I said it before. RMR seems to be forever failing on our quest to ram in a few Jethro Tull records. But it never happened (so far) and Ian Anderson only ever prominently appeared on the late Opeth album on this zine. Well, luckily, the folks over at Karisma Records seem to sport an unending supply of retro-rock bands. Mischievous goblins fond of the flute, old-style drumming, full of wonky synth sounds, oldish Hammond vibes, and screechy guitars drunk on wah-wah. Case in point, the pretty sturdy Jordsjø hit our mighty music machine some time ago with their runaway style of the good ol’ ’70s. And that one stayed with us awhile.
So, here Tusmørke enters the scene. Already their credo – “…groove is in the heart of darkness…” – fascinated us to no end. And that made us wonder what airy delights their new record Dawn of Oberon might bring to our turntables. ‘Soit!’ As the old French royalty exclaimed. Let’s invoke the King of the Fairies!
The record steps right into the murky mists of long-gone medieval folklore. And who would not want to be Oberon, the king of the fairies? Echoes of early prog rock and evil dreams of Shakespearean drama have seemingly found some trve friends over @ Tusmørke. And right from the start, Dawn of Oberon (the title track) finds the band enmeshed all over again in the weedy curls of last-century psych and prog. And it indeed takes some chutzpa to get going with an ethereal meandering retro piece like that with an 18-minute track.
Dawn of Oberon sounds like a strange mix of modern-day Wobbler and early copies of Jethro Tull’s many very early demos. But it’s not only that. You’ll also get nods to early Genesis, Gentle Giant, or – to a lesser extent – King Crimson. So, horrible name-calling apart, Tusmørke here won’t invent anything new. Instead, they do a pretty stellar job of reviving the old ghosts of long-gone times when we endlessly listened to fledgling prog rock on scratchy vinyl. It was a wild time with that fresh scent of departure to musical pastures unknown. Flower Power and drug-induced revolutions that came all in one serving. And the result was this (terrible) devil’s music that the old folks couldn’t wrap their heads around. These days, devil’s worship in rock seems to start at the level of Gojira, no less. But I digress.
It appears that the band recorded Dawn of Oberon straight in their very own rehearsal studio. And that saddles the album with that typical dusty sound old recordings often brought to your turntable back in time. In other words, the band expertly created that live feeling that often goes missing these days with their over-engineered productions. And as eccentric as most of their wares may sound, Tusmørke ain’t beyond some humor, too. Case in point, the woozy Born to be Mild suddenly gets a weedy nod towards Steppenwolf’s evergreen track Born to be Wild. You know, the one that made the age-old movie Easy Rider famous.
Unfortunately, as of mid-point, Dawn of Oberon somewhat loses its bite. Or more, the formerly pretty sturdy songsmithing loses itself somewhere in the woozy mists of the fairy-infested boglands full of poison mushrooms and erring swamp lights. Perhaps except for Midsommernattsdrøm and its rockier airs, full of early prog delights that suddenly emerge out of nowhere.
Dawn of Oberon indeed literally thrives in the world of early prog rock and psychedelic delights of times long past. Methinks also that Tusmørke may have gone beyond what wafted over from those magical eras of the ’60s and the ’70s. But fear naught, their art is by far not a lost one. Because, funny enough, many of today’s youngsters I know truly fancy the early rock fare that this here band so aptly provides. Put differently, Tusmørke offer a refreshing breath of air, a sense of real rock music steeped in reality, in a world full of overwrought electronica and growing threats of AI taking over the music industry.
It took the RMR crew a while to finally get to Dawn of Oberon. But we’re glad that we took the time in this more pensive part of the year to settle in front of a fire for a few in-depth listening sessions with a (few) dram(s) of good ol’ whiskey. Dawn of Oberon is one of the pieces best consumed in one sitting. And it was time well spent.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Karisma Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 30 August 2024