Trio
The Swedish acoustic band Vasen has been operating as a quartet ever since percussionist Andre Ferrari joined in 1996. But after trying out some new material while on tour, they have decided to record another album as a string trio. They perform here on nyckelharpa (a hurdy-gurdy-like instrument), conventional viola, and five-string "viola pomposa," plus guitar and a 12-string Swedish bosoki. Their winged fingers and bows soar through 16 traditional and original tunes, most of which feature the modal tunings, duple and triple rhythms, and drones that make music from this part of the world so ineffably haunting. The band's playing is flawless, and although obviously not backed by Ferrari's dervish-like aplomb, the rhythms are as finely marked and vertiginous as ever. In these arrangements, lilting waltzes, dignified wedding marches, and lopsided polkas are wreathed in a soft nimbus of folkloric grace, revealing a subtler but no less infectious charm.--Christina Roden