Kyrre Slind
Album: Open Airs
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.kyrreslind.com

Back in 2011, Norwegian musician and composer Kyrre Slind quit his job, bought a banjo and hit the road on a Vespa scooter, heading for Ireland. During his stay in Ireland, despite some initial setbacks, he landed on his feet, and he was fortunate to meet Scottish singer/songwriter Gerda Stevenson, with whom he collaborated both on her CD Night Touches Day and on stage at Celtic Connections. His travels, which have to date encompassed Norway, Ireland and Scotland, have clearly inspired his composition, and the pieces on this CD are an instrumental response to the inspirational quality of the landscapes through which he's passed.

That doesn't mean to say they're intended as a programmatic or pictorial depiction of those landscapes, nor are they a paraphrase of the folk melodies or styles of those regions. Even so, one can discern the multiple influences and models stemming from a variety of indigenous and folk milieus, from the lute melodies of northern climes (Gaupskaret, Løksa) to the courtly eastern-Europeanism of Sandra's Melody, At the centre of the disc, Tunnsjø is a most attractive extended piece whose initial English-folk-tune-sounding modal melody is set against a rippling classical-style figure, this being succeeded by a more reposeful episode based around harmonics. The opening sketch Oysterhaven is a more leisurely, fluid and almost improvisatory piece that's slightly redolent of some of John Fahey's more loosely structured meanderings. Braien's Melody is a brief excursion into the realms of folk-baroque, with some backing overtones, and I'm certain I've heard the tune of Kevin's Melody before; while two tracks (Remembering, and the stately processional of Underwater) bring in Rob MacNeacail (of Miasma) on fretless bass. And the gentle virtuosity of Kyrre's fast runs on Borders really does conjure the challenge of a trip through the more rugged of landscapes.

This is really a very appealing disc, a rare beast of a thoroughly charming all-instrumental album, and it's easy to warm to Kyrre's intensely satisfyingly accomplished (and yet somehow understated) playing style. Interestingly, although the press release proclaims that Kyrre performs internationally on lute, guitar, banjo, sitar and mandolin, we mostly hear his open-tuned guitars (or occasionally lute) on this CD. So I do hope he can be persuaded into the studio again soon to demonstrate his proficiency on more of those instruments.

David Kidman