Ljom - Occasionally

Ljom is a quintet with its roots in Snåsa in Nord-Trøndelag (central Norway). Their debut album "Seterkauk" [Mountain dairy calls] featured music from the Snåsa mountains in 2014. Their vocalist, Kjersti Kveli, also released the solo record "No e tida" [Now's the time] in 2015. It was nominated for the Spellemann Music Award in the folk song class. This summer Ljom is releasing a new album: "Stundom". Here they present lyrics and music from three heroes of Snåsa’s cultural community: the folk musician Gunnar Dæli (1783 -1862) and the poets Lina Jørstad (1881 - 1967) and Reidar Sandnesmo (1925 - 2008). Combining elements of folk song, Norwegian folk music and jazz, Ljom builds a world of music that is both local and universal. Using material that was created over a span of two centuries, they present beautiful melodies, moving lyrics and exciting arrangements that will touch your heart, delve deep into your soul and be experienced as relevant to our time. The attention to detail and the universal whole is wonderfully playful and natural. Ljom has found gold under the old foundations at Snåsa, and they truly make this precious metal shine. The five musicians are Kjersti Kveli (vocals), Sivert Skavland (clarinet and cello), Per W Ohls (accordion and acoustic guitar), Nils Andersson (electric guitar and acoustic guitar) and Anne Marte Eggen (electric bass and double bass). Some of the melodies and all the arrangements on the new album have been created by the group. On the album "Stundom", Ljom has done a fantastic job of highlighting some important artists who were never known outside their local areas, while the quintet has at the same time innovatively explored undiscovered landscapes in the borderland between folk music and other popular genres.