With his ancient inspiration, Swedish folk musician Forndom returns with his latest album Moþir. Ludvig Swärd, the man behind Forndom, reunites us with the Scandinavian sounds of old. Both sacred and heavy, this album continues the themes of past projects by Forndom, but this album is still one you must listen to without any distractions.
Swärd recorded, mixed, and produced this album himself. He also recruited additional artists to feature on the album, like Uppsala Temple Orchestra, Thomas von Wachenfeldt, and Disa Åman, whose screams were featured in opening song and single “Tunridor.” This additional collaboration elevates the album, rounding out Swärd’s already multi-instrumental talents to produce a haunting epic focused on life, death, and rebirth.
The album is short in songs, yet it does not lack in any area. With the shortest song, “Jord,” coming in at three minutes and 17 seconds, Swärd fills each of the seven tracks with depth and complexity. The layers of pure, acoustic instrumentation create an ethereal, otherworldly listening experience. He isolates instruments and builds melodies into a constant, thrumming tension. “Moderstårar,” the third song on the album, exemplifies this talent. The song, meaning “Mother’s Tears,” is an epic of its own where each instrument breathes and builds into each other until all swells and fades, as life often does.
The limited, choir-esque vocals are instruments in their own right, with Swärd using a similar technique. In the song “Disar”, the vocals blend seamlessly with the strings present throughout the song. The harmony of each cord, each pause, and each note creates a spiritual comfort.
Swärd wishes for listeners “will absorb not only the notes but also the silence before, between, and after them.” He presents this silence not only in the pauses between songs, but also in the construction of sound as a whole. This album is both hauntingly cold and welcoming: an album made to be played on the longest night of the year, with the anticipations of the sun’s return in the morning.
Moþir is out now, and you can listen to it on Apple Music and Spotify.
