Recording of the Week, Hedvig Mollestad Trio - Ding Dong. You're Dead.

Norwegian jazz-rock guitarist Hedvig Mollestad has certainly had a busy couple of years, despite the pandemic. Off the back of last year’s Ekhidna which saw Mollestad forgoing her usual trio bandmates in favour of a new ensemble including trumpet and keyboard, as well as collaborating with fellow Nordic jazzer Per Oddvar Johansen on his recent release The Quiet Cormorant, 2021 sees her returning to her tried and true trio for Ding Dong. You’re Dead, stripping things back to guitar, bass and drums in staunch rock purity. Her companions in question are bassist Ellen Brekken and drummer Ivar Loe Bjørnstad, who have both played alongside Mollestad since the trio’s inception in 2009. As early as releases like 2013’s All of Them Witches, the trio have offered fuzzed-up jazz on the heavier end of the genre’s spectrum, with all the groove and punch of any solid power trio, and then some.

Right out of the gate, ‘Leo Flash’s Return to the Underworld’ kicks the record off on a dissonant note - Mollestad playing a cool syncopated riff against Bjørnstad’s steady beat - shades of Red-era King Crimson as well as modern garage rock à la Ty Segall shining through the distortion. ‘All Flights Cancelled’ - one guess as to what that’s inspired by - plays it comparatively straight, with a simple upbeat riff that more than does the job; Mollestad’s style is never about being showy, if the groove is good enough already why change it? Bjørnstad’s absolute fury on the drums really adds that extra kick to Mollestad’s heavier riffs, though he can also take it back when necessary; the mesmerising ‘Four Candles’ - though its title inspired by a Two Ronnies sketch - sees Mollestad’s man behind the kit coming in with some cool ambient percussion, rattling under and above the melody, while the title track also sees the trio pulling back for a neat atmospheric pace-breaker. Brekken, too, provides a much-welcome added punch to Mollestad’s riffs - though she has a couple of chances to flex her jazz chops, she tends to keep it low and steady. The spacey ‘Magic Moshroom’ sees the band opting for a space-rock shuffle while Mollestad plays a real earworm of a riff, followed by the equally raucous ‘The Art of Being Jon Balkovitch’ - dedicated to Norwegian jazz pianist Jon Balke.

Mollestad and co. revel in the straightforwardness of the power trio - Ding Dong. You’re Dead. is an absolutely huge-sounding record even with only three players in the proceedings. Riffs and grooves aside, Mollestad’s solos are up there with some of the greatest rough-and-ready shredders; highlights include her stratospheric ascent on ‘All Flights Cancelled’, and her soaring leads over the lumbering ‘Gimbal’, the track itself opening with a sick bluesy Neil Young-esque swagger. Of course Mollestad doesn’t always go in guns-ablazing - though it’s brilliant when she does - as the gentler moments on Ding Dong. You’re Dead. shine just as much as its heavier sections, the trio being no stranger to diversity and dynamic playing. Much like on last year’s Ekhidna, earthy riffs collide with the whole band’s jazzy virtuosity for a confident set of tracks; a release that’s sure to please both headbangers and jazzheads alike.