THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO...NORDIC GIANTS – Origins (independent release)THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO...NORDIC GIANTS – Origins (independent release)

In a complete reversal of what Edmund Blackadder knew about the Wise Woman of Peckham, the masked and mysterious duo known as NORDIC GIANTS are neither particularly tall nor necessarily Nordic. Well, they’re British, in fact. They are, however, incredibly talented, and have a track record of producing creative, atmospheric and undeniable stimulating music. ‘Origins’ is a compilation of their earliest material, pulling together the tracks from their debut 2010 EP ‘A Tree As Old As Me’, the singles ‘Speed The Crows Nest’ and ‘Shine’ and a bonus reworking of ‘Dark Clouds Mean War’ (featuring part of Napoleon’s abdication speech as voiced by Rod Steiger in the 1970 film ‘Waterloo’). The enigmatic Giants – Rôka and Löki, whose identities are shrouded by feathered masks and costumes - create soundscapes, music which is to be savoured and enveloped in while, live, numerous back projections generate an esoteric multi-sensory experience. That said, musically their material stands nicely alone, and still generates a commanding emotional attraction. the album is sequenced with the more powerful ‘Together’ (the potency of which is enhanced by the inclusion of a snippet of Martin Luther King speech) and the aforementioned ‘Dark Clouds Mean War’ bookending proceedings and the perhaps more accessible material like ‘Shine’ and ‘The Seed’ (featuring guest vocalists Cate Ferris and Jake Reid respectively) appearing in the middle order.

Nordic_giants_by_johann_wierzbicki

photo by Johann Wierzbicki

This is no simple trip down memory lane though. With more experience and better facilities now at their disposal the pair have re-recorded some of the instrumentation and the whole shebang has been remixed and remastered. ‘Origins’ on both vinyl and CD is a very limited edition, so move quickly...

Video clips:
‘Through A Lens Darkly’ (re-recorded/remastered 2024) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SlSRi7nR2M
‘Together’ (original version) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-li3KlTtTA

John Tucker June 2024