KANAAN & ÆVESTADEN – stream new single
- Posted on 12-09-2024
Credit: Gonçalo Carvalho
Nordic psych/neofolk collaboration Kanaan & Ævestaden stream new single
Langt, Langt Vekk LP due 11th October via Jansen Records
Nordic psych/neofolk collaboration Kanaan & Ævestaden have released their new single ‘Vallåt efter C.G. Färje’, ahead of their beautiful new joint album project, Langt, langt vekk, due 11th October via Jansen Records.
Stream ‘Vallåt efter C.G. Färje’ and pre-order the album here: https://orcd.co/vallat
The project comment: “‘Vallåt efter C.G. Färje’ is another old folk tune which has received an extreme makeover. Ævestaden‘s etheric neo-folk is combined with Kanaan‘s crunchy guitars and thundering drums. 8½ minutes of wild, proggy, psych folk!”
Courageous, meditative, and progressive, Langt, langt vekk is an exciting new jewel in the crowns of these two award-winning bands.
With Langt, langt vekk (translated as far, far away) the two bands have created a singular album. Traditional Norwegian folk music and rock has been combined several times before, but nothing sounds like this. Kanaan contributes its members’ jazz/psych background, rooted in improvisation and jamming. Ævestaden’s modern folktronica utilizes several ancient traditional instruments, in addition to the incorporation of traditional Swedish folk music. The result is something truly groundbreaking, in where both bands’ identities shines through.
Langt, langt vekk serves up reworked old traditionals and psalms along with grand new compositions. The album is impressively coherent, given the two band’s wildly different musical backgrounds. Fiddles, cow’s horn, kravik lyre, mouth harp, synths, harmonies, heavy guitars and a thundering rhythm section: Musically, it is impressively versatile, as well as consistently tasteful.
It’s the first new material from Kanaan since their 2023 record Diversions Vol. 2: Enter the Astral Plane (Jansen Records) – their eighth studio album since forming in 2018.
The trio came to prominence with psychedelic, jazz-inspired rock, but have gradually moved in a heavier direction, where their latest studio efforts have been labelled stoner rock. The band, consisting of Eskild Myrvoll (bass, synths), Ask Vatn Strøm (guitars) and Ingvald André Vassbø (drums, speed Farfisa), won the Spellemann award (Norwegian Grammy) in the rock category in 2021.
Ævestaden are a neo-traditional folk trio, who combine ancient instruments and folk songs with electronic music in a cutting-edge and idiosyncratic sound. The band consists of Norwegian Eir Vatn Strøm (the sister of Kanaan‘s Ask Vatn Strøm) and Kenneth Lien, along with the Swedish Levina Storåkern. They have received several awards for the albums Jag är sen igjen (a collaboration with Benedikt) and Solen var bättre där