Ført Bak Lyset

For me, encountering the dark folk-rock of another country, sung in another language, is an experience that takes repeated listens to feel completely comfortable. Tusmørke's latest, Ført Bak Lyset, is no exception, especially to an American used to listening to much less upbeat music. The early-70s retro-prog sound is reminiscent of Jethro Tull, flutes and all, but lighter in overall tone and with a strong Norwegian flavor. The other Northern ingredient added to the mix is the folk ballad. Ekebergkongen, its flute playing part of the melody from In the Hall of the Mountain King, has throaty wah-wah guitar accents with synthesizer holding up the bottom end, but the instruments are pretty minimalistic when the vocals take a turn. All the songs have a slow, dance-style beat to them, intended or not; De Reiser Fra Oss's steady mid-tempo, which ends the verses with a chorus that is more melodic than most of them, is an example of this, containing a dark, slightly psychedelic tone buried under the ostensible cheerfulness. The title track is one of the strongest and most driving songs, when it steps away from the folk-dance vibe of so many of the songs on the album. Midway through, it develops a swinging rock beat paired with an excellent Hammond/Leslie organ solo, with the organ continuing to back the instruments for the remainder of the tune. Not having a strong appreciation for Northern European folk-dance music without a halfway-decent dose of metal, I found the later songs (including the title) on Ført Bak Lyset to be less jarring to me than the earlier part of the album. There, even more dance-style songs like Vinterblot are a lot easier to appreciate; in Vinterblot's case, one can think of it as a Norwegian take on funky rock, ultra-cool synths accenting the guitar stings and bumping bass. I'd heard good things about Ført Bak Lyset, so after a lot of listens I dared to review and even appreciate parts of this, though admittedly having to stick to the music alone due to being handicapped by my inability to understand the lyrics. Anyone strictly into metal is unlikely to enjoy this one; the more adventurous, or major Jethro Tull fans, might.