Review Summary: Another set of "Twilight Songs"
Haavard is, at once, both a solo debut record and an album decades in the making. The man behind it is Havard Jorgensen, a Norwegian previously involved in numerous bands, most notably Ulver and Satyricon. Indeed, among his lengthy catalog is Ulver’s second album in their legendary “black metal trilogy”,
Kveldssanger. While that record is a bit under-appreciated within a widely-praised discography, there’s no doubt it has left a strong legacy as one of the defining works of the dark folk genre. Now, Jorgensen bills his new album as the sonic and spiritual successor to that cult favorite.
Just like
Kveldssanger,
Haavard comprises thirteen largely instrumental tracks. The backbone of most tunes is gentle acoustic guitar, but a host of other instruments make appearances, with the somber beauty of string instruments like cello, violin, and viola providing particularly notable assistance. Jorgensen is also joined by a bevy of guest musicians throughout the tracklist, including Ulver vocalist Garm and two members of the iconic contemporary act Musk Ox.
This album succeeds much in the same ways that its ancestor did, by compellingly summoning the vibe of roaming a deep, dark, Scandinavian forest. Even if you’ve never actually been in that setting (like me), the sensation is still potent. While featuring a cleaner production, the music is still rustic, functioning well as background music but maintaining a beguiling sense of depth which can always draw the listener in. Like most (largely) instrumental records, any emotion derived primarily comes down to the audience’s interpretation, but for me these songs are consistently melancholy, while retaining a sense of grandeur behind their low-key facade. Highlights include opener “Printemps”, which builds from a delicate beginning to a potent climax, “Oberon”, which, fittingly, given its namesake fairie king in European tradition, blends a feeling of whimsy and menace, and “Eastwood”, with its haunting vocal additions. The peaceful coda of “Athena” brings things to a close on a fitting note.
In some ways, the open invite of comparison to
Kveldssanger may have set up
Haavard for relatively unfavorable reviews. After all, regardless of musical quality, on the grounds of impact it’s hard to top an album which has greatly influenced the direction of an entire genre (albeit a relatively niche one). And I’ll even cede that this album doesn’t maintain quite the consistency of
Kveldssanger throughout, with a few forgettable (if quite good) numbers included in the tracklist. However, in the great scheme of things, this record is a triumphant success, a beautiful set of songs which come together as a richly-somber mood piece. This album has been a steady autumn companion for me this year, and I expect it will be a work which reliably returns to the fore in the fall/winter months for years to come.
