Nickie’s Niches #41: May 2025

Podcast | ProgRock.com PodCasts

Start	Artist	Song	Time	Album	Year
	1 Endre Osen & Ragnild Kambo Grov
0:02:26	Endre Olsen & Ragnhild Kambo Grov	Heila havet i ein foss	3:31	Vekk meg lenger vekke	2025
	2 Nova Cascade NN 04_29-2025
0:06:26	Nova Cascade	If You Don’t Succeed	4:49	Box Man	2025
	3 Skeleton Mage NN 04_29_2025
0:11:37	Skeleton Mage, Skeleton Mage	Moss-Covered Castle Walls	3:54	Of Mossy Ruins and Forest Paths	2025
0:15:31	Skeleton Mage, Skeleton Mage	The Chestnut Grove	2:45	Of Mossy Ruins and Forest Paths	2025
	4 Wyatt E NN 04_29_2025
0:18:51	WYATT E.	Im Lelya	5:01	zamāru ultu qereb ziqquratu Part 1	2025
	5 Anders Buaas NN 04_29_2025
0:24:23	Anders Buaas	Trollringen	8:22	Trollringen	2025
	6 The Barrowfolk NN 04_29_2025
0:33:10	The Barrowfolk	Elling	3:49	Of Tollund And Elling	2024
	7 Solstice NN 04_29_2025
0:37:23	Solstice	Firefly	6:17	Clann	2025
	8 Etienne de la Sayette NN 04_29_2025
0:44:05	Etienne de la Sayette	Saba	4:14	Etienne de la Sayette & the Wild Horses Orchestra	2025
	9 David Arkenstone 04_29_2025
0:48:55	David Arkenstone	Eyes Of Skata	4:38	Quest For The Runestone	2024
	10 Obiymy Doschu NN 04_29_2025
0:53:58	Obiymy Doschu	Не опускати руки/ Don’t Give Up	6:06	Vidrada	2025

1. 

   Vekk meg lenger vekke

   by Endre Olsen & Ragnhild Kambo Grov
   favorite track

   Heila havet i en foss

   This duo from Norway blend their voices Into folky sonic dreamscapes. Endre is an awarded poet, and he and Ragnhild have performed all over Norway. Their effort has the sensibilities of psych folk to my ear. Acoustic in nature, with minimal production, it displays the beauty and subtle power that can be achieved with two voices joining in song.

   1. 

      Box Man

      by NOVA CASCADE
      favorite track

      If You Don’t Succeed

      Per Dave Hilborne, this is the final release for Nova Cascade, and if we have to say goodbye, it’s a lovely farewell. The stunning opener is an epic 28+ minutes, and well worth the time. This is both introspective and reflective, thematically shifting from interior thoughts to exterior concerns and observances. Dave provides whispery vocals, with the instrumentation of keyboards of all types, guitars, bass, and violin rounding out the shimmery sound.

      1. 

         Of Mossy Ruins and Forest Paths

         by Skeleton Mage
         favorite track

         Moss-Covered Castle Walls

         Enigmatic dungeon folk from Berlin, this feels like a medieval procession, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Most of the pieces are very short, so I’m choosing one of the longer ones to represent the eerie atmospheres you’ll encounter.

   1. 

      zamāru ultu qereb ziqquratu Part 1

      by Wyatt E.
      favorite track

      Im Lelya

      Very heavy psych/doom/drone/and even folk. Can that happen? Why, yes, it can. Wyatt E is from Belgium, although their music is steeped in ancient Eastern sounds. They explore the exile of the people of Jerusalem to Babylon in 587 BC here, adeptly blending East and West. The vocals range from deep chanting to soaring female wailing, altogether eerie and captivating.

      1. 

         Trollringen (single)

         by Anders Buaas
         Almost a mini-suite (or perhaps an overture for an upcoming release?) from this Norwegian multi-instrumentalist/composer. The music begins with a jazz-inflected lightness with soprano sax at the fore, and moves into heavier territory with electric guitar, then swoops back effortlessly into the soprano sax-led theme. Really looking forward to hearing more from him.

         1. 

            Of Tollund And Elling

            by The Barrowfolk
            favorite track

            Elling

            Music inspired by the Danish bog people from Jutland, and preserved at Silkeborg. Composer Wayne Smart brought harp, strings, flute, clarinet, tuba, and percussion to tell their story, presented as a soundtrack to a 1970s BBC play about them. The music is somber and reflective, a haunting tribute to these messengers from our distant past.

            1. 

               Clann (16 bit)

               by Solstice
               favorite track

               Firefly

               For their 8th studio release, the stellar Solstice offer their signature upbeat Celtic-tinged Prog Folk with bewitching vocals and supreme musicianship throughout. Energetic delivery, showcasing the prodigious talents that are gathered together here.

               1. 

                  ETIENNE DE LA SAYETTE & THE WILD HORSES ORCHESTRA – LP

                  by Etienne de la Sayette
                  favorite track

                  Saba

                  Quirky and capricious, this Parisian artist playfully mixes up jazz with a wide array of world music. Primarily acoustic, he plays most of the instruments such as clarinets, flutes, pianos, double bass, and harmonium, and a few stray horses join his herd, with vocals and percussive elements.

                  1. 

                     Quest For The Runestone

                     by David Arkenstone
                     favorite track

                     Eyes Of Skata

                     Here is all of the grandeur you expect from a David Arkenstone release with a decidedly Celtic/Nordic flair, engaging and complex. He tastefully blends orchestral majesty along with guitar, drums, bass, keyboards, violin, viola, cello, flutes, and piccolo . The inclusion of folk instruments such as cittern, saz, molodica, Hardanger fiddle, Uilleann pipes, and hurdy gurdy, as well as soaring vocals, make this a real gem of a release from a master composer.

                     1. 

                        Не опускати руки / Don’t Give Up

                        by Obiymy Doschu
                        Ukrainians Obiymy Doschu, a progressive / post-rock / contemporary classical band, has released this piece of music with the message of not to give up, no matter how bad things may seem. Coming from Ukraine, that says quite a lot. They continue with lush orchestration, superb musicianship, and the evocative vocals of band leader Volodymyr Agafonkin.