Gåte — Iselilja

The young Norwegian folk-rockers Gåte should be known by now by readers of m[m]. The quintet has just released their second full-length album which entered the Norwegian charts at the #3 position and they deserved it!

No big changes on Iselilja, it's a natural progression with more room to rock and there are less electronics in the mix. Not to an extent to start speaking about a style-change though. They sound pretty fired up and the fine production captures it all perfectly. Distortion galore on violin and guitar with Gunnhild's powerful voice piercing through like we're used to. All of the bandmembers know how to play their instrument and they do it with gusto.

Fredlysning, Du Som Er Ung and the instrumental tradional that's becoming traditional on Gåte's albums Ola I rock your socks off while a tender ballad like Sjåaren gives you some air before it builds to a bombastic end. Another highlight is the monumental Jomfruva Ingjebør, great builds! The songs are, as usual, a mix of traditionals as well as originals written according to the tradition, performed in an untraditional fashion. What else there to say? Read the other stuff at our site for more info if you haven't done yet.

So there you go, another great album from these youngsters whose national success hasn't caused them to mellow down. I think they deserve some attention from outside Norway/Sweden, also for the selfish reason that I want to see them live. The second track Sjå Attende has been released as a single with a little ditty of one and a half minute called Kysja Roa sung by Gunnhild under a big tree in hometown Trondheim.