Apneseth Trio's debut album, 'Der Andre Rommet', created a suitable splash, being nominated for Spellemannsprisen, the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy, and receiving a Norwegian Folk Award in the 'Open' category. A rave review in Mojo encapsulated the appeal of 'close, intuitive compositions groaning, roiling and clattering with a raw, exploratory life, creating a wild new strain of Norwegian folk tunes that move, appropriately, from sun-dappled utopianism to the bleakest noir netherworld.'