Nils Økland pushes traditional Norwegian folk in hypnotic new directions

There are few sounds that hypnotize me more than the Hardanger fiddle, a traditional Norwegian violin fitted with additional strings that run beneath the fret board, generating a dense web of ghostly overtones. In its purest manifestation music for the instrument deploys regional dance rhythms, but those slicing lines are gorgeously clouded by a sympathetic resonance that rings articulated patterns in spooky acoustic shadows.…