Desembermanne-December Moon

• Track Listing

There is always something magical about the way the winter season changes the landscape - in the far North it is (for months) the moon, and not the sun, which shines ... With minimalistic but poignant and expertly-crafted arrangements on acoustic guitars, bouzouki, bodhrán, whistles, seljefløyte and of course Kerstin's angelic vocals they conjure up an atmosphere special to this time of the year. "Desembermåne" celebrates the winter mood particularly in Scandinavia but also in Northern Europe: the Northern Lights, the vast stretches of white snow, the diffuse brightness or enveloping darkness stimulating that typically weird and wonderful mixture of stories about the Christ-child, kings and wise men, but also equally about trolls, elves, kelpies, julenissen and Santa Claus, sitting around a log fire with a cup of fresh coffee in one hand and some "pepperkaker" in the other after a tiring but enjoyable ski-tour through the valleys ... Christmas and winter solstice are associated with a huge collection of songs, both sacred and secular, which were an integral part of Kerstin's and Ian's childhood memories. Arrangements of a selection of these, in addition to many new specially-written original compositions, form the basis of this album. Recorded at Surrealis Sounds, part of the world-renowned Teldex studio complex in Berlin, this CD is an intense audiophile experience of the highest quality, thanks to the expertise of master sound engineer Jörg Surrey. The moods, inflections of the voices, the dynamics and nuances of the acoustic instruments are captured beautifully. - Appearances by top guest musicians Sturla Eide (fiddle, viola), Manfred Leuchter (accordion), Simon Pauli (double bass) and Urs Fuchs (bass, percussion) round off this special acoustic album.