Sorten Muld

Opening with the brilliant hip-hop grooves of “The Man and the Elf-girl,” Denmark’s Sorten Muld finds this sublime beginning a hard act to follow. Credit the band for trying even if sometimes they try too hard. At their most inspired they transform atmospheric ballads like “Kirstin” and “I Can Tell By Your Eyes that You Have Another Love” with elements of trippy production that also spill over into the scratching and sampling that animates “King Harald.” While I also enjoyed the more conventional approaches of “As Stars Up High” and “2 Sisters,” Sorten Muld deserve credit for updating this music to fit in with today’s party scene. As the intense dance grooves of “The Raven” and “Mylardatter” show, Sorten Muld is intent on creating Celtic club culture. More power to them because, judging from the evidence of Mark II, this is something that the band has already achieved.