Wobbler: From Silence To Somewhere 2017 + Dwellers Of The Deep 2020

 

The band was formed near Hønefoss, Norway, in early 1999 with a desire to recreate some of the

musical expressions of the early 1970s, especially in the use of the instruments of that time and the compositions of the progressive rock scene from 1969 to 1974.  In a few months the basic ideas for the demo and the album Hinterland was created. There was a pause from 2001 to around 2003, until a demo was recorded at Lars' studio, put out on the internet. 
                           

Their debut CD WOBBLER "Hinterland" contains long and complex tracks featuring lush, vintage

keyboard sounds, making extensive use of Mellotron, Minimoog, Hammond C-3 and harpsichord, along with beautiful electric and acoustic guitar playing, a complex rhythm section along with flutes, recorder, saxophones, mandolins and various other instruments providing a very full, symphonic sound.
                        

In February 2009, the band released the second album Afterglow. The album was released on Termo Records. The band released their third album Rites at Dawn on Termo Records in May 2011. Their fourth

album, named From Silence to Somewhere, was released in 2017 and met with overwhelming acclaim. As of April 2021, it is the top rated album of the entire twenty-first century on the progressive rock database Prog Archives, with an average user rating of 4.35 from over 700 ratings, and the website's thirty-second-highest rated album of all time. It also appeared in the top 40 albums of the year on the user ratings website Rate Your Music, being the highest-ranked progressive rock album on the list.
                                    

After the release of Wobbler´s long awaited and critically acclaimed fourth album, From Silence to

Somewhere in 2017, Wobbler hit the road and performed all over Europe as well as Canada in 2017-2019, including the largest prog festival in Europe; Night of the Prog Festival in 2018. Between concerts Wobbler was busy composing new material for a fifth album. Titled Dwellers of the Deep, Wobbler´s new album is due for release worldwide through Karisma Records on October 23rd 2020.  
                      

The band's fifth and most recent album, Dwellers of the Deep, was released on October 23, 2020, and

quickly jumped to the top of the Prog Archives 2020 albums chart within two days of its release. If there is one band who has captured the sound of the golden age of Progressive Rock (1969 – 1975) without sounding regressive or copycat, it is the Norwegian band Wobbler. The band has always had an energetic and youthful approach to the classic prog era, and has managed to blow new life into the genre.Wobbler are highly recommended for fans of the early progressive greats and symphonic prog music.
                        

LINE - UP

                               

Kristian Karl Hultgren - bass, bass clarinet, bass recorder (1999–present)
Lars Fredrik Frøislie – keyboards, backing vocals (1999–present)
Martin Nordrum Kneppen - drums, percussion, recorder (1999–present)
Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo - lead vocals, guitar, glockenspiel, percussion (2009–present)
Geir Marius Bergom Halleland - lead guitar, backing vocals (2011–present)

FORMER MEMBERS

                   

Morten Andreas Eriksen - lead guitar, mandolin, tambourine, kazoo (1999-2011)
Tony Johannessen - lead vocals (1999-2009)

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS

Tony Johannessen - vocals
Ketil Vestrum Einarsen - flute
Aage Moltke Schou - percussion, vibraphone, glockenspiel
Sigrun Eng - cello
Ulrik Gaston Larsen - theorbo, baroque guitar
Pauliina Fred - recorder

WOBBLER - FROM SILENCE TO SOMEWHERE (OCTOBER 2017)

                  

The epic title track opens the album with majesty, with that uplifting symphonic tempo provided by a

jazzy "on steroids" rhythmic section and accompanied by atoned guitar licks and Hammond? did I already said majestic? Acoustic enchanting melodies arrive to let the unique sounding vocals to make their entrance, and little by little, in the most evident 70s fashion the drumming breaks silence and prog rock kicks in with flutes and everything, craziness making sense? and back to the woods with the enchanting melodies and vocals, and flutes again? Ian Anderson must love this band, what an accurate rendition to classic progressive rock, with that modern approach, bravo! But the best of all? it has only been 9 plus minutes, still 10 more minutes of genius to come! Furious drum and bass display, brutal mellotron and

flute playing with a guitar tone that needs to be emulated for the rest of their recording career!  
Flutes, pianos, far and almost hidden vocals allow the beautiful instrumentation to gain traction and peacefully redirect the the melodies into a brighter fairy tale-like atmosphere?but not for long, because the riffing is back, the drums, the fat bass, mellotron, flutes, more atoned guitar licks (the tone?) and even some medieval folky episode that relieves the listener from the most complex 45-50secs of the entire album, genius chaos indeed!
                               

