Tusmørke: “Hestehoven” (2023) – Album Review

Summary

In a beguiling journey through Tusmørke’s latest album, “Hestehoven”, the listener is treated to a whirlwind of prog folk influences, blending elements of progressive rock, psychedelic space tunes, and seductive folklore tales. This cheeky yet captivating album seamlessly merges the mystical with the erotic, challenging genre boundaries and evoking a spectrum of emotions from sinister temptation to free-spirited joy.

Album Info

Introduction

I feel like I was bullied into listening to this album.

Seriously, there I was, minding my own business, frolicking about the aether or whatever the hell it is I do, when I received a ping on my phone. ’twas an email from Bandcamp, alerting me of a new message from Karisma Records. As it turned out, the date was August 18th and the Norwegian prog folk band Tusmørke had just released their tenth album Hestehoven.

I was unfamiliar with the band, and perhaps the alert would have remained completely unacknowledged, until I read this review blurb:

“Hestehoven is a stately piece of innovative prog that ought to please all fans and lovers of forward-thinking music that are on the lookout for something with an abundance of mysticism, folklore, dark humour, and a subtle aura of something ever so slightly sinister coursing through it.”

Nepper, Jens. “Tusmørke – Hestehoven.” RAMzine, 8 Aug. 2023, ramzine.co.uk/reviews/album-reviews/tusmorke-hestehoven/.

Thanks for nothing, Ramzine. Now, Hestehoven has ensnared my curious attention.

But then I made the tactical whoopsie of heading over to Tusmørke’s Bandcamp page, where I had the grave misfortune of reading the following:

“This album is not for the faint of heart. Like some great Babylonian harlot, the sinfully sweet sounds held within this record will deny no one, but they extract a great price! There will be no turning back should you proceed on this wretched path and cut your way through the thickets so green, for the path is fraught with danger and temptation. Proceed and you might find yourself sucked off, as it were, to a strange fairyland where every bush and clearing is gushingly alive with the brazen bacchanals of satyrs and nymphs. Continue and you will find yourself in a world where chance encounters of mildew-encrusted adult magazines, carefully stashed away in the shrubs are nothing short of erotic mysteries reminiscent of ancient fertility cults.”

“Hestehoven, by Tusmørke.” Tusmørke, tusm-rke.bandcamp.com/album/hestehoven. Accessed 25 Aug. 2023.

What the hell? I’m being triple-dog-dared into listening to this brazen display of sapphic sassafras, sinful salacity, and full-frontal dudity; otherwise I’m just a great big wuss. If you’re wondering whether this kind of bullying tactic works on a schmo like me, please realize you’re already several paragraphs into my review. So yeah, challenge accepted due to shameless negative reinforcement.

Subsequently I listened to a few tracks and handed over my lunch money, thus purchasing Hestehoven right on the spot. Indeed, the music that sprang to life before my ears left me bemused but transfixed. Clearly, these songs were the raucous delights of fairie-realm sorcerers who formed a garage band and beamed their latest jam sessions into our repressed material plane.

Analysis

Tusmørke is a quartet anchored by flute, bass, keyboards, and drums. Accordingly, given their prog folk tendencies, their music exudes a loose, organic, and free-spirited feel. A tune like the title track “Hestehoven” (The Horse’s Hoof) draws in the listener with an almost hypnotic sonic haze, before a up-tempo midsection captivates with flute and keyboard samples riffs and lines from a host of other songs. We’re talking Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, and even that damn Lambada song from 30 years ago.

What the hell is going on here? No idea. More importantly, why is am I enjoying this ride so much?

Hestehoven is peppered with similar delights throughout its 41 minute runtime. “Cycle of the Gylfaginning”, a track derived from a well-known Icelandic edda, is strangely danceable and wonderfully groovy in a folksy, bohemian style. Indeed, the same descriptor could be utilized for “Åndemaneren” (The Spirit Manner), which retains the same spirited communal joy, even when highlighted by some cosmic keyboard effects.

Along that vibe, “Den behorneden gude” (The Horned God) evokes a playful cheerfulness, as if the band was reimagining Pachelbel’s Canon for a cheeky bacchanal, whereas “Jeg klumser deg” (I’m Stumping You) feels darker and a bit chaotic. Undoubtedly something sinister always lurks with temptation and seduction, and this track and its follow-up “Kyprianos” typify that aura. Albeit it from different approaches, perhaps; Kyprianos was an early 19th-century primate of the Church of Cyprus who was executed for his support of the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire. Since I do not possess the lyrics, and the track is not sung in English, I couldn’t begin to tell you what the song is about. But it’s definitely spooky, man.

And speaking of spooky, the album concludes with the appropriately descriptive “The Wicked Ways of Witches and Wizards”. Join the coven as they tap into primordial power of mystic origin for sex, wealth, fertility, dominance… you know, the fun stuff! Whether this song is celebrating the occult, casting aspersions on it, or perhaps even both, the result speaks volumes as a chilling but effective slice of vintage-Hawkwind-influenced prog folk.

And In Closing

Hestehoven is a blast. From start to finish the album is cheeky, sinfully tempting, and ultimately a terrifyingly wonderful haunted excursion throughout the realms of elsewhere. Tusmørke accentuates our journey with a prog folk ethos that incorporates elements of progressive rock, psychedelic and space rock, Canterbury, and even hints of late 60s British “Toytown” pop. Now take all those influences and blend them with folklore, mythology, magic, and a nigh-godless erotic veneer, and you have Hestehoven.

You won’t need any bullying from me to persuade you to give Hestehoven a spin; if you’re still reading this review, you’re already there. Click that Bandcamp link up above and start listening for yourself, fellow witches and wizards. This record proves that music can transcend beyond genre expectations and evoke a realm of emotions from free-spirited joy to haunted mystique, often all at once.

What similar albums does ChatGPT recommend?

While it behooves me to remind my readers that every word you just read is 100% Mills, let’s ask our friendly neighborhood AI for some similar album recommendations.

In the Passing Light of Day – Pain of Salvation (2017) Drawing from a deep well of progressive rock influences, Pain of Salvation crafted a personal and deeply moving album that teeters between introspection and raw energy. “In the Passing Light of Day” showcases the band’s trademark complex song structures coupled with emotional lyrics, making it a vital listen for those seeking a rich prog experience.

The Gold & Silver Sessions – Elder (2019) Venturing into uncharted territories, Elder presents an EP that leans heavily into psychedelic and progressive territories. These instrumentals take the listener on expansive journeys, echoing the spirit of 70’s prog and space rock while still sounding fresh and modern.

The Astonishing – Dream Theater (2016) A grandiose concept album from one of progressive rock/metal’s most renowned bands. Dream Theater uses “The Astonishing” to weave a narrative across two discs, combining their signature instrumental prowess with a cinematic approach to songwriting, resulting in a captivating sonic story.

Your Wilderness – The Pineapple Thief (2016) Merging alternative rock sensibilities with a progressive foundation, The Pineapple Thief’s “Your Wilderness” crafts a series of emotionally resonant tracks. Their layered instrumentation and emotive vocals produce an album that’s both intricate and accessible, appealing to both die-hard prog fans and newcomers alike.

The Clockwork Fable – Gandalf’s Fist (2016) A sprawling 3-disc concept album, “The Clockwork Fable” transports listeners to a steampunk-inspired city beneath the earth’s surface. Gandalf’s Fist infuses their prog rock sound with hints of folk, making it a thematic sibling to Tusmørke’s offerings and an engaging exploration of storytelling within music.

Output from ChatGPT, OpenAI to Mills on 25 August 2023.