Linnea Hjertén’s second album, “Steg för steg” (‘Step by Step’), offers both continuation and departure. It extends the ritual ambient and folk foundations of “Nio systrar” while opening new paths through lyrics and expanded instrumentation. Each track feels like a threshold: a step deeper into vulnerability, a step further into the unknown.
Traditional instruments anchor the record without confining it. Nyckelharpa and moraharpa – especially in minor modes and long, sighing notes – draw out a distinctly Swedish melancholy. Hjertén favours old tools in new contexts: keeping traditions alive, connecting to those who came before, and working with what the land provides.
Layers of voice carry the emotional weight; arrangements bloom from drones, framedrum pulse, and the hush between tones. Hjertén also draws on kulning, the ancient Nordic herding call, which rises briefly in pieces such as “Blodmåne” and “Alltet är intet”, reshaped through her own expression.
She records and mixes everything herself, ensuring an intimacy that seeps through every tone. Minimal means, maximal presence. Songs carried by breath and purpose rather than studio sheen. The result is folk-rooted Nordic ambient that places essence over ornament: step by step, surrender by surrender.
CD Jewel Case • 8 Page Booklet
