Skadedyr – Musikk!

Hubro

Once again Hubro are reporting from the coal face of the Norwegian experimental and improv scene with the latest release from the many-legged and multi-talented Skadedyr. With their third album for Hubro and band membership this time around weighing in at a good dozen, you could be forgiven for thinking that there are too many involved, but that would be most misguided. Based around the core members Anja Lauvdal, Hans Hulbaekmo (both of whom also play with Hubro’s own Moskus), Heida Mobeck and Lars Ove Stene Fossheim, they are surrounded by a web of love and ideas that encompass Nordic folk, jazz, free experimentation, kids’ soundtracks and pretty much anything else that occurs to them.

The opener “Musikk!” has a really rather lovely dreamy, drummy, synthy start and comes over like a soundcheck with a sleepy quality, but random snippets thrown in for good measure to ensure you are wrong-footed when you think you have it cracked. A striding bass and the tinkling of bells cause the members of the band to slowly wake up, yawning and stretching in the sunshine, uplifting almost operatic vocals acting like some unlikely Nordic call to prayer. There is children’s percussion, a tuba and a hell of a lot of space as the track takes one of a few volte-faces over the course of its twelve minutes. In fact, when the structure reappears in the track at some point, this is when the folk shading overtakes the track and drags it into the woodland, frolicking with the creatures there. It is how you might imagine Norwegians might attempt to soundtrack Morris dancing, but with slide steel guitar.

That was quite a romp and the guessing games continue as the other five tracks unfold. Frantic drumming abounds on “Frampek”. I have no idea what is driving the rhythmic compulsion, but those other members of the band that attempt to keep up throw all sorts at it, including a rather disconcerting squealing sound. I looked on the credits for whoever was playing the pig, but could find no mention, so can only assume that somebody had become carried away. I like the idea of the band reacting to whatever is happening, and although this is a strange analogy, I remember the first time I saw Mercury Rev when Yerself Is Steam came out, and you just had the idea that one person would come up with a brief moment to which everybody else would react, throwing the music forward and backward in constant ebbs and flows. Skadedyr react the same, but with the greater good of the band in mind, rather than trying to outgun their compadres. They behave like some sort of folkloric swing band on board a ferry in a crazy storm, trying to stay focussed, but also trying to deal with the ship causing havoc with momentum.

The drunken reveille of “Kallet” is allied to a gentle, distant trumpet, trombone and incidental cartoon sound effects graduated into a military folk refrain that has crazy jazz guitar strewn across the top of it. The muted trumpet purrs in our ear as the song tries to settle, but is prevented from doing so at any given point. Musical anarchy is at play here, but it welcomes the listener rather than alienates. It is like that wild, dangerous kid that you meet at school, always bunking off and smoking fags. You know you want to go with them, like some pied piper, and you know the rewards are worth the risks. It is not all craziness though; final track “Hage Om Kvelden” has a bizarre kind of tea-dance feel to it with its sombre piano and ’30s trumpet intro. The trumpet does start to stray and you feel the drama ramping up a little, and as the volume increases, so you feel the dancers leading with greater gusto.

The whole album is a riot of colour and texture, vocal scats appearing here and there as kaleidoscopes throw all the colour and texture into a melting pot, out of which fizzes a lot of joy. You can’t help but be swept along by this and it will put a smile on any occasion — and would make a real dinner party talking point. Effusive stuff.

-Mr Olivetti-