Seafarer is what Lindy-Fay Hella of Wardruna chose to call her first solo album, and one can’t help but immediately think of the Vikings and Hella’s main band. But while Seafarer’s connections to Norse culture are indeed evident in music and lyrics, it does not follow that this solo project is just a continuation of the artist’s work with Wardruna. There are similarities, yes, but this collection of songs has got of a far more personal character and Hella deserves your attention in her own right.
The main and most important element on Seafarer is, of course, Hella’s voice. It is mostly of a dreamy, longing and tender character, but tracks like Tilardis show that there’s also another side to it – an incredibly strong, firm, and loud side.
While the vocals naturally are the listener’s primary focus, instruments, such as percussion, flutes, horns and an organ, add different dimensions to the compositions or another side of things, thus creating a whole. What do I mean by that? On the title track, for example, the lyrics dreamily speak of setting out to sea, of the sadness of leaving your home, but also of the rewards and possible fame awaiting the seafarers upon their return. The deep, pounding percussion reminds you that such a journey also carries great danger, although the lyrics don’t talk about it. However, if there was no danger, there would be no challenge, and therefore no glory.
Apart from the instruments mentioned above, there are also background vocals to be heard on some tracks accompanying or adding to Hella’s singing. The background vocals are especially worth mentioning, because they are performed by none other than Kristian Eivind Espedal, better known as Gaahl. His voice has a shamanic character on Seafarer, neutral and distanced, but also wise. On Nåke du finn i skogen his vocals appear to be coming from another world, or another dimension entirely.
The track titles and lyrics of Seafarer roughly sketch a journey, from setting out on it, having certain fixpoints, going through ordeals, to the strength gained, and the widened horizons of the traveller. I find the album as a whole to be very intimate and maybe only metaphorically linked to the famous seafarers. Because the sea, apart from meaning the actual sea, can also mean the sea of life, and on that we are all seafarers, trying to plot a course, navigating through dangers or seeking out challenges.
Seafarer offers you the opportunity to hear about someone else’s journey on the sea of life, and, while doing that, to reflect on your own.
(8/10 Slavica)
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