Tusmørke: Bydyra

Tusmørke is a progressive folk band from Norway. On their fifth release titled Bydyra they decided to do something a little different. The album combines the scores for two musicals; Bydyrene and Bydyrene på nye eventyr, both written for a local children’s school in Oslo. More importantly a children’s choir is involved and the music is certainly geared towards children although adults may like this as well as alluded to in the press release.

The band presents us with a mixture of folk and prog and the sounds are quite uplifting which makes sense considering this is geared towards children. Light Norwegian folk highlighted with flute and lyrical guitar give “Tre som bor I et Tre� an easygoing vibe. Pleasant piano and swaths of background keys as well as Mellotron make “Trefar� another nice listen. Flute leads the melody in the pleasant “Mellomspill� before psychedelic guitar passages highlight the somewhat heavier “Rottekongen�. However, the chipmunk-like vocals I can do without although I understand why they are there as the album has a child-like feel. The children’s choir also gives these tunes a playful element. Flute, piano, spacey synths and melodic electric guitar highlight the pretty “Dyrene I Byen� and background electric guitar adds a bit of edge to the somewhat denser folk of “Elvene I Oslo�. Psychedelic and folk are infused in the intriguing “Signekjerringa� giving this one a heavier atmosphere. After a couple of mellower tracks the edgy guitar solo in “Trollmannen� is most welcome.

I think Bydyra will mostly appeal to those who enjoy Scandanavian folk music mixed with their progressive rock. Whether or not you will appreciate the children’s choir (all vocals are in Norwegian), will be up to you. I think the choir fits in well with the band’s prog folk leanings. A Karisma Records release.

Band members:
Benediktator (vocals, bass, acoustic guitars, Glockenspiel, jaw harp, percussion)
Krizla (vocals, flute, electronics)
HlewagastiR (drums and percussion)
Dauinghorn av Jordsjø (electric guitar)
Marxo Solina (Steinway & Sons grand piano, MiniMoog model D, Solina Strings Ensemble, Mellotron M400, SCI Prophet-5, Arp Axxe, Arp Pro Soloist, Lindholm spinet)

Track Listing:
1. Tre som bor I et Tre
2. Trefar
3. Mellomspill
4. Rottekongen
5. PÃ¥ Biblioteket
6. Vi er eid
7. Dyrene I Byen
8. Elvene I Oslo
9. Signekjerringa
10. Tenkeren
11. Trollmannen
12. Laer de fattige å trylle
13. Dyrene bor ute
14. Underboerne
15. Katabasis

Added: May 9th 2018
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Label's Official Site
Hits: 1020
Language: english

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