This is an excerpt from the print edition of Dirty Linen magazine #98 (February / March 2002). The magazine is available on newsstands and by subscription.

This issue of RP3 is about chances taken in the name of discovering the "next folk music." These recordings, from the simplest duets to the most studio-inspired productions, take their ancient roots, pull them up (in some cases, yank them up), and re-examine them from the perspective of the 21st century. Like all risk-takers, they sometimes fail in their attempts, but without these experiments new music would just be a rehashing of the old themes instead of the creation of inspiring works of art that can occur when the artist is left to explore.

Piniartut [Tutl Music, Faroe Islands] is one of those rare recordings that almost immediately knocked me off my feet, and then, on continual listenings, continued to maintain its strength and beauty. The masterwork of the Finnish singer Tellu Virkkala, "The Hunters" takes old Nordic and North Atlantic songs of fishing and hunting and molds them into eerie, yes, almost icy arrangements, full of dark spirits and hard winds, frighteningly ancient and obscure melodies carried into terrifying modern ports and villages. She is assisted in this adventure by some remarkable musicians. Ville Kangas, also from Finland, contributes violin, mandola, some piano, and backing vocals. Greenlander Rasmus Lyberth is the other key vocalist, offering a rough counterpoint to Tellu's voice, his growling recitation-songs creating some of the key moments in the stories being told. Kristian Blak is a jazz-experimental pianist and organist from Faroe Islands, and his more avant-garde touch is felt throughout the record. There are a few brief guest appearances by throat singer Kimmo Sarja and acoustic bass player Timo Myllykangas, and one vocal by Anti Rintamäki. Rintamäki also brilliantly engineered this recording at the studios of the Folk Arts Center in Kaustinen, Finland, and deserves equal credit with the musicians for creating an ambience befitting of the subject matter and the unique performances delivered by the musicians. Piniartut continually delivers the unexpected, whether it is a soft whisper that explodes in a rage of noise or a danceable folk song that suddenly turns toward an inexplicable avant-gardism. This is not for those seeking the folk music of these northern climes, but for those looking to see into the future of Nordic music itself. Piniartut has the beauty of a rose in winter, a gentle attraction that has a surprise of thorns beneath the surface.

Listen to a track from the CD (courtesy of Tutl Records)

There are four more recordings discussed in this column from Dirty Linen #98 (Feb./Mar. '02). Read the full text in the magazine, available via subscription or on newsstands and in bookstores.