Okland, Nils / Straum
Album: Straum   Collection:General
Artist:Okland, Nils   Added:Mar 2007
Label:Rune Grammofon  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2007-04-01 Pull Date: 2007-06-03 Charts: Classical/Experimental
Week Ending: May 13 Apr 15 Apr 8
Airplays: 1 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. Aug 12, 2007: Multiple Personality Disorder
Grataslag - Etter Siri Dyvik/Petter Stromsing
3. Apr 12, 2007: Cognitive Overload
Solformaorkelse - Steinsfjellet 11. August 99
2. May 11, 2007: Living Souls
Straum
4. Apr 04, 2007: Bowel Cleansing Orgy
Ondt

Album Review
Ragnar of Ravensfjord
Reviewed 2007-08-05
2000-era debut of this avant/experimental Norwegian composer. Økland (pronounced “Uh’k’l’and) creates manipulations of the traditional Hardange fiddle and violin.

He’s accompanied by other musicians on piano, organ, bas bass, guitar & trumpet. It straddles the line between traditional Norwegian folk, classical and experimental composition. Oddly enough produced by the same guy (Audun Styrpe) who works with Ulver & Turbonegro.

((((1)))) Slow, minimal and occasionally drony bits of Hardange fiddle & violin. (Title = “Mon’ae’l’eest”)
(((2))) Pretty, slow and often delicate bits of fiddle tones & acoustic guitar strums. (title = “Ree’se-sl’ott”)
(((((3))))) Excellent use of stirring, cyclical series of fast played notes. Often sounding like he’s doubling up on both the fidde & violin. (title = “Stra’ UM”)
(((4))) Sad, kinda weepy sounding bits of violin & fiddle. Like a soundtrack to some typical Norwegian melancholic story. (title = “Gr’ow’tas’lag”)
((((5)))) Spacey, drones and random bits of trumpet. Interesting but short.
((((6)))) Trumpet, violin and Hardange fiddle all played softly and sadly. Sounds very snowy, dark and cold. (Title = “E’kod’neh’ Ge’ek Po Vol’len Og Sl’ow”)
(((7))) Random bits of sharp fiddle tones and a woman operatic singing in Norwegian
(Title = “S’vev-T’eel Eel’ef”)
((((8))))) Minimal, moody eventually gets louder. Thinning the between folk & experimental. Lots of intesting placement of notes but structured simply enough so you can follow along.
(Title = “Be’be’r slo’tt”)
((((9)))) Huge church organ sound, dark & often creepy! “Baw’ha-ha-ha-ha!” Althought it considerably chills out in the last 50 seconds.
(((10))) Mellow, micely layered sound with piano, fiddle and an often faint female vocal.
((((11)))) Pretty female vocal & fiddle. Like something you’d hear on Romain’s show at some early hour.
((((12)))) Oddly structured fiddle based-composition with a lot of oddly metered tempos.
((((13)))) Drifting, “typical yet different” Norwegian fiddle & guitar laden folk
((14)) Occasionally nice but just too minimal.
title = “Av’varium” (= aquarium)
(((15))) Tea-kettle level high pitched fiddle drone played at all sorts of tones and tempos. Occasionally sounding like a weird Nordic bird call. Title = “Sol’for’ m’uh’rk’el’say’-St’ein’feel’yell’et”

Track Listing
1. Manelyst   9. Understraum
2. Reiseslatt-Til Hans W. Brimi (1918-1998)   10. Var
3. Straum   11. Rose
4. Grataslag - Etter Siri Dyvik/Petter Stromsing   12. Ondt
5. Skystudie   13. Gorrlaus
6. Ikodne Gjekk Pa Vollen Og Slo - Etter Funvor Okland   14. Akvarium
7. Svev - Til Eilif   15. Solformaorkelse - Steinsfjellet 11. August 99
8. Biberslatt - Til Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704)   .