Gig Review - Opeth and Alcest

Back on the 14^th of October 2014, I attended an event in the O2 ABC in Glasgow, which was part of Opeth’s European tour following the release of their 11^th studio album, ‘Pale Communion’. Last time I saw Opeth in the same venue, they were touring with Anathema, but this time they were accompanied by French Post-Black Metal band; Alcest. I was really interested to hear Alcest perform, because I wanted to hear how they sounded live compared to their usual smooth production.

Opeth are a Swedish death metal band who are very significant in the world of metal and have been about since 1990. They have an incredibly unique style and have developed a large fan base. They are characterised by a mix of traditional death metal combined with intricate melodic sections featuring chromatic and modal movement, and use of irregular and compound time signatures is quite common. They often use mixtures of seven eight and six eight. Their style manages to sound unbelievably brutal, but also obviously has jazz and folk influences. It is this unique approach to metal that makes them one of the most influential metal bands around today.

Alcest are a French post-black or Shoe-gaze-black metal band who formed in the early 2000s. They are not as popular as Opeth, but their beautiful melodies combined with black metal drumming and vocals are something that people are becoming interested in. Their style uses simple melodies played by clean guitars and vocals, and is combined with harsh black metal shrieks and a drumming style that goes from simple time rhythms to ruthless blast beats. Their lyrical subject focuses on dreams and the songs are mostly about some sort of dream world, all sung in French. The fact you can’t understand it enhances the idea of it being a bit dreamy. This band is such a great compliment to Opeth because both do not stick to one style, they incorporate the unexpected, some sort of “Marmite” genre splicing.

When I arrived at the venue, I was not at all surprised to see a real mixed crowd. There were a huge number of middle aged people there for a start, this may be due to the fact that Opeth are quite an old band now, so are pulling in some die-hard fans from all over the country. There were also – and I hate to categorise – a significant number of obviously non-metal heads there; people who looked a little bit awkward in fully buttoned shirts. I was really pleased to see this because it just shows that these bands, who have a variety of influences, certainly draw in a varied crowd. Also, Alcest were likely to pull in a more “hipster” fan-base due to their late move to a more poppy sound. After this spot of people watching, the lights suddenly dimmed and Alcest walked on stage.

Their set list included a sensible mix of new and old material, including probably one of their most famous and certainly my favourite; ‘Autre Temps’. I was slightly disappointed they missed out the introduction to this song, but then it occurred to me that quite a lot of songs had been tailored for live performance. They absolutely perfected the post black metal genre, characterised by their slow melodies using major scales, often in three four time, giving a really sort of nostalgic feel to their songs, assisted by Neige’s soft innocent tenor voice. They use lots of synth sounds to give a sort of ethereal tone to the music, and what disappoints me is that it’s all pre-recorded; they could definitely make a better live show if they had someone to play keyboards for them on the night. Another thing different live, was that they missed out all the spine-tingling vocal harmony that is present in their recordings. This made the live experience a bit bland. Seeing as their music is quite simple already, to be truly powerful live, they could do without striping down the parts. I found their older music is more interesting and has more depth, and their latest album features hardly any black metal which leaves them basically being indie; a bit boring really. I was really disappointed with their live sound, because the sound engineers were obviously not aware that this was a very melodic band since I could hardly hear any treble at all. This major oversight was fairly disappointing; however it was nice to actually see Alcest live.

