When I was at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, there was a listener who would call in every week to my radio program and ask me to "play something that would rip his head off." It swiftly became apparent that this was really a code for me to work some Hoven Droven into the mix. Hoven Droven's early CDs sounded so novel at the time, an absolutely unholy proposition between Swedish folk tunes and raw, heavy metal punk bravado. I nearly wore out the radio station's CD lasers playing my favorite Hoven Droven tunes, "Kottspolska" and "Svadern." Years later, I have to admit that I found myself listening less and less to the band, mostly because I felt that the novelty of what Hoven Droven were doing had run its course. I felt myself predicting what the later albums would offer… more of the same headbanging attack on fiddle tunes, alternating with beautifully rendered waltzes. I wanted Hoven Droven to keep sounding experimental; instead, what I got was their influence on heavy metal folk bands like Finntroll and Korpiklaani.

So, I had my fears upon the arrival of this concert recording of Hoven Droven. I'm not much of a fan of live albums: all of the requisite How Are You Doing's and Thank You (Current City)'s and agog audience reactions only make me feel… well, left out, sitting and listening in the confines of my living room. But Jumping At The Cedar is a tremendous document of an evening with Hoven Droven.

The band really cooks, and right from the first shuffling beats of "Bjekkergauken" I realized that I had unjustly sold Hoven Droven short. There is an absolute joy to their brand of folk-rock that it is well-nigh impossible not to respond to. Of course, the blistering guitar shredding (and fiddle shredding, if there is such a thing) spans both discs; but, Jumping At The Cedar reminded me of two important aspects of the band. First of all, Hoven Droven are, under all the dynamic veneer of their sound, remarkably reverential. They have a tremendous grasp of how to make a tune swing, and how to draw out its tension to maximum effect. The manic attack on their classic "Okynnesvals" rests my case, as does the buzzing rumble of the jam on "Slentbjenn." Hoven Droven are also insanely tight, and when they hit the funk, they really go for it, as on my beloved "Skvadern." Second, it would do a disservice to Hoven Droven to blanket them just as turn-it-up-to-11 folkies. "Arepolska" is beautifully rendered, and "Myhrpolska" has a spaciness to it that shows the band's sensitive touch really runs through all of their work.

Jumping At The Cedar served to make a believer out of me again in Hoven Droven, and very jealous of the audience, who were clearly having a wonderful time. - Lee Blackstone

The band's web site: www.hovendroven.com

CD available from cdRoots