Namna is the Swedish duo of harpist Stina Hellberg Agback, known for her collaborations with Eva Lindal, Mattias Windemo and Mattias Risberg, and cellist and synthesizer player Leo Svensson Sander, known from Thomas Strønen’s Time is a Blind Guide and the latest incarnation of Mats Gustafsson’s Fire! Orchestra. «Namna» is also the title of the debut album of this duo – released as a limited-edition of 100 types of vinyl plus download option, and the debut release of their label Å ENA Å ANDRA, produced by Daniel Ögren, who also plays guitar on one piece, and did the mixing and mastering.

The ten original compositions, eight by Svensson Sander and two by Hellberg Agback, suggest a unique sonic vision where chamber, contemporary music blends originally and peacefully with folk music and subtle free-improvisations, at times bringing to mind the innovative avant-folk work of British Robin Williamson. Svensson Sander uses the synthesizer to add another, ethereal and drone-like dimension to the delicate, song-like pieces, and both he and Hellberg Agback often employ their instruments on the rhythmic roles in order to the interplay.

Svensson Sander and Hellberg Agback experiment with shifting dynamics. Few of their songs are colored with moving melancholy like «My och vinden» and, «Natten». But most of the songs like «Transformera», «Veta», «Göra mönster»  or the title-piece offer unorthodox and mysterious but quite vivid cinematic narratives that sound like no other.

Eyal Hareuveni

Leo Svensson Sander (c, synth), Stina Hellberg Agback (harp), Daniel Ögren (g)