Wobbler – From Silence To Somewhere
Label: Karisma Records – KAR133CD
Format: CD, Album, Stereo, Digipak
Country: Norway
Released: Oct 20, 2017
Genre: Rock
Style: Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock

TRACKS

                        

01. From Silence To Somewhere    20:59
02. Rendered In Shades Of Green    2:05
03. Fermented Hours    10:10
04. Foxlight    13:19

LINE - UP

                                   

Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo - Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Glockenspiel, Percussion, Brass [Bell], Other [Childrens Toy]  
Lars Fredrik Frøislie - Organ [Hammond B3], Mellotron [M400], Synthesizer [Minimoog Model D], Synthesizer [Chamberlin M-1], Synthesizer [Honher Clavinet D6], Synthesizer [Rhodes MKII], Spinet [William de Blaise], Harp [Arp Pro Soloist], Harp [Arp Axxe], Strings [Solina String Ensemble], Other [Wurlitzer 200], Other [Marxophone], Grand Piano, Backing Vocals
Kristian Karl Hultgren - Bass, Bass [Pedals], Woodwind  
Marius Halleland - Electric Guitar [6-12 string], Acoustic Guitar [6-12 string], Backing Vocals 
Martin Nordrum Kneppen - drums, percussion, recorder
Øystein Bech Gadmar - Guest [Crumhorn] (tracks: 4)
Ketil Vestrum Einarsen - Guest [Flute] (tracks: 1,4)
Renato Manzi - Guest [The Part of the Old Man] (tracks: 3)
Other [Audio By] – Jens Petter Nilsen

FROM SILENCE TO SOMEWHERE LYRICS

                                           

[Verse 1]
From the mould, the mother womb, that dark and moist
Dark and moist shield of olde

                               

 

To rise again up from the tomb, and like the fragile sprout in
Twilights gloom
Into the world unfold:
Ancestral gold, the line of blood
A web stretched out so long ago
Built to last

                           

                              

[Verse 2]
Flame of 'morn, upon a face, that jewel of light
Jewel of light, crisp and clear
Released into this starlit place, erected from a secret
Silent space
From silence to somewhere
From a heavy sleep: all things appear
A web designed so long ago

[Bridge]
The footprints of a Heathen God
Entwined around this bone-white, destined rod

[Verse 3]
This now, when everything never dies
Live again
Burst into the scarlet skies
Reshaped, resized

[Instrumental]

[Verse 4]
In this dark hour, I search the cave relentlessly
Pondering grand designs, troubling me
Cloaked in the veil of light, clarity brightens my halls
Proof of the undying truth of these walls

                               

[Verse 5]
Boughs of green, so gently dancing in the wind
Embracing the Earth, my death and my birth
By warms winds, caressed and enclosed in mirth
Here I lie, at peace, in solitude forever
Until I am stirred, from my nest, like a bird
And soar into the world once again

[Outro]
Boughs of green, so gently dancing in the wind
Embracing the Earth, my death and my birth
By warms winds, caressed and enclosed in mirth

Flac Size: 291 MB

WOBBLER - DWELLERS OF THE DEEP (OCTOBER 2020)

                                 

To me Dwellers of the Deep is by far the best album they've ever done. I own all their previous releases so

I got to see them evolve. This album contains some of their finest recordings ever with "By the Banks", "Five Rooms" and the 19 minute "Merry Macabre". Amazing music all around with Lars Fredrik Frøislie providing authentic vintage keyboard including Mellotron (and perhaps Chamberlin, he does own an M1). "Naiad Dreams" is calm and largely acoustic, serving as a breather from the intensity of "Five Rooms". I

usually should refrain from believing this is as great as many of the classics from the '70s but this album very much is that! Five stars shouldn't be something you throw at but the music so amazed me it deserves that rating. I can't believe the heights Wobbler are soaring with. And I'm really amazed at the drumming of Martin Nordrum Kneppen here, he gives his best drumming here (I also own several Tusmørke albums where he's a member of too). No doubt a highlight for 2020 and some of the finest prog in recent years. 
                           

Wobbler – Dwellers Of The Deep
Label: Karisma Records – KAR194CD
Format: CD, Album
Country: Norway
Released: Oct 23, 2020
Genre: Rock
Style: Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock

TRACKS

 
01. By The Banks    (13:49)
1.1 Part I - Visions From Within    
1.2 Part II - Argentum Ormr    
02. Five Rooms     8:28
03. Naiad Dreams    4:24
04. Merry Macabre    (19:00)
4.1 Part I - The Quarry & The Feast    
4.2 Part II - Beneath The Velvet Shroud    
4.3 Part III - The Bird Of Hermes    

LINE - UP

                      

Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo - Vocals, Electric Guitar [Fender Stratocaster], Guitar [Oslo Instrumentfabrik No 002], Electric Bass [Chandler Precision Bass], Acoustic Guitar [Nylon And Steel Acoustic Guitars], Percussion, Recorder, Glockenspiel 
Martin Nordrum Kneppen - Drums [Ludwig Drums], Drums [Slingerland Drums] 
Kristian Karl Hultgren - Electric Bass [Rickenbacker 4001 Bass] 
Marius Halleland - Electric Guitar [Gibson Les Paul Goldtrop], Electric Guitar [Gibson Firebird], Electric Guitar [Gibson SG], Electric Guitar [Gibson EDS 1275 Doubleneck], Electric Guitar [Fender Telecaster], Backing Vocals 
Lars Fredrik Frøislie - Electric Organ [Hammond C3], Mellotron [Melltron M400], Keyboards [Chamberlin M-1], Grand Piano [Blüthner Grand Piano], Harpsichord [William de Blaise Spiner], Synthesizer [MiniMoog Model D], Synthesizer [Arp Pro Soloist], Synthesizer [Solina String Ensemble], Clavinet [Hobner Clavinet D6], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes MKII], Electric Piano [Yamaha CP-70B], Marxophone, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Åsa Ree - Guest [Honoured Guest], Violin, Backing Vocals

Flac Size: 290 MB

The Raincoats: Discography 1979 - 1983

 

All-female British band whose D.I.Y. approach and experimental sound defied categorization, influencing everything from indie rock to twee pop. The Raincoats are a British punk band formed

in 1977. They were founded by Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) while the two were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Other prominent members have included Vicky Aspinall (violin, vocals, keyboards), Palmolive (drums), and Richard Dudanski (drums). Signed to the label Rough Trade, the band released three albums in their early incarnation: The Raincoats (1979), Odyshape (1981), and Moving (1984). They reformed in 1993 and released the album Looking in the Shadows in 1996. 
                                      

One of the more unusual bands to rise from the British punk explosion of the 1970s, the Raincoats were post-punk before punk's first act had fully played out; they had little interest in the speed or

velocity of the Clash or the Sex Pistols, instead embracing a more open and dynamic approach which incorporated purposefully chaotic arrangements that made the members' lack of instrumental experience a virtue rather than a drawback. They also occasionally employed acoustic instruments (particularly violin) as well as percussion that showed influences of reggae and world music, and sang lyrics that dealt with feminism and personal politics in a direct yet non-dogmatic manner. 
                                     

On 21 November 1979, Rough Trade released the band's self-titled debut album. Palmolive had left the band in September, shortly before The Raincoats came out, and teenager Ingrid Weiss joined the

band on drums. The Raincoats' second album, Odyshape, was released in 1981 and featured Weiss as well as drumming contributions from Dudanski, Robert Wyatt (Soft Machine), and Charles Hayward (This Heat). The Raincoats employed a diverse selection of cheap second-hand instruments such as the balophone, kalimba and gamelan on Odyshape, and the album incorporated British folk, dub basslines, polyrhythmic percussion and elements of free jazz among other world music influences. Its eclectic mix of musical genres has been described as one of the "great lost moments of women-in-rock".
                            

In 1994, Birch and de Silva assembled a new version of the Raincoats and recorded an EP, Extended

Play, which appeared on Smells Like Records (a label founded by Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley), and they followed with a full-length album, 1996's Looking in the Shadows, which was released by DGC in America and Rough Trade in Europe.
                   

 

                                                   

STUDIO ALBUMS 1979 - 1984
                                       

The Raincoats (1979, Rough Trade) – No. 5
Odyshape (1981, Rough Trade) – No. 5
Moving (1984, Rough Trade) – No. 5

01.  THE RAINCOATS - THE RAINCOATS 1979

                            

Picking the "best" Raincoats is more an intellectual exercise than it is a work of thoughtful criticism. So,

to make it easy for the benighted, all three studio releases are absolutely essential. Their live cassette is wonderful, but not the ideal entry point. Better yet, start with their debut, a soaring, daring, avant-garde-influenced folk-punk record. Don't let the words "avant-garde" scare you off; the Raincoats are not harsh or unapproachable. In fact, this music, even at its most dissonant, is stunning and captivating. There's a great cover of the Kinks' "Lola" that's so skewed and obtuse, Ray Davies probably never dreamed it could sound this way. Reissued by Geffen on CD with extra tracks in 1995. 

                                    

The Raincoats – The Raincoats
Label: Rough Trade – R3022
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: UK
Released :1993
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, New Wave

TRAXS

                                  

01. Fairytale In The Supermarket    2:55
02. No Side To Fall In    1:46
03. Adventures Close To Home    1:52
04. Off Duty Trip    3:14
05. Black And White   2:28
Saxophone – Lora Logic    
06. Lola   4:01
Lyrics By, Music By – Ray Davies    
07. The Void   3:51
Lyrics By – Ross Crighton, The Raincoats    
08. Life On The Line    4:21
09. You're A Million    3:38
10. In Love   3:11
Lyrics By [From A Poem] – Jacques Prévert
Lyrics By [Translated And Adapted] – The Raincoats    
11. No Looking    3:16

LINE - UP

                            

Vocals, Bass – Gina Birch
Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards – Ana Da Silva
Vocals, Violin, Guitar – Vicky Aspinall
Drums – Palmolive

NOTES

This 1st CD edition includes one track (track #1) from the 7" 'Fairytale In The Supermarket' not included in the original LP released on Rough Trade Records in 1979.

Flac Size: 216 MB

02.  THE RAINCOATS - ODYSHAPE 1981

                           

It was the late Kurt Cobain (with some help from labelmates Sonic Youth) who initiated Geffen's reissue of the Raincoats' catalog. And listening to Odyshape, it's easy to see why Cobain loved them

so. There's an emotional directness about these songs that hooks you from the start. Mostly you hear about emotions and situations, sometimes indirectly, almost as if you are eavesdropping on a conversation. Then it hits you: it's almost like you're talking to old friends. That's the way the Raincoats' music works: it's deceptively simple, but extremely complicated. Also, as on this record, it makes demands of the listener. But songs like "Red Shoes" and "Dancing in My Head" say this far more eloquently. 
                                     

The Raincoats – Odyshape
Label: DGC – DGCD-24623
Format: CD, Album, Reissue Mar 1, 1994
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Post-Punk, Experimental
 
TRAXS

                             

01. Shouting Out Loud   4:54
Bass – Gina
Drums – Ingrid Weiss
Guitar [Guitars] – Ana, Vicky
Violin, Backing Vocals [Backing Vocal] – Vicky
Vocals [Vocal], Shruti Box [Scruti Box] – Ana
02. Family Treet   4:12
Bass [Bowed Bass] – Gina
Drum [Hand Drum], Claves – Ana
Drums – Charles Hayward
Vocals [Vocal], Violin, Piano – Vicky    
03. Only Loved At Night   3:32
Bass – Vicky
Guitar – Gina
Kalimba, Vocals [Vocal], Acoustic Guitar – Ana
Percussion – Ana, Charles Hayward    
04. Dancing In My Head   5:26
Bass – Ana
Cello – Georgie Born
Piano – Vicky
Shanai – Kadir Durvesh
Timpani [Timpanis], Percussion [Skulls], Claves, Balafon [Balaphon] – Richard Dudanski
Vocals [Vocal] – Gina    
05. Odyshape   3:37
Bass – Ana
Drums – Ingrid
Guitar [Guitars] – Gina, Vicky
Vocals [Vocal] – Gina
Voice [Unison Voices] – Ana, Gina, Vicky    
06. And Then It's O.K.   3:05
Balafon [Balaphon], Bass, Voice [Spoken Voice] – Gina
Drums – Robert Wyatt
Finger Cymbals [Finger Cymbal] – Ingrid
Guitar [Guitars] – Ana, Vicky
Words By – Caroline Scott    
07. Baby Song   4:54
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Vicky
Bass, Vocals [Vocal] – Gina
Drums, Percussion – Charles Hayward
Ektare – Dick O'Dell
Voice [Other Voices] – Ana, Gina, Vicky    
08. Red Shoes   2:51
Guitar, Bass, Vocals [Vocal], Percussion, Harmonica – Ana
Violin – Vicky    
09. Go Away   2:23
Bass – Gina
Drums – Charles Hayward
Guitar, Vocals [Vocal] – Ana
Violin – Vicky
Voice [Other Voices] – Ana, Gina
    

LINE - UP

                               

Gina Birch - Bass, Vocals
Ana Da Silva - Guitar, Vocals
Vicky Aspinall - Violin

NOTES

Reissue of LP originally released on Rough Trade Records in 1981.
Recorded at Bob's Berry St. Studio between 1980-81 "over a period of weeks."

Flac Size: 216 MB

03.  THE RAINCOATS - MOVING 1984

                         

What a wonderful cacophony of sounds! The Raincoats' last record (until their reunion EP of 1996) is a triumph of excitement and intensity equaling that of their previous studio work. Some of these songs are

from the live tape and are in sharper (and I'd say better) form here. Yet another important record by one of the most important bands of the post-punk era. Reissued by Geffen with extra tracks in 1995. When preparing the album for reissue in 1994, the group's core members elected to remove one song written by Vicki Aspinall, 'Honey Mad Woman', and two written and sung by drummer Richard Dudanski, 'Avidoso' and 'Dreaming in the Past'. The album was reissued in 1993 by Geffen Records, inspired by Kurt Cobain's public praise for the group.
                                           

The Raincoats – Moving
Label: Rough Trade – R3062
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1994
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave

TRAXS

                        

01. No One's Little Girl    4:28
02. Ooh Ooh La La La    3:06
03. Dance Of Hopping Mad    5:31
04. Balloon    4:34
05. Mouth Of A Story    3:13
06. I Saw A Hill    3:02
07. Overheard    4:29
08. Rainstorm    4:30
09. The Body    3:33
10. Animal Rhapsody    4:29

LINE - UP

                       

Vicky Aspinall - vocals, organ, bass, piano, violin
Gina Birch - vocals, bass, guitar, vibraphone
Ana da Silva - vocals, guitar, percussion

WITH

Harry Beckett - trumpet, flugelhorn
Richard Dudanski - percussion, drums, balafon
Michael McEvoy - synthesiser bass on "Animal Rhapsody", horn arrangements
Paddy O'Connell - bass, tenor saxophone, penny whistle
Derek Goddard - percussion, bongos, conga, drums
Roger Freeman - percussion
Chris "C.P." Lee - trumpet
Mgotse Mothie - double bass

Flac Size: 270 MB