HINTERLAND

As all of us who listen to the music and read the pages here, I love progