Origami Arktika
Trollebotn
Silber Records

Another Origami project, Origami Galaktika, was featured in our very first Luna menu way back in 1996. What we said about the different Origami projects then, still seems valid today. Most of the Origami outputs have been dominated by instrumental music, sounds and noises. With Origami Arktika, the voice of Rune Flaten is the driving force. It sounds as traditional as a Norwegian folk voice can be. Telemark is a strong contender for the richest folklore county in Norway, both historically and today. Trollebotn is a remote area of Telemark, which probably means it is situated in the heartland of the folklore community.

The lyrics of Trollebotn are either traditional ones from Trollebotn or written by the local poet Jørund Telnes in the latter half of the 19th century. They are in Norwegian, obviously, in the dialect of the Trollebotn area, and deal with everyday life and fiction some hundred years ago. They are explained in English in the album booklet. The music seems to be written by Origami Arktika and held in a traditional folk spirit. Rune Flaten's voice is very characteristic and the melody lines use different notes and follow different paths than your average pop and rock song. The instrumentation is relatively sparse, utilised to augment the voice, it seems and includes some traditional folk instruments but also some of the modern kind. You might even trace the occasional discreet jazz-funk drums or bass. The only real similarity to the world of rock and pop I have found, is the instrumental arrangement of the opening track "Anne Sit Heime" that reminds of the beginning of "The End", the classic Doors' epic.

At first the songs of Trollebotn seem monotonous, even boring perhaps. If you give them more than one chance, they eventually creep under your skin. They work very well in the dark. If you fall asleep while listening, I guess you might have some strange, yet pleasant, dreams of mystic times long gone by...

Check out the pages of Silber Records and Origami for further information, samples etc.

Copyright © 2008 JP