I’m still trying to wrap my mind around Tusmørke, the Norwegian progressive rock combo that never seems content to stick to one thing. Albums in English, albums in Norwegian, children’s albums, albums for adults…are they even prog rock? You can argue it with all the pyschedelia that colors their music, especially Dawn Of Oberon, the band’s (I think) 11th album of weird and wonderfully retro rock. It’s extremely chill, with hints of jazz and some of Zappa’s early hippy-drippy melodies and arrangements, and kind of the perfect thing when you want to ease off the “rock” side of progressive rock and let your, like, drift man…you know?

Dawn Of Oberon is very much a record of time, capturing the period where mysterious mainstays and twin brothers Benediktator (bass, vocals) and Krizla (flute, vocals) began jamming and writing with a new drummer and keyboard player. When the drummer quiet, they mutually agreed to document the process and the result is this incredibly vibrant mix of progressive folk, kind of a softer Jethro Tull meets the Canterbury scene of Caravan and Hatfield and the North. It kicks off with the epic title track track, 16 minutes of massive Hammond and Moog keyboards, lots of flutes, and some incredible rhythm work courtesy of now-departed drummer Kusken.

I can hear why they wanted to document this process – the guy is a monster behind the kit. Middle Eastern melodies weave their way through the song’s second half, a song that dives deep into mythology and folklore concerning Lord Oberon and the fairy kingdom. If you’re looking for guitar here, it’s largely an afterthought; Dawn Of Oberon uses the flute and keyboards (keyboardist Herjekongen continues on with the band) as the primary melodic and solo instruments, and the warm, analog production suits the songs perfectly. It’s followed by “Born To Be Mild” which yes, does interpolate the chorus of the Steppenwolf’s classic rock anthem, but that’s it; the rest of the song swirls and smokes in a psychedelic folk haze.

The second side of Dawn Of Oberon is comprised of a suite of shorter tracks, starting with the very Zappa-influenced “Dwarven Lord” which to my ears sounds like they’re paying specific homage to “The Dog Breath Variations” off of Uncle Meat¹. At close to eight minutes “Midsommernattsdrøm” is the first track in Norwegian and continues to stake a jazz-forward rhythm that meshes well with the folk elements. Bird and insect sounds permeate the mix as the organ really go to work in the solo section. “People View” is an instrumental with fluttering nonsense vocals and piano blended into the more traditional psych and folk arrangement. I still hear late 60s Zappa, especially as he was working in a larger band context. The bass really shines, taking the main melodic line and letting the keyboards pad underneath.

Tusmørke end with “Troll Male” and it’s another instrumental, albeit with similar scat singing as in “People View”. If you want to levy a complaint on Dawn Of Oberon I guess you can say the songs tend to run into one another, creating more of a 40-minute vibe fest than a collection of individualized songs. And, I think that’s the point? I din’t think you’d levy the same complaint on a traditional jazz record, and it’d be a mistake to do the same here. The songs work on pure vibe, transporting you into Tusmørke’s fantasy world, or even into your own hallucinogenic haze. Mood is everything here, and if you’re on its wavelength like I was, there’s a lot to get out of it.

¹ Will I actually get started on The Zappa Files on 2025? Only time will tell…