Change is a force of nature. When pagan folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Kati Ran dissolved her band L.E.A.F. in 2015 to embark on a solo project, RÁN, it was so that a new, more primal vision could emerge, unbound by conventional song structure and tuned to the vast dynamics where intuition and the elemental meet.
That vision is about to surface with the release of the track, Blodbylgje. Delving deeper into Nordic mythology and the perpetual currents that course through them, it’s an immersive, 15-minute séance, featuring guest vocals from world-renowned Gaahls Wyrd frontman Gaahl, that takes the metaphor-rich environs of the ocean as both its thematic and sonic guide. Restless yet meditative, finding its bearings in glacial yet ceaseless flow and flux, it’s bound to both the rhythms of the ancient Nordic Eddas, and the enigmatic essence of its spiritual guide, Blóðughadda – one of the nine, sea-personifying daughters of Ægir and Rán, said to represent the ‘bloody hair’ red crest of the waves.
Recorded at home and in the studios of Heilung’s Christoper Juul and former Enslaved keyboard player and vocalist Herbrand Larsen, Blodbylgje doesn’t seek to recreate ancient forms, it’s an act of regeneration. Kati’s velveteen, trance-borne reveries, incantations and stern, spoken word narration, merged with the abyssal undertow of Gaahl’s baritone chants, chart a new and expansive set of sonic co-ordinates. Awash in susurrating drones drawn from oceanic overtones, and the creak and distant crash of ropes and waves, Blodbylgje re-imagines the sea as mercurial and enriching, amniotic medium. A fever dream that unloosens the boundaries of consciousness, it retunes itself to both the unfamiliar beyond and earlier, residual states of awareness within.
A herald of a larger work to come, Blodbylgje is the embarking of a journey that has already ranged past all known marker points. It begins here, as a whisper to reawaken the core.
“There was always a moment, sailing between the shore and island, when neither was in sight.” – Steve Erickson, ‘Tours Of The Black Clock’
Words by Jonathan Selzer
lyrics
NyNorsk (English below):
No vender eg meg til dei alle
Kvifor hev du vekt meg
Kvifor må eg syngja
Kvifor vaknar no eg
Eg hev vakna no, eg
Havet skal verta styrt
av heiderlege farande
Ei gåve for ei gåve
Den druknar ei
som hengjast skal
Nettet er no vove
og lønene ofrast
Kysten skal rauda landet
Det er fælsleg no å sjå
den raude skya mørknar vatne
Hava er farga med mannablod
Og døtrene kvad sin song
Blodregn frå ein skya himmel
på ei frodande bylgje
mannvale har vorte vove
stormdøtrene kryssar ho
med skarlaksraud tøy
Blodbylgje stig no
Svelg alt til ingenting
Blodbylgje stig no
Skipa knusar, årene flisast
Sjøen svelgjer, slangen slyngjer
Lat oss heva Blodbylgja no
La oss ri Hrönn kvelv
La oss ri Hefring hevar
La oss ri Bylgja bærer
La oss ri Blóðughadda blør
La oss ri Dúfa dundrar
La oss ri Dröfn druknar
La oss ri Kólga kalt og klår
La oss ri Himinglæva lyner no
Høgt over, djupt under Unn skummar
Høgt over, djupt under Rán rører
Høgt over, djupt under Rán rører
Vi song gode sigersongar
for alle galne kvinner
eit kamprop Hyll vår song!
Lat den som lyttar på vår blodsong
Læra han vel og fortelja han til ingen annan
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Now I turn myself to all of them
Why did you wake me up
Why do I have to sing
Why do you wake me up now
I have woken up now. I have
The ocean will be ruled
With honorable riders
A gift for a gift
He who is born to be hanged
shall never be drowned
The web is now woven
and wages are sacrificed
The shore will redden the land
It is horrible now to look
A red cloud darkens the water
The oceans are stained with the blood of men
And daughters sang their song
Blood rains from a clouded sky
On a wave of froth
the choice of men has been woven
storm daughters cross it
with a crimson weft
Blood wave now rise
Swallow all till nothing
Blood wave now rise
Ships shatter, oars splinter
Sea swallows, serpent coils
Let us now raise the blood wave
Let us ride Hrönn arches
Let us ride Hevring rises
Let us ride Bylgja stretches
Let us ride Blóðughadda bleeds
Let us ride Dúfa thunders
Let us ride Dröfn drowns
Let us ride Kólga cold and clear
Let us ride Himinglæva strikes
High above, deep below Unn foams
High above, deep below Rán stirs
High above, deep below Rán stirs
We sang well victory songs
For all crazy woman
An answer to battle Hail to our singing!
Let him who listens to our blood song,
learn it well and tell it to no other
credits
from Blodbylgje,
released December 14, 2018
• Kati Rán - vocalist, instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, producer
• Kristian ”Gaahl” Espedal - additional vocals
• Max Brumberg - aulos performance
• Christopher Juul - producer, mixing and mastering | LAVA studios DK
• Herbrand Larsen - additional recordings | Conclave & Earshot Studio NO
• Adrian Urbaniak - Graphic design
• Nick Steinbuch - Photography
• Eirik Storesund | BruteNorse – NyNorsk coach
• Jeremias 'Hrafn Skald' Jokisch – Research teammate
Collaborational artist & friends. We go a long way back with the people behind 'HEILUNG'. Rán has been allround manager for co-creating the debut stage show LÍFA with a team of friends and colleagues Katt Rán
Made by a dear driend, producer & my colleague. The IANAI Project is featuring musical contributions by Kati Rán on their second upcoming album 'KODEXA'. Katt Rán
This is my go-to for inspiration and craftsmanship. Previously Kati Rán has shared the stage with WARDRUNA as a guest musician on nyckelharpa & backing vocals on special occasions and festivals. Katt Rán
i like this version better than the original. The middle part has that aggression that makes the excellent balance with the beginning and ending of the song. owlobo
