Review: Thurnin ‘Harmr’
Over the course of the last few years, especially during my time of writing for this very webzine, I have found myself becoming educated more and more each day into all the specific sub-genres that exist within the very scene we all know and love so well.
In the time before The Sleeping Shaman (henceforth will be known s BTSS) I liked to believe I had a healthy knowledge of all of the heavy and obscure music there was out there in the universe.
Now though, in the ATSS (now known as After the Sleeping Shaman) I have accepted that my knowledge has been a very small cross-section and that, for lack of a better description, I am a ‘very small fish in a very big pond’. The best way I can show this is by discussing today’s subject for review, and that is this magnificent album by the Dutch musician extraordinaire Jurre Timmer, who goes under the moniker Thurnin.
In BTSS times, I didn’t have any great knowledge of the dark folk genre or even dream folk. I had always seen it as just being eclectic prog, it would conjure up ideas of Jethro Tull, dated acoustic guitar and flute music, all full of pomp and not relevant in today’s modern society. And then I found Ulvesang, and everything changed.
Maybe it was just the right place and time, or perhaps I just needed something completely different in my life, but upon hearing their self-titled album, my mind was totally blown. Such eloquence and skill, the concept of being able to fill such a massive void of sound with the smallest of band members really was a revelation.
It started me on the most wonderous journey and landed me next at the doorstep of Bear, The Storyteller, a solo artist who can create the most incredible sonnets with only the simplest of concepts, mostly these are guitar driven, but my god, are they beautiful.
Prior to these last couple of weeks, I truly believed I had found the two pinnacles of the dark folk acoustic genre, only to be handed the newest opus by Amersfoort based artist Thurnin, and now I can honestly say I’ve found the remaining point of the holy trinity of figureheads of the style. To put it into the simplest context, if you hunger for something eclectically beautiful, an otherworldly experience driven by acoustic guitar and dreamlike states sonically, then you really need to source out Thurnin as soon as is humanly possible.
a gorgeously rich album, which shows not only the talent of the artist but also the understanding of using an instrument to purvey emotion…
The album is seven beautifully crafted sonnets, passionately performed by an artist who truly understands their instrument to create something that resonates deep within the soul. It feels timeless, delicate, and yet so deeply personal that as a casual listener, it’s hard to not feel like you have stepped into someone else’s emotional being. The work is deep and all consuming that will whisk you away to another dimension.
Over the course of the album, it’s impossible to break it down into seven individual experiences, this isn’t like your standard heavy album, where tracks tend to differ throughout, and you can spot a heavier piece from a softer one, this is actually more like one overture split into seven smaller segments. Yes, there are differences throughout, enough so that it doesn’t feel like one long, monotonous trek, but eloquent and subtle enough to keep things interesting and unique.
For me, when I need an escape, a complete immersion into another dimension, it’s this ambience that takes me there. After a heavy day, my ideal is a darkened room with a soundtrack that relieves all the stress and tension, leaving my whole entity quietened. Now, from reading some of the information regarding this album, it is centred around loss and grief, and while that is evident, so too is the resolution in the finality, accompanied by acceptance and the reconciliation within.
Every note is considered, each element feels entwined, and the true majesty is in making so much emotive outpouring through a limited palette instrument wise. What truly makes it shine is the way the guitar dances, ebbing and flowing before rising again to keep the momentum alive. Also, the quality and clearness of the recording makes it feel like you are right there, along for the ride with the musician.
To get the maximum from the album is to sit, or lay, in a darkened environment, without distraction, and give yourself completely to the opus. This isn’t for in the car, or on a run, or if you have friends’ round for the evening, it’s a very personal, emotionally charged experience. That’s the key here, it’s an experience and really needs to be treated as such.
It’s a gorgeously rich album, which shows not only the talent of the artist but also the understanding of using an instrument to purvey emotion in a way which is wonderfully spiritual. If you are willing to give yourself to this work you will be rewarded, not only with having found a new favourite artist, but also with something which I truly believe will give you an internal calm that is more akin to a spiritual awakening.
In conclusion, all I have is three words… explore this album…
Label: Auerbach Tonträger
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Lee Beamish