Opeth had a much more dramatic entry, the crowd was going totally ballistic for them. Some spotlights highlighted the position where the band members were to stand, and apart from that, everything was pitch black, there was a huge aura of anticipation. Naturally, their opening track was the first off their new album which was just stunning to hear live. Opeth have evolved over the past couple of years into more of a prog rock/heavy rock band, obviously these genres have always been underlying in the bands complexed style, but are now more apparent. ‘Eternal Rains Will come’ just shows off their recent evolution magnificently. Unlike Alcest, Opeth didn't skimp on their introductions. ‘Eternal Rains’ three minute lead up until the first chorus was all there, and sounded precisely just like the recorded copy. I have to admit; I had not done much research on the production of this latest album, and just assumed Åkerfeldt’s voice had been multi tracked to achieve the perfect tight harmonies, but was actually overjoyed to see most members singing. Opeth’s set list included a range of their music. The crowd was shouting for ‘old stuff’ and as well as playing a lot of new material, they really did go back a long way, including a song off their first album ‘Orchid’, which after all these years (thirty) was still incredibly well performed and was really impressive. They were also churning out the favourites from ‘Still Life’, ‘Watershed’ and ‘Blackwater Park’. One thing I love about Opeth is that they incorporate a lot of modern jazz rhythms and keyboards into their music. Live, Axenrot was on top form, with really accurate and complex rhythms, and so was Svalberg; using jazzy organ sounds, suspensions, seventh and sixth chords.  Vocal wise, Åkerfeldt’s contrast of deep chesty growls and crisp clean vocals was just as perfect as ever: probably one of the top voices in metal today. Such a powerful voice along with the heavy instrumental accompaniment makes a really dramatic sound. Contrastingly, Opeth have a tendency to sound quite folk. The mixture of modal scales used by the guitars and Åkerfeldt’s clean vocals is such a change from their heavier sound, but to me it is undeniably awesome the way they manage to fit jazz, folk, prog rock, and death metal even into one song. It is also impressive the way they sound exactly like they do recorded when they play live as well. The performance was fantastic; both times I've seen them they have failed to disappoint.

 The crowd interaction between both bands was hugely contrasting. Alcest basically walked on stage, said nothing the whole way through their performance and then left. This may have something to do with the fact that they are not great English speakers. Maybe they did not feel comfortable speaking to a crowd? Also, their music isn't what you’d call get-up and go, it’s very relaxing, so there isn't much spec for getting the crowd all excited. It is more music that the crowd witnesses rather than gets involved in. However, Opeth’s crowd interaction is always one of the best parts of their live performance. Åkerfeldt is actually a real comedian, previously declaring the name of their band was ABBA and subsequently breaking out into a brief rendition of ‘Super Trouper’. They literally have the crowd in tears of laughter, and are obviously very comfortable when it comes to talking to the audience.

As far as stage presence goes, both bands were very different again. From the moment Alcest started playing, they just stood in a straight line, which was completely uninspiring. They also had close to no interaction with each other. The whole thing looked quite awkward and boring. In contrast, Opeth made sure they positioned themselves in a more natural looking way so that they could actually see each other. They were obviously passionate about their music, and were making clear visual communication with each other, as well as walking about the stage, showing they were relaxed and enjoying the moment, rather than Alcest’s rather wooden performance. For Opeth, it is probably more important to be able to see each other since their irregular rhythmical structures involve long pauses, so it is necessary to be able to see one another to know exactly when to pick up the song. Alcest however have simple rhythms, where nothing peculiar happens, so communication within the band is not so important, but I feel it is crucial in presenting yourself as an inspiring musician.

Overall I was thoroughly impressed with the whole performance, and it was a great opportunity to see two of my favourite bands. Alcest did sound good live, but it wasn't all there. The lack of harmony and good performance was a bit deflating. Also, their live sound is definitely not as good as on recording since I could barely hear any treble. I'm curious to see whether it is just the sound engineers who got it wrong on the night, or, that they really don’t sound good live. In my opinion, a band should always sound the same live as recorded, and, while Alcest didn't live up to this expectation, Opeth most certainly did. Their old and new material sounded just as impressive live as on CD, which was a huge achievement seeing as they played songs dating back to the early 90s. They put on a totally inspiring performance, and are a band I would never miss the opportunity to see again.

Scandinavian Folk Music: Experimental vs. Traditional

Scandinavian Folk Music

Experimental vs. Traditional.

