Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark, no review yet

So, I did say that most of the new reviews are going to be stream of consciousness as I listen, and that is mostly true. But, there have to be some exceptions to that rule. This album, right here, is the main exception. 

I will get into all of the explanations why in my actual review, but suffice to say, I owe Marillion to not just write away while I listen for the first time. For this album, I am taking my time, absorbing every aspect, in every way I possibly can. I am also not listening to very much else while I am spending my time with this album. 

I will be posting about this one, hopefully, by the end of this coming weekend.

Wobbler - Hinterland (2005, 2022 Reissue)

I first came into awareness of Wobbler a little over a year ago. Maybe more. But, it was recently, especially considering the age of the band. But, it was with the release of their fantastic Dwellers of the Deep album that I found them, so during their most recent album. 

Recently, their label Karisma Records was able to get the rights to the first three Wobbler releases for reissue. So, the obvious course of action to take is to buy the blasted things. 

For those unfamiliar, Wobbler is a Norwegian progressive rock act. They are of the symphonic version of prog, so expect lengthy pieces that border on the classical side, rather than the jazz side. However, they draw from enough influences that they dabble in all aspects of prog. We get a little classical at times, and a little jazz at times. But, regardless of the exact version of prog, they are sticking to a 70s influence, and even try to stick to the vintage instruments of the time. 

All of that being said, I am only really familiar with their two newest albums. Although all of their material is available on Apple Music, I never spent much time digging into the earlier albums. I do believe that the first two (one of which is what I am about to write about here) sticks even more true to the vintage ideals. The first two albums also feature a different lead vocalist and lead guitarist than the two albums I had previously. 

So, how do these compare to the two newest albums? The band, according to the liner notes inside Hinterland, seems to feel that the first album shows a band that was still earning the ropes, a band that didn't know what to do in the studio. I have to say they are dead wrong. From their perspective it might be full of amateurish ideas and studio abilities, but to this listening, this is some fantastic music!

Even on this, their first, they manage to throw everything into the mix. One thing about Wobbler is that they are a very high energy act, and that goes all the way back to this era. They don't play mellow. They definitely play around with dynamics, but for the most part, everything is extremely hard hitting. Bass and drums pound away, while the guitars and keyboards whirl around series of notes and passages that cause your head to swim. 

Vocally we are in the same territory that we were in with a lot of bands during the 90s and early 2000s. Borderline Fish/Gabriel style vocals. During this time period a lot of bands were doing that vocal style. That's not to say one will think this might be either of those gentlemen, but it is of that style. We aren't talking operatic heights of vocal acrobatics, its more about the emotion, with the exception of a portion of "Rubato Industry" where we definitely hit some high notes that would make King Diamond smile. 

The bass and drumming. Holy smokes! Brilliant work on both accounts. This is a special part of Wobbler today, and it is great to hear it all here. 

The only area that I would possibly say that they are correct about the amateurish side, would be in possibly being over-indulgent in their song writing. They might get carried away with passages and the amount of notes they throw in, but this is also what will endear them to many prog fans. Wobbler is a prog band for prog fans, no doubt about it at all. 

4 songs. Well, really, 3 songs. "Serenade For 1652" is a short instrumental piece. Otherwise we have 3 long numbers that rock. Don't be fooled by the mellow start to "Clair Obscur." The gentle nature of the beginning does not last very long. 

This is a fantastic record, one that deserves to be in the collection of any prog fan.