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The Chronicles of Father Robin
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Zeph View Drop Down
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Points: 568 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zeph Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 15 2023 at 14:09
Originally posted by Prog-jester Prog-jester wrote:

didn't like the first one, too safe and predictable. It feels strangely artificial, like they were trying TOO hard to make a Perfect Scandinavian Prog Album

is the second one different or mostly the same?

Definitely in the same vein.
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Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Originally posted by BrufordFreak BrufordFreak wrote:

I am not as impressed by any of the afore-mentioned albums or artists as the rest of the world seems to be--including Wobbler and certainly not Moon Safari. I know retro-prog--the imitation of old sounds and styles--has become all the rage, but it's an art form of imitation, not innovation, and lacking any kind of "progress" in it--it's a movement fueled by nostalgia and comfort, bearing no relation to the creative spirit of prog rock's original pioneers except to perform sham covers of their original styles and sounds. It's like the nonalcoholic form of a favorite beer you grew up with: tastes great but has none of the intoxicating effect.


this yet again? It's just music and you don't have to like anything when it comes down to it, your choice.
What drew me to prog was the sound so I am quite happy with nostalgia and comfort.  I definitely like Wobbler and Moon Safari quite alot.  The new Moon Safari album arrived today so I am quite looking forward to listening to it.  Being a Wobbler fan, it sounds like I need to check out Father Robin's Chronicles.  
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Points: 18248 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 16 2023 at 10:31
Originally posted by Prog-jester Prog-jester wrote:

didn't like the first one, too safe and predictable. It feels strangely artificial, like they were trying TOO hard to make a Perfect Scandinavian Prog Album

is the second one different or mostly the same?

I'm not sure but based on what you said I'm guessing you wouldn't like Wobbler then.
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Points: 5865 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Prog-jester Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 16 2023 at 14:12
true, I don't like Wobbler but I really like Sinkadus, Anekdoten, Landberk, Gargamel and, to a lesser extent, Anglagard
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Originally posted by Prog-jester Prog-jester wrote:

didn't like the first one, too safe and predictable. It feels strangely artificial, like they were trying TOO hard to make a Perfect Scandinavian Prog Album

is the second one different or mostly the same?

I think that Book Two is much more adventurous!!! Still very much in that same vein though...
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Originally posted by MikeEnRegalia MikeEnRegalia wrote:

Originally posted by BrufordFreak BrufordFreak wrote:

I am not as impressed by any of the afore-mentioned albums or artists as the rest of the world seems to be--including Wobbler and certainly not Moon Safari. I know retro-prog--the imitation of old sounds and styles--has become all the rage, but it's an art form of imitation, not innovation, and lacking any kind of "progress" in it--it's a movement fueled by nostalgia and comfort, bearing no relation to the creative spirit of prog rock's original pioneers except to perform sham covers of their original styles and sounds. It's like the nonalcoholic form of a favorite beer you grew up with: tastes great but has none of the intoxicating effect.


Sure, but what's great about beer - the taste or the intoxicating effect? Imagine separating them. What would you prefer: A non-alcoholic beer or the extracted alcohol without the taste? Presuming you like beer of course Smile

I like the analogy even though I find beer to be gross and can't even remember the last time I drank one but that's the thing we all have different tastes including in music which is based on a lot of things. I love retro and psychedelic two sub genres I find get dismissed by a lot of people, but oh well. It's been a great year for me music-wise. Like old times(2017LOL).
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"Retro Prog" is just a silly label. But as with metal music, people always have call it something.

I think some of you need to consider what this band is: A group of friends who met in their late teens with a shared love of literature, art and a variety of music, and finally we can hear the sounds they created in the mid 90s and started recording about 20 years ago. It's not trying to be retro, it's their music and vision. I absolutely fell in love with them when I heard them live in 2013 and got their first EP. Then I heard them again "warming up" for Anekdoten a few years later. Amazing, and I had to leave after two Anekdoten songs because it could not match the energy or the vibe.

Disclaimer: I play live with them these days and have contributed a few small parts on a couple of songs. I should probably keep my mouth shut.
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Points: 352 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dapper~Blueberries Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 25 2024 at 21:34
You know I have been kind of eyeing this band a bit, since I love Wobbler. Might check them out, especially that new release on the horizon.
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^ don't forget Lumsk and Jordsjo as well, they are superb (related) bands that both released great albums last year. The Norwegian prog scene is very hot at the moment with the likes of Seven Impale, Agusa and Ring Van Mobius also knocking around.
Personally I'm waiting for the 3rd part of the Father Robin trilogy to make a full judgement so I'm treating it as a 2024 release for purposes of best of lists. I think this will make more sense seeing as 2024 is unlikely to match 2023 as a year for prog. 
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Points: 18248 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2024 at 12:48
I haven't heard book 3 yet but the first two are both very good. The second one is more mellow (at least the first half of it) and I don't like it as much as book one but it's still very good.
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Originally posted by dauinghorn dauinghorn wrote:

"Retro Prog" is just a silly label. But as with metal music, people always have call it something.

I think some of you need to consider what this band is: A group of friends who met in their late teens with a shared love of literature, art and a variety of music, and finally we can hear the sounds they created in the mid 90s and started recording about 20 years ago. It's not trying to be retro, it's their music and vision. I absolutely fell in love with them when I heard them live in 2013 and got their first EP. Then I heard them again "warming up" for Anekdoten a few years later. Amazing, and I had to leave after two Anekdoten songs because it could not match the energy or the vibe.

Disclaimer: I play live with them these days and have contributed a few small parts on a couple of songs. I should probably keep my mouth shut.

Don't ever keep your opinions to yourself please! I love Jordsjo and while I don't think Father Robin reaches that level they have their moments. 
"The wind is slowly tearing her apart"

"Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN
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Points: 352 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dapper~Blueberries Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2024 at 11:24
Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

^ don't forget Lumsk and Jordsjo as well, they are superb (related) bands that both released great albums last year.


Right! I heard one Jordsjo song once and it was pretty good so I might check them out. Never heard of Lumsk before though, but the album covers for Det Vilde Kor and Fremmede Toner look beautiful so they certainly caught my attention.
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^ Lumsk - Fremmede Toner is easily my favourite album for vocals that came out in 2023. Mari Klingen is an absolute delight. In fact I struggle to think of many albums that were released last year that had female vocals so it's pretty unique in many respects. 
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Points: 352 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dapper~Blueberries Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 09 2024 at 09:38
Just listened to the first two albums, and I definitely vibe with them. Expected something a bit more Wobbler-esque, but I definitely quite liked the mix of more Scandinavian retro prog with more Deep Purplely elements. I prefer Book 1 over Book 2 though, a lot more consistently good in my opinion. Definitely will check out Book 3.
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Book II has grown on. Still not as good as Book I, but it's decent. Neither record is particularly groundbreaking, but they're enjoyable enough. Book III, though, what a snoozefest!
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Originally posted by TheEliteExtremophile TheEliteExtremophile wrote:

Book II has grown on. Still not as good as Book I, but it's decent. Neither record is particularly groundbreaking, but they're enjoyable enough. Book III, though, what a snoozefest!

I didn't know part III was out already. I will listen, just out of curiosity and because i have listened to the first two. 

I preferred Book I to Book II (which I found tedious).  Oh well... Smile 
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Book III is released on 23 February according to Amazon UK. The box set of all 3 was issued on vinyl last year for a limited run. No doubt you can find a streaming version somewhere that includes Book III.

Edited by richardh - February 18 2024 at 16:29
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I got Book III in early February or late January it was a pre-order but advertised as coming out February 23 so I was surprised to see people talking about getting in late January and that's when I noticed mine had been shipped. I like it better than II time will tell how it stacks up to I. Spending time with it this week.
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I enjoy some of Wobbler's music. Particularly, their first album Hinterland, which showcases clear influences from Gentle Giant. However, I did not find Afterglow to be as impressive, as it sounded thin and unusual to me. Similarly, Rites at Dawn seemed like a weak imitation of Genesis. From Silence to Somewhere left a lasting impression on me, I consider it their most successful effort and a classic on its genre, but Dwellers of the Deep, while still a good album, did not quite measure up to its predecessor. 

Having this in mind, I listened to The Chronicles of Father Robin. I did not enjoy the first one much. I had recently heard Fire Fortellinger and found it more engaging, although it had a similar sound. I enjoyed Book II, which sounded fresher, more concise, and interesting. On the other hand, I was completely unimpressed by Book III, which, in my opinion, should not even exist.

From my perspective, only the existence of Book II is justified, the rest of this project is pretty much redundant.

In my opinion, none of the Chronicles of Father Robin matches the excellence of Wobbler's best moments. Additionally, Book III is the weakest release from this "band/collective/gang".


Edited by edefakiel - February 19 2024 at 07:20
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Originally posted by edefakiel edefakiel wrote:

I enjoy some of Wobbler's music. Particularly, their first album Hinterland, which showcases clear influences from Gentle Giant. However, I did not find Afterglow to be as impressive, as it sounded thin and unusual to me. Similarly, Rites at Dawn seemed like a weak imitation of Genesis. From Silence to Somewhere left a lasting impression on me, I consider it their most successful effort and a classic on its genre, but Dwellers of the Deep, while still a good album, did not quite measure up to its predecessor. 

Having this in mind, I listened to The Chronicles of Father Robin. I did not enjoy the first one much. I had recently heard Fire Fortellinger and found it more engaging, although it had a similar sound. I enjoyed Book II, which sounded fresher, more concise, and interesting. On the other hand, I was completely unimpressed by Book III, which, in my opinion, should not even exist.

From my perspective, only the existence of Book II is justified, the rest of this project is pretty much redundant.

In my opinion, none of the Chronicles of Father Robin matches the excellence of Wobbler's best moments. Additionally, Book III is the weakest release from this "band/collective/gang".

Finally! It's so refreshing to find someone else who isn't on the Wobbler worship train. (I do most of my music discussion over on Reddit, and the prog rock subreddit goes *hard* for Wobbler.) Like, I enjoy them, but my views are pretty close to your own. They're so heavily inspired by Yes and Genesis, it often borders on feeling like regurgitation. Plus, Dwellers of the Deep was just a spotty record overall.

I agree that Book II is the most original of the trilogy, but it just takes so, so long to get going. And it's not that long a record. That's probably why I prefer Book I. It's a bit more bloated, but it doesn't spend a quarter of its runtime slowly introducing things.

And to answer Cristi, I got Book III early because I've got a music blog, and Karisma Records sent me the files for a review. I've got my review scheduled to go up on Monday 2/26.
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