If you’re interested in delivering into the world of Sámi music it can be hard to know where to look. Much of it is reduced down to its most distinctive feature (the joik) and marketed using the lazy “New Age” or “world music” labels. But there is some great stuff out there. Ánnámáret’s 2021 album Nieguid duovdagat is one of the strongest joik albums of recent years and Marja Mortensson’s 2018 beautifully meditative joik and chamber jazz album Mohjtestasse has, in my view, been tragically overlooked.
Active since the 1980s, with her work reaching a wider audience through Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records label, Mari Boine is one of the best-known Sámi artists out there. Her music is firmly rooted in the folk tradition and goes hand-in-hand with her long-term Sámi rights activism. Her best-known releases are probably 1989’s Gula Gula and 2006’s Idjagiedas – In the Hand of the Night (which features the anthemic “Vuoi Vuoi Mu – Vuoi Vuoi Me”). Her latest album, the autobiographical Alva, sees her bringing Idjagiedas strong> producer Svein Schultz back into the fold.
Let me be absolutely clear: Alva is one of the most beautiful albums you will listen to this year.
Alva has incredible production. It has a huge, reverb-drenched sound, centred around Boine’s mesmerising vocals. The characteristic joiks are there, but they tend to be mixed in towards the back, an extra element in a wide repertoire of instruments rather than the central attraction. Tracks are either built around swelling atmospheres, or creative mixes of live and electronic percussion in a similar vein to Aurora’s work.
The album opens with the breathtaking “Die dien luohkkái”, a dreamy, repetitive piece that would not feel out of place on one of Jónsi’s albums. It’s followed by “Dánsso fal mu váhkaran”, a much more down-to-earth, energetic (but not exhausting) piece, with some creative percussion that will feel familiar to Peter Gabriel fans. These two tracks are representative of the two styles of song on this album: those dreamier pieces that take you soaring through the sky and those rhythmic tracks that keep you rooted to the ground. Perhaps the one exception to this is the closing track, “Lean dás”, an energetic, upbeat track where layer upon layer of vocals are piled up to create something that encapsulates the entire spectrum of the album.
I feel like Boine is at her strongest on the more spacious tracks. For me, the two highlights are “Mu eadni” and “Oainnestan”. These ballads are dripping with emotion and take their time to build up into stunning climaxes. While not quite soaring to the same heights, “Rohkos” deserves a special mention and is carried by an especially powerful vocal performance.
That’s certainly not to say that the more percussive tracks should be skipped – quite the opposite. Each of these tracks has something to catch the ear of the listener, but for me the best of these is the fabulous “Oidnojuvvon”, a track built on an infectiously bobbing groove, but placed in a wonderfully satisfying arrangement that keeps up the fantastic momentum. “Várjaliv??et min vuolláneames”, driven by some in-your-face electronic percussion, is another show-stealer.
There’s a lot here to love, and bizarrely, that might be my only reservation about this album. Thirteen tracks totalling sixty eight minutes feels like quite a long listen to me. Some of the later tracks, like “Vuoi beaivi don eallima addi” and “Áhkánsuolu”, are wonderfully arranged, with the same fabulously creative percussion – yet they don’t bring anything new to this album that we haven’t already heard by this point. I can’t help but feel that slimming this down below fifty minutes would have made this album pack an even greater punch.
But, as far as criticisms come, that’s really very mild. Fans of Sigur Rós, Peter Gabriel and Massive Attack will feel right at home on Alva. But I challenge anyone to listen to this album and come away unmoved. Boine’s voice has incredible presence and is supported by outstanding musicianship and production that keeps you on your toes.
Mari Boine is a force to be reckoned with. I think this is potential album-of-the-year material and arguably the strongest addition to Boine’s already formidable discography. Skip this album at your own risk.
