The word ‘shrew’ refers to a woman perceived as quarrelsome, fussy, and hot-tempered; it is an old-fashioned and sexist term that also describes a woman who breaks traditional submissive gender roles. It is also slang for witch. Shrew is the soundtrack to these women, a party for those who move in the shadows.
Shrew, the album, is the work of three highly creative Norwegian women – the Norwegian duo Propan of experimental vocalists Ina Sagstuen and Natali Abrahamsen Garner with fellow vocalist Stina Stjern. The album is the outcome of Propan’s most ambitious project to date, Dream Nights – a four-day festival with live concerts and collaborations at Goldie in Oslo, in the fall of 2024. Propan collaborated in this project with like-minded experimental artists – the string duo Sheriffs of Nothingness (Ole-Henrik Moe and Kari Rønnekleiv), songwriter and poet Levina Storåkern, dancer Rannei Grenne, violinist Ester Thunander, sound artist Thea Grant, visual artist dovile, the band Moon Relay, clarinetist Andreas Hoem Røysum, sax player Harald Lassen, and drummer Martin Langlie.
Shrew is a semi-live album that was recorded at Goldie, and is the first of two albums to be released from this Dream Nights happening. Garner wrote the lyrics, and Propan and Stjern created the noisy, electronic soundscapes. The album was released on International Women’s Day, March 8.
The album offers three extended pieces. The opening piece, «Fern», describes a farmer woman’s repetitive daily routine: how food is made, from collecting raw materials – vegetables, milk, and meat, to preparing the meal for the family, when juices drip, hands get dirty, and skin gets wet, through the cleaning, feasting, drinking, and talking. «We live in between, under and around. / we burn the leftovers. the trimming. / this is a feast. a feast of women, and life. / of life and darkness».
The lyrics are repeated in the following pieces «Maret» and «Sybil» as stubborn, evocative spells or incantations, veiled within mysterious yet dark and somewhat disturbing, layered psychedelic electronics. As if the chanting of these daily tasks has the magical power to evoke a synesthetic experience, so we may sense the looks and smells, the contours and wrinkles.
The album is released as a limited edition cassette and as a download option.
Eyal Hareuveni
Ina Sagstuen (vocals, electronics), Natali Abrahamsen Garner (vocals, electronics), Stina Stjern (vocals, electronics)