Merryn

Many people believe that Scandinavia consists of just Norway, Sweden and Denmark, however, within music styles, there is a big connection between not only these countries, but also Finland, Iceland and the Faroe Isles. These Nordic countries share similarities in traditional musical styles, and although the genre is, with some knowledge, easily identifiable between countries, today pan-Nordic music is very common, and is a celebration of culture and heritage. I will mostly be focusing on the music of Finland, Sweden and Norway, with special focus on the Sami people, and how their music has developed to become not only culturally and socially significant, but also politically. Also, I will be talking about how a cross-over between traditional music of Scandinavia and music from other countries makes up contemporary folk, and how the strong nationalism that goes with Scandinavian folk also inspires a strong right wing political belief, especially predominant in the more traditional Norwegian culture, who’s folk has an obvious connection to the Black Metal scene; often involving even Neo-Nazi beliefs. Overall I hope to create an understanding of the musical features that are present in Scandinavian folk.

            Traditionally not being part of Scandinavia, Finland’s folk music is classed as being Scandinavian, since it uses much of the same styles as Norway, Sweden and Denmark, such as polkas. Harmonically there are similarities too, such as the common use of pentatonic and modal scales. As well as having these shared qualities, Finland does possess its own folk styles too. These were used as a symbol of national identity and actively encouraged by the Czars who owned Finland during the Romantic enlightenment period/ public enlightenment: Kansanvalistus. These native styles were Kalevala which is a style of epic song/ballad, round dances and set dances accompanied by a Pelimanni (accordion and fiddle). The west side of Finland’s music is influenced by the rest of Scandinavia, with fiddlers from Finland learning to play the Swedish Nyckelharpa and Norwegian Hardanger fiddle. The East side is influenced by Balkan styles, due to the Ugric culture in Finland. Polkas, Minuets and Mazurkas are examples of the styles brought to Finland by the Ugric cultures. Contemporary Finnish folk groups are Värttinä, and Gjallarhorn (who have Swedish members, proving the link between Scandinavian countries). There are common stereotypes about the Scandinavian folk styles:

“Finland has the reputation of being the most experimental, Norway has the stereotype of being the most traditional and “purist” and Sweden is somewhere between these two extremes.”[1]

The statement that Finnish is experimental  makes a lot of sense because of its past. Being owned by Russia would have given opportunities for learning about their culture, and the Finno-Ugric culture in the East make it very understandable for the Finnish to be more experimental, since they have been exposed to more worldly styles. In 1995 when Finland joined the EU, it meant that they were accepted into European culture, giving them more options for transnational styles:

“It means not just being Finnish, but also simultaneously Nordic, Finno-Ugric, European, Western, and Global.”[2]

This describes how broad Finnish folk is and conveys their want to be accepted by the global folk community. Even so, the Finnish traditional musical styles are still used to day, since music is a key feature of Finnish national identity, but include influences from other countries to convey their past.

            In Sweden, folk music is important, with many contemporary bands touring all over the world to express to people the importance of their national identity. The Swedes have a particular style and it is distinct among the other Nordic countries sound. This is to do with the native instrument the Nyckelharpa. This instrument is a unique type of violin which has 34 keys to press down the strings while your other hand is bowing.  The Nyckelharpa is a traditional instrument originating from Uppland, in Sweden, dating back to around the early 1700’s although there are paintings showing evidence that they were around earlier than this. Traditionally made with spruce and steel strung, it has one drone string, 3 melody strings, although the earliest instruments only had 1 string. There are also 12 ‘sympathetic’ strings (one for each note of the chromatic scale) which are used for resonance. Also, when played, you can hear the keys clacking, which is a main distinction among Scandinavian instruments. The resonant strings give this classic sound that old and contemporary Swedish folk have, it is a very rough sound, and the drone strings give perfect intervals that sound bare and conjure up images of extensive landscapes. Modern bands use this instrument, such as Väsen, which has great cultural importance as modern bands such as this help to make young people more interested in their culture, and learn the instruments. Also Erik Olsson was important since he was one of the main people responsible for reviving the Nyckelharpa. There are now thousands of Nyckelharpa players all over Sweden, proving that folk music is very important to the culture.

Traditional Swedish songs are played by spelmän (meaning folk musician). The main style the swedes are famous for is the Polska. This is in three four time and is a fairly lively dance. The difference between a waltz and a Polska is A) the speed is slower than a usual waltz B) the accented beats of the bar are one and three instead of just one. This gives it a certain sound, almost like a jig. Polskas can be played in several different ways. The three beats in the bar can be divided into equal length; this type is called jämn polska this is most common in southern Sweden. The next type is called ojämn polska; this is where the beats are grouped into three sets of triplets, common all over Sweden and even Norway. The other two types of Polska are where either the first beat is short and the other two are long, or the other way around. Other instruments traditionally used with the Nyckelharpa along to these Polskas are the accordion, whistle and fiddle, similar to Scottish folk. The swedes even have their own type of bagpipes! A distinction though, is that fiddles are often tuned to ADAE or AEAE. Modern instrumental arrangements expand to include guitar, viola, and in some modern bands, drum kits are used. Vocal harmonies often include a pedal/inverted pedal to accompany the melody and mirror the drone string on the Nyckelharpa. Traditional tunes are still being played today, passed down through time, and they are also evolving. Folk is an exciting genre in Sweden since it has so much to do with old culture, and can be adapted to be relevant today.

            Whereas both Swedish and Finnish folk music have both developed to involve collaboration with artists from other countries, and different instruments, Norwegian folk is probably the purest type of folk today. They have a pride in keeping their music as it used to be:

“Our national music is and should remain serious”[3]

One of the main aspects of keeping their folk music traditional is by using old instruments. The main one of these is the Hardanger fiddle. This instrument dates back to the mid 1600’s and comes from the Hardanger region of Norway. It is basically a decorative violin that has the normal four melody strings and also either four or five sympathetic strings. It sounds similar to the Nyckelharpa in a way, but does not have the sound of the keys. The sympathetic, resonating strings are placed lower down the bridge than the melody strings, which explains the need for a higher bridge than on a usual violin. The next type of unique instrument is the Langeleik, a type of mediaeval dulcimer, which only has one melody string with frets. There are also a number of other strings, possibly as many as 8 set tuned strings. The strings are tuned to natural scales, and the instrument is plucked. Also in the instrumental repertoire of Norwegian folk is the Jew’s harp, a small plucked mouth instrument sounding like a didgeridoo, the fiddle, accordion and the Lur and Bukkehorn, a rams horn with up to 8 holes in to get sound.

            The main styles of Norwegian folk, called slåttemusikk and Gammeldans make use of the modal scales, and minor pentatonic scales, because this is what the music was traditionally written in centuries ago. The Langeleik and the Hardanger fiddle with their drone strings make perfect chords, which with double stopping technique on the fiddle reflect the harshness and beautiful nature of the country. Similarly to Sweden, Norway’s folk music was revived in the late 19^th century. Before this, people considered fiddling to be satanic, which is interesting, because other modern genres in Norway are now genuinely satanic, such as Black metal. Gammeldans lost its popularity in the 19^th century, which meant more people played solo on the stage, which was the beginning of modern Folkemusikk in Norway. Folk music has great social and political importance. Events such as the Vietnam War were responsible for the rise of nationalism, and therefore the rise of folk music since Norway was a country of peace. More young people started learning the music because of the political events happening:

“Poems conjoin fiddling with rural life or untamed nature”[4]

This shows how important keeping folk music true to its traditional form was, since it conveyed the beauty of a nation so well.

