Customer Reviews

Morning Star

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a big fan of the British Folk Rock or Electric Folk Rock music of the 1960s and 1970s you will love this album. The music is "softer" than Fairport Convention, Pentangle, or Steeleye Span. But it isn't folk-themed elevator music. I don't speak a word of Swedish, so I can't access the complexity or cleverness of the lyrics. The vocals and background music are great. I'm not sure, but it seems like some of the tunes were lifted from British folk rock, track 15, in particular is the same tune, but not the lyrics, as Pentangle's "Maid that's deep in love." While this band is obviously indebted to the earlier groups, their music is very original certainly being influenced by Scandinavian musical traditions; folks, this is not a remix. And please God, don't call it "New Age."

Come on Amazon, make this an mp3 album already!

I had heard one cut from Ranarim on a Northside sampler but did not, at the time, order their album. Later they popped up on my recommendations page and I was caught by the review comparing them to Steeleye Span and Pentangle. (I would have added Renaissance.) So, I decided to give Morning Star a shot. Do you ever get a new album and it is so good that you want to play it all the time, yet you have to force yourself not to so the freshness won't fade? I am currently forcing myself.
I can echo that the close harmonies and melodies are what keep me coming back to it time and again, and that the underlying instrumentals are flawless and intriguing. There is a song on Steeleye Span's album All Around My Hat titled The Wife Of Ushers Well. The three part harmony of the chorus always makes me woozy. Morning Star has made me wobbly in several places, the vocals and harmonies are so captivating. The lyrics are sung in Swedish, yet I would not let a lack of Swedish keep you from experiencing Ranarim. When I first moved to Sweden and discovered artists like Carola, I was surprised at how much I liked the songs being sung in a language I did not yet know very well. I was able to focus on Carola's voice and style, enjoying her vocals as if a musical instrument. I believe you can have the same experience listening to Ranarim singing in Swedish. Though, if you just have to know what the lyrics mean, they are provided in English within the liner notes, along with the original Swedish titles.

What the Amazon reviewer said. Sweet with a biting edge. Totally addictive.

Also, I'm proud of myself for listening closely enough to identify Brinna Inga Hjärtan as an alphabet song, as a Swedish acquaintance confirmed for me. Oops, only the English track names are listed here. Which track do I mean? I leave it as an exercise for the listener.