Oasis

For their second release, Finnish/Norwegian band Frigg expand on the moods and techniques of their debut (which originally appeared in Europe in 2002). They're not afraid of a bit of bounce, bringing crisp horns into the opener, "Jokijenkka," or even veering close to bluegrass when guitarist Tuomas Logrén picks up the Dobro. There's little of the darkness so endemic in much Finnish music here. Instead you get massed fiddles (and the Norwegian hardanger fiddle), but it's not a wall of folk, either. There's a delicacy to many of the pieces, especially the minor-keyed closer, "Peltoniemen Hintriikin Surumarssi," which makes for a wonderfully gentle end to the disc. Add in a few things like Estonian bagpipes. The melodies — a mix of traditional and original — sparkle throughout, making this a quiet little gem of an album that crosses Scandinavian borders in its eloquence.