Nordic ensemble Klingra consists of seven established musicians from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Latvia and The Faroe Islands. Although the band is new, its members are experienced musicians who have performed with artists such as Jack White, Savage Rose, Afenginn and Teitur.
Klingra means circle in Faroese, and The Faroe Islands are at the center of the Klingra’s sound. However, Klingra’s sound draws from most of the Nordic countries.
The band has recorded an album titled …Eftir that takes the listener to the west coast of Greenland in 1956, on the Nordafar harbor (short for Norway/Denmark/Faroe Islands). It is a fishing port where Faroese fishermen, who had been forced out of their local waters by German and English trawlers, went to try their luck.
Life for these Faroese fishermen was tough, far from home. On …Eftir, the Klingra composers Kim Rafael Nyberg and Dánjal á Neystabø, used field recordings from one of these fishermen recorded shortly before his passing many years later. The elder Faroese fisherman, Neystabø’s late grandfather, affectively talked about an accident resulting in 14 deaths, where some died drowning and others froze to death.
The music balances on the dusky borderline between classical and traditional music, with subtle
electronic elements, a style that could be described as “indie-classical”. The music has a specific Nordic tone and uses a broad range of acoustic and electronic sounds.
Eftir is not an album of mourn or grief, but of love, gratitude, and the admiration of a person who always put others first, and who will live on in memory forever
Line up: Dánjal á Neystabø on piano, keyboards, vocals; Kim Rafael Nyberg on keyboards, piano, vocals; Heðin Ziska Davidsen on electronics, guitar; Maggie Björklund on pedal steel guitar; Mikael Blak on bass, electronics; Knut Finsrud on drums, percussion; and Roma Komar on sound, trumpet.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.