Statt Opp, Gåte!

by Rachel Seagroatt

Gåte, (Norwegian for “riddle”) are folk rockers hailing from Trøndelag, Norway, and have been making musicgasms since 2002, though they have been disbanded since 2005. Nordic folk spliced with modern rock and epic voicage. Get ready.

Even for those of you who don’t actually like folk rock as a genre in itself, what you need to understand is that Gåte are masters in the way they balance Nordic folk with modern rock, not to mention the epic and unique voice of tiny blonde prodigy, Gunnhild Sundli. My initial introduction to now my most played band came from a nearly forgotten recommendation from a Norwegian friend on Myspace, and from the quick research I did, it did not seem like there was a Norwegian teenager in the country who did not list them as a favourite band.

Relatively unknown outside Scandinnavia, (though they had a large following in Germany), Gåte produce a myriad of both original materiel (“Sjå Attende”) and tributes to Norwegian folk songs and poems, (“Gjendines Bånsull”) Do not let the fact that they sing in a different language discourage you! To me, it adds a connection, a comfortableness in their identity. There is never that feeling, when you listen to them, that they have just churned out songs for the sake of it, or for the money, or for global acclaim. What you feel is the passion and dedication that went into each tiny molecule of song.

Giving most punk bands a run for their money, Gåte’s music can be tremendously rallying and exciting, such as track Rike Rodenigår demonstrates. Constrasted to this is the mournful, Sjåaren both of the “Iselilja” album. It is absolutely refreshing when I come across a band that can plunge every depth of the music sea and still keep themselves at the same time.

I am a big fan of letting people decide for themselves, and I hope I have given you something new to discover today. Love them or loathe them, everyone knows learning about new stuff is fun! Their albums can be purchased online as a cd or mp3 download, or. If you're a Norwegian native or happen to pop across to Norway, I have no doubt that every cd shop will stock them. We have Alan Bennett, they have Gåte: National treasures in their own way, and both probably always up to being listened to.

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