Wobbler is a Norwegian progressive rock band that’s younger than it sounds. On October 20, they will release their fourth full-length album, From Silence to Somewhere, and it seems lifted straight out of the golden age of progressive rock. The Canterbury sound is quite apparent in this there eclectic, there symphonic monument of an album. The eponymous megalith opening this four-track record covers a wide range of the progressive rock of the late sixties and seventies. Rarely – if ever – do we smell the faintest fragrance of modernism in this musical anachronism. Organs, flutes, – did I hear a vibraphone? – bells, analog keyboards, and more, all backing the main rock trio: guitar, bass, drums. The vocals phase in and out of existence, as the instrumental and vocal aspects of the band’s music are in balance together. Everything is there for the illusion to remain. I have no confirmation on this, but I’m highly suspicious that even their recording technique went down with analog technology. Of course, the record is clear as crystal, on par with some modern recordings, but the sounds of each instrument are gloriously vintage. Couple that with the sensible musicianship and compositional skills of the Norwegian quintet, and you’ve got one of the best prog albums of ’71 ’17. It’s an oddity in today’s landscape, but it’s just like unearthing a never-released-before album from that epoch. Enjoy!
An advanced digital copy of the album was used to write this review.
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