           

            With Sweden, Finland and Norway all having different but similar styles of Folk Music, there is a very important type of music, unique to the Sami people belonging to all three of these countries. Being the oldest population in north Scandinavia, the Sami people also own the oldest type of European chant; Joik. This is a style of singing or chanting that is used with a decorative drum, which made people go into a trance like state. One brilliant example of modern Joik is Trøllabundin by Eivør. The song name literally translates to “spell bound”. Joik is a special part of all Sami rituals, sung about memories and natural things, usually sing in minor pentatonic scales in times such as 4/8 or 3/8. The melodies used many 5^th, 6^th and octave intervals:

“The most fundamental significant element in the Joik was the melody/rhythm.”[5]

This is true, as it is common for one melody to change over time to suit how a Joik singer feels. These days, Sami Joik has political significance. The Sami feel forgotten by their governments, as they are so far north. Mari Boine Person is a popular Norwegian Joik singer, and her lyrics actually plead with the government in Oslo to take the Sami’s views into account. Joik these days is used in a wider range of genres, including various types of metal and rock. Wardruna is an example of a Black Folk band, which includes traditional musicians, and members of Black Metal bands. With the strong nationalism that goes with Folk, there is also a trend for strong political views. Some of these are very racist and with Joik combined with the aggressive Black Metal, opinions verge on being Neo-Nazi. Commonly expressed on YouTube comments, views include a strong desire for Arian purity among the Scandinavian countries. It seems if you are a Joik singer with dark skin, you are in trouble, and this is the darker side of nationalism, expressed the most through Folk Music.

            It seems then, that the statement that Finns are most inventive, Norwegians are more traditional and Swedes are in-between is mostly true. Contemporary Scandinavian folk shows that Finns and Swedes are more willing to be creative and experiment with other genres, and world musicians. This develops the Folk genre to give exciting new bands that young people can relate to and subsequently get into the folk tradition. In contrast, although their traditional styles are almost the same as Sweden and Finland, Norway seems unmoving in its “serious” traditional music, desiring a pure historical folk style. Sami Joik is really the part of Scandinavian folk that encompasses everything, and marks the social importance of the music, since it remains strictly traditional, while the melody changes all the time. Radical political views are perhaps something that gets in the way of Folk Music, but overall, there is so much potential exciting crossover, that in my view, it is one of the most beautiful, enjoyable genres, that conveys the most dramatic, historic countries in Europe. 

Bibliography:

Hill Juniper,”Global Folk Music” Fusions: The Reification of Transnational Relationships and the Ethics of Cross-Cultural Appropriations in Finnish Contemporary Folk Music  -  Yearbook for Traditional Music Vol.39’ University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, International Council for Traditional Music, 2007

Goertzen Chris Ethnomusicology vol.42 no.1 “The Norwegian Folk Revival and the Gammeldans Controversy” USA, University of Illinois Press, 1998

Edström Olle  Studia Musicologica Academia Scientiarum Hungaricae “From Joik to Rock & Joik: Some Remarks on the Process of Change and of the Socially Constructed Meaning of Sami Music”, Budapest, Akademiai Kiado, 2003

http://www.norbeck.nu/swedtrad/

http://home.online.no/~kgjetmun/index.html

Olov Johansson (personal communication) Edinburgh Harp Festival

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[1] ‘”Global Folk Music” Fusions: The Reification of Transnational Relationships and the Ethics of Cross-Cultural Appropriations in Finnish Contemporary Folk Music  -  Yearbook for Traditional Music Vol.39’ Juniper Hill, International Council for Traditional Music, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia 2007, page 57&58

[2] Ibid, page 56

[3] Ethnomusicology vol.42 no.1 “The Norwegian Folk Revival and the Gammeldans Controversy”, Chris Goertzen University of Illinois Press, USA 1998 page 109.

[4] Ibid page 103

[5] Studia Musicologica Academia Scientiarum Hungaricae “From Joik to Rock & Joik: Some Remarks on the Process of Change and of the Socially Constructed Meaning of Sami Music” Olle  Edström, Akademiai Kiado, Budapest, 2003 page 272