Nikolaisen, Hilma
Heritage
After the promising, Norwegian Grammy-nominated debut 'Puzzler '(2016), and the more ambitious follow-up 'Mjusic' (2018), Hilma Nikolaisen (ex-Serena Maneesh) wished not to continue in the same vein. After all she's perfected her own kind of groovy guitar rock built on catchy riffs and jammy psychedelic excursions. Instead, Heritage represents a surprising step to the side. The new album's stripped-down and almost acoustic soundscape has been a conscious choice. On one hand, the new approach is an attempt to capture the essence of the songs by removing ornamental instrumentation - on the other to not get caught up in familiar patterns or specific ways of playing. The result is Nikolaisen's most melodically elaborate album, and possibly also the most immediate.