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Gjallarhorn hail from Ostrobothnia, a culturally Swedish region of Finland. The most immediately evident instrument on this recording is a decidedly non-Nordic didgeridoo. Gjallarhorn are primarily an acoustic group, but they have a large, highly produced sound that sweeps the listener away. They sing old ballads and ancient stories, and do it in a stridently contemporary style. Yet this band of contradictions has produced an album of remarkable cohesiveness and creativity. Gjallarhorn are singer and fiddler Jenny Wilhelms; Christopher Öhman on viola, fiddle, mandola, and supporting vocals; percussionist David Lillkvist; and Jacob Frankenhaeuser on didgeridoo. (Frankenhaeuser plays on the recording but was replaced soon after it was made by didg-ist Tommi Mansikka-Aho.) It is the didgeridoo that creates the group's distinctive dark, growling sound. The instrument plays a strong counterpoint to Wilhelms ethereal vocal delivery and supplies a harsh rhythmic element to drive along the strings. Percussionist Lillkvist gives the Swedish rhythms a lot of worldly space. Gjallarhorn's success lies in their ability to take this unique sound and make it serve a marvelous group of mostly traditional songs, letting the ballads breathe and giving the dance tunes fire. Ranarop is a remarkable first recording, from a band that seems set to produce even better. --Louis Gibson
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