I’ve never been sure exactly what folk-prog is, despite having seen a live rendition of it by Finland’s Auri last year.
An alliance of a highly technical musical form that faded out rapidly in the UK around 1980 but definitely didn’t do in the Nordic countries and particularly Norway and Sweden, with a perennial one that is considerably looser in substance always seemed to be something of an oddity.
What should I expect, Lindisfarne meets Genesis? Fairport Convention ft. ELP?
Norway’s Lumsk (it translates as ‘Insidious’) go a long way towards solving that conundrum with an inventive track from their forthcoming and fifth album ‘Einsemda’ (October 30th), called ‘Daudmannhaugen’, (no English translation) and released as a single on 14th August.
All the songs on the album are based on selected poems by Tor Jonsson, a Norwegian author and journalist who was known for simple, strongly worded lyric poetry, but whose poems stir up conflicts and a sense of loneliness. (‘Einsemda’ means ‘loneliness’ in Norwegian).
You know, the Scandinavians are so good at this dark, moody interpretation and there is such a difference in skills between writing songs and poetry. There are so many of them at it too, we must have featured 20 or so songs or albums over the years that have a base in someone else’s piece of poetry yet I’m hard pressed to think of any contemporary UK artist that does that.
Lumsk are storytellers as most of the people I just referred to are, and their interpretation of Jonsson’s poetry on ‘Einsemda’ is according to the press release, a sign of the band “moving even deeper into the emotional core of the material, shaping music that amplifies the tension, vulnerability, beauty and darkness of Jonsson’s poetry.”
“Where Tor Jonsson’s lyrics and our music find each other in a dark and beautiful landscape.”
That is certainly evident on ‘Daudmannhaugen’ a six minute rollercoaster that leaps between clipped vocal folk to a mournful violin and slightly more optimistic piano; signature prog motifs that might have originated with any of Yes, Genesis and Jethro Tull and with a battle between guitar and bass for melody bragging rights; and a protracted outro that is full-on symphonic metal complete with ear piercing belt, before a piano coda intervenes which is an alternate version of the intro, in true 1970s prog style.
Marvellous.
It’s a piece that takes me back to a different era. It isn’t that this sort of music isn’t written any longer, just that you don’t hear it as radio DJs scramble to play the latest piece of nonsense from Sabrina Carpenter or a Suno AI era ‘creation’.
So seize the moment and listen to it now. Without distractions. And then again.
Then buy it and get your name down for the album!
(Continues after the Spotify link)
‘Einsemda’ will be released on 30th October in CD, Digital and Gold Vinyl formats, and is available to pre-order now from:
Bandcamp: https://lumsk.bandcamp.com
Webshop: https://shop.karismarecords.no/
Lumsk will celebrate the release of ‘Einsemda’ with a release concert at Rockheim in Trondheim on the 7th of November.
Lumsk today (they’ve been around since 1999) are Mari Klingen (vocals), Espen Warankov Godø (keyboards/Hammond/piano), Eystein Garberg and Roar Grindheim (guitars), Siv Lena Laugtug Sæther (violin), Espen Hammer (bass) and Vidar Berg (drums).
Find them on:
Bandcamp (as above)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lumskmusic
Myspace (the first time ever we’ve offered a Myspace link, good for older stuff): https://myspace.com/lumsk
