Gabbarein | Gabbarein
(Our Silent Canvas Records)
Churning industrial grooves give way to ethereal vocals on Gabbarein’s self-titled debut album. The Woodstock duo is made up of Norwegian vocalist Cecilie Hafstad and American composer Christopher Bono. Together they create slow-moving soundscapes, often foreboding, often dulcet, at times even cute. The album was recorded on a fjord within the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway (brrr!). But upon listening, it’s really no surprise, as the album is airy in its vocals, glacial in its pace, and icy at its heart. The second track, “Kyss Meg,” shows the duo’s sweeter side, where achingly beautiful vocals are given a minimalist but weighty accordion accompaniment. The album is a celebration of Hafstad’s voice, a soaring animalistic spirit, elevated to a toyful power through peculiar instrumental backing: kalimba, gong, electronics, flute, and more, and wafted to haunting heights on tracks like “Alt En Kan Tenke Seg.” The title track is more highly produced, adding a primal groove to the album. The following track, “Lyngen,” places us in Norway’s northern chill, with the sound of gently swelling waves introducing textured vocals that carry forth the mysticism of the sea. Closing track “Mamma” keeps the album balladeering and folkish. You don’t need to be fluent in Norwegian to cold-plunge into the mystical and nature-inspired wisdom being channeled by the duo.
This article appears in October 2024.
