Artist.......: Nalle
Album........: By chance upon waking
Label........: PickledEgg
Genre........: Folk
Catnr........: egg57
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Apr-27-2006
str.date.....: 2006
quality......: VBR/44.1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: n/a
track title time
01. Sunne song 04:46
02. Midwinter's dream 03:39
03. Iron's oath 06:14
04. Sea change 02:34
05. Forest Mountain 06:26
06. New roots 04:22
07. Birth of the bear 08:14
08. Ravens 05:19
Runtime 41:34 min
Size 49,3 MB
Release Notes:
What is the criteria for a perfect album? Is there
a laundry list of things that one must check off to
qualify? For some people, perhaps. For me? It's
more of a feeling, something in my gut that goes
all wonky when a record is pouring out of my
speakers. It's an album that can inspire me to no
end. Something that makes you feel like you, as a
listener, are vital to the music transcending some
artificial line in the sand. I don't know, it's
very fluid and never easy to pin down. It's one of
those things that I know when I hear it. And I
certainly heard it a few weeks ago when Nalle first
graced my ears.
Nalle is a trio featuring three members of Scatter
(two of which also play in One Ensemble of Daniel
Padden. Yeah, we're dealing with heavyweights
here). Chris Hladowski, Aby Vulliamy, and Hanna
Tuulikki make up the group, and the chemistry
between the three is instantly obvious. Acoustic
arrangements that stir like lost children late at
night provide the perfect palette for Tuulikki to
weave pure magic.
Nalle treads similar ground as Tuulikki's Finnish
compatriots Lau Nau and Islaja, but there's a
decidedly Scottish twist. Hladowski's bouzouki and
Vulliamy's viola give the feeling of regal music
played in the Medieval villages that dotted the
British Isles. The way Tuulikki sings and the
things she sings about are a celebration of life
and the magic and mysticism that accompanies it.
"Forest Mountain" turns the mountains and forests
into enchanting characters that are part of some
great universal play. As the tension builds, the
interplay between the bouzouki and viola becomes
almost too much to bear. Tuulikki's voices waltzes
and wavers like a child sorceress conjuring up all
the greats spirits of the Earth. Everything comes
together to form something totally magnificent on
this track. As a listener, you feel as overwhelmed
as Nalle sounds. It's beautiful.
The opening track, "Sunne Song," is a great way to
begin the album. It reminds me of early morning on
the weekends, lazily rolling out of bed, and
stretching your arms to the sun. The hesitant
bouzouki notes and the viola drones are subtle, but
reenergizing. They pull you out from under the
sheets and drag you into the warm summer breezes.
"By Chance Upon Walking" is spellbinding from the
first flickering moments.
Everything comes together on Nalle's debut to
produce some of the best music I've heard in years.
The instrumentation is wonderful and Tuulikki's
voice, which falls somewhere between Bjork and
Austria's Gustav, are absolute perfection. I can't
get over just how amazing this record is. Nalle's
debut is easily the best thing I've heard in 2006
thusfar, and I reckon it's going to be hard for
anything to come close to it. The highest of
recommendations.- (Foxy Digitalis)