Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Wobbler
Label: Termo
Release date: 06.04.2009
Running time: 34:39
Rating: 4/5
With their debut »Hinterland«, the Norwegian prog-rock maniacs Wobbler made one of the best prog albums of 2005, so it’s no surprise that fans’ expectations were sky-high when the band headed back into the studio. The big thing about these passionate experimental dreamers and virtuosos, who formed in 1999, is that they play only instruments made before 1975. In other words, they’re obsessed with recreating the sound that defined the legendary (symphonic) prog rock bands of the seventies, led by Wobbler’s main influences like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Genesis, PFM, Le Orme, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Museo Rosenbach and so on. For all the British and Italian seventies prog influences, though, Wobbler have a totally recognizable Scandinavian ambient touch.
Keyboardist, producer, composer and occasional singer Lars Fredrik Frøislie (also a member of White Willow and In Lingua Mortia), the band’s unofficial boss, got himself an authentic Mellotron, Minimoog, Rhodes synthesizer, Chamberlin, Hammond organ and clavinet, with no MIDI sounds whatsoever, while the other members also played instruments from the ‘antediluvian’ era. Their mission of perfectly emulating the retro sound worked on »Hinterland« with downright fascinating results, even though after its release they were still an obscure band, known and cherished only by those who closely follow the modern prog scene.
For their second album, »Afterglow«, Wobbler decided to stick with the stylistic direction of the debut, which means this album, too, is dominated by a dark, mysterious, typically Scandinavian ambient, akin to bands like Anglagard, Anekdoten and Lars’s other band White Willow, which are the easiest comparisons for Wobbler, although their music, especially on »Afterglow«, has quite a bit more troubadour-style baroque arrangement. Even though Wobbler are top-notch instrumentalists and arrangers, what matters most to them is creating intense atmospheres that dramatically bring the ‘story’ of each composition to life. Vocals, handled by Tony Johannessen, are just a token presence on »Afterglow«, since these Norwegian revivalists of the classic symphonic prog sound mostly swear by instrumental compositions.
With the short opening instrumental »The Haywain«, which sounds like some forgotten work by the cult ‘troubadour’ band Gryphon, Wobbler take us straight into the Middle Ages. That’s only the overture to the fifteen-minute epic »Imperial Winter White«, where they let rip with combative rhythmic shifts, epic Mellotron waves and gorgeous guitar-and-keyboard harmonies, building a grandiose atmosphere. There’s an enormous amount of instrumental wizardry running through the rhythmic twists and turns, while flute arrangements and the subtle use of glockenspiel add a generous helping of hypnotic pastoral calm. Tony’s vocal contribution only shows up in the middle of this dramatic and complex epic, while mighty symphonic arrangements and wild improvisational leaps dominate throughout, with Wobbler completely recreating that seventies retro sound. The burlesque vocal bit that comes in near the end is a fun break from the mostly gloomy mood, even if it’s ‘borrowed’ straight from Peter Gabriel-era Genesis.
»Interlude« is exactly what its title says: a short instrumental interlude with a troubadour approach to acoustic guitar playing. At thirteen minutes, »In Taberna« is the second complex epic on »Afterglow«, where the Wobbler guys totally ‘let loose’ with wild improvisation and fiery rhythmic leaps, backed by subtle use of majestic Mellotron waves. This time, around the middle, they also treat themselves to a jazz-tinged section dominated by juicy Hammond organ passages. Lars is a truly fascinating keyboard virtuoso, and his grasp of the keyboard approach of some legendary prog masters is enviable. Wobbler are mostly a keyboard-driven band, but among the other instrumentalists, the contribution of guitarist Morten Andreas Eriksen has to be singled out, as he combines several different guitar techniques and knows how to be uncompromising, punchy and subtle all at once. The dramatic atmosphere of »In Taberna« doesn’t let up until the last second and keeps growing alongside the Mellotron and string arrangements, which constantly graft a pastoral touch onto this excellent epic. The album closes with the troubadour instrumental »Armoury«, where Wobbler once again sound like reincarnated Gryphon, finishing in a similar style to how it opened, and that wraps up a sonically colorful trip to the Middle Ages.
On »Afterglow«, the Norwegian oddballs have fired up the time machine again and won us over with their devoted recreation of the authentic sound of 1970s progressive rock. The fact that the album runs only a good thirty-four minutes isn’t a problem at all in an era when every other prog rock revivalist is putting out albums with at least eighty minutes of music. Honestly, it was entirely logical to expect them to carry on the successful sonic recipe of their predecessor »Hinterland« with minimal changes, which also means they haven’t served up anything particularly new this time, let alone innovative. That’s exactly why they’ll need to come up with something refreshing down the road, so they don’t slip into a sonic rut. Still, Wobbler remain the most interesting band on the fairly obscure modern Norwegian prog rock scene right now, and one of the most entertaining Scandinavian music sensations around.
Lineup
Lars Fredrik Froislie – keyboards, glockenspiel
Martin Nordrum Kneppen – drums, recorder
Kristian Karl Hultgren – bass guitar, alto and tenor saxophone
Tony Johannessen – vocals
Morten Andreas Eriksen – electric and acoustic guitar, tambourine, kazoo
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Ketil Vestrum Einarsen – flute, backing vocals
Ulrik Gaston Larsen – Theorbe, baroque guitar
Paulina Fred – recorder
Aage Moltke Schou – percussion
Production
Lars Fredrik Frøislie
Track list
1. The Haywain (0:55)
2. Imperial Winter White (15:02)
3. Interlude (2:32)
4. In Taberna (13:10)
5. Armoury (3:00)
