While the name Steinar Karlsen might not be a household name outside of his home country of Norway, it is more than worthwhile to spend valuable listening time to his 2024 album, the humorously titled Doggerland. Actually “Doggerland” was a real place and you can read about it on its own Wikipedia page. With Doggerland, Steinar is carrying on the tradition of the finest Scandinavian guitar artistry.

Steinar describes it thusly, “The album is inspired by the story of Doggerland, a land that existed where the North sea is today. It submerged slowly when the ice from last ice age melted. The last pieces of it disappeared approximately 6000 years ago.”

Released only on Lp and digital download, Doggerland is a musical destination worth visiting, time and again. Perhaps the greatest thing about Steinar’s 2024 album is that it does blend Scandinavian style melodies and arrangements while being open-minded enough to blend in elements of non-Scandinavian roots espoused as such by Americana legends like Ry Cooder and even U.K. guitar god Hank Marvin all the while maximizing the introspective, meticulous edge of the great Nordic composers.

Although every track on Doggerland has its own charms, let’s just hit on a few. The Ry Cooder / Americana influence shows up on the track here called “Vinter” (“Winter” in English). You can almost feel the frosty Norwegian air in the grooves and it achieves full lift-off when Morten Skage (bass) and Kåre Opheim (drums) enter the soundstage, thus setting Steinar off on one of the album’s most memorable moments.

Steinar’s mix of Norwegian and Americana instrumental can be heard in its full glory on the track “Nomader” (Nomads) with it’s beautiful lilting melody and fake Motown strings with a definite Booker T / Steve Cropper vibe. The track is fleeting but brilliant, albeit from a Nordic perspective.

The album achieves its true glory on the title track. Starting off slowly in a typical Scandinavian way, the track “Doggerland” veers into symphonic territory vis-à-vis Steinar’s progressive synth keyboards. The track is somewhat reflective yet in a fully glorified symphonic way.

So it goes for most of the 11-track, 33-minute album. Doggerland is filled with wondrous melodies filled with light and shade, somber yet uplifting melodies that provide further insights into the wonderful guitar skills and compositions of the always brilliant Steinar Karlsen.