4 out of 5 Stars!

From Norway, Wobbler popped onto the scene a little more than a decade ago, playing a “retro” style of Progressive Rock similar to the bands Magic Pie, D’Accord, and Black Bonzo, and with a focus on mainly replicating the styles of Yes and ELP, with more than a smidgen of Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Gentle Giant tossed in for good measure. Depending on which of the band’s three albums one might be hearing at any given time, those influences vary in level of dominance, but generally speaking, Wobbler provided a fairly nice balance of those aforesaid influences on each release, with a slew of vintage keyboards in its arsenal that certainly added to the band’s “retro” feel.

On Wobbler’s 2005 debut Hinterland, apart from a short opening track, a trio of lengthy compositions remain, including the epic title track, extended to nearly twenty-eight minutes, and crammed with numerous tempo and mood shifts, both electric and acoustic segments, some creative vocal harmonies, and often-fascinating orchestrations that featured plenty of flutes and Mellotrons and Moogs (oh my!).

In other words, there’s never a dull moment to be found here, and with the overall production values also mimicking the sound of the early ’70s, not to mention cover art that wouldn’t seem out of place had it appeared during that era, listening to Wobbler is like taking a sonic jaunt back in time.

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