Hedvig Mollestad Trio: Smells Funny
Rune Grammofon

Yes, Hedvig Mollestad's the leader, but make no mistake: her trio's a unit of equals, each member integral to its blistering, amazingly locked-in execution. As fabulous as the guitarist is, the particular alchemy that arises when Mollestad, bassist Ellen Brekken, and drummer Ivar Loe Bjørnstad turn it on is something else. Together since 2009 (they first met as students at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo), the telepathy the trio exhibits on Smells Funny, their sixth album in seven years, is remarkable.

In a recent DownBeat profile, Mollestad said, “We don't think in terms of ‘jazz or rock' when we work. There is one big bag of fantastic music that we have listened to, and I think our music is a dip into that bag, containing anything from Jim Hall to Stravinsky, grunge, Brit-pop, prog-psychedelia, bebop, and avant-garde whatnot.” That, it turns out, is a pretty astute summary of the trio's sound, even if Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, and Tony Williams' Lifetime could be added to that mix. In the band's early days, Hedvig provided the tunes, but over time all three have become increasingly involved in developing the material, so much so that credit for Smells Funny is allocated to the trio, not individuals; certainly the music reflects that shared level of responsibility for the band's sound.

“Beastie, Beastie” roars from the gate like hell opening up, a multilayered Mollestad unleashing grinding riffs and Brekken and Bjørnstad serving up a muscular base for the guitarist to extemporize against. Just as the trio's music sidesteps pigeonholing, Mollestad's playing likewise suggests ties to everything from hard rock and prog to Jeff Beck-styled rawness. The later “Sugar Rush Mountain” wails with as much intensity and conviction, the guitarist rising to the stratosphere with a volcanic, ever-ascending attack.

There are changes of pace: “Jurasek” features the outfit in blues-rock ballad mode, the leader crafting lyrical lead lines with the flair of a jazz vocalist; “Bewitched, Dwarfed and Defeathered,” on the other hand, sees Brekken and Bjørnstad serving up a massive, Led Zep-styled groove for Mollestad to shred over. Perhaps the best thing here is “First Thing to Pop is the Eye,” which shows the trio's affection for prog-like intricacy, Mollestad in this case stretching textural waves and feedback across a broiling bottom-end for nine incendiary minutes. The band stokes a controlled frenzy here that's a thrill ride from start to finish, though it's hardly the only time it does so.

With so many guitar trios in the history books (Mountain, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, etc.), it would be hard to imagine anyone at this stage being able to breathe new life into the concept. On this thirty-six-minute set, Mollestad and company do so, however, and so magnificently you'd be doing yourself a major disservice if you missed them live when the opportunity presents itself. No doubt the experience of witnessing this phenomenal force of nature in the flesh would be unforgettable.

March 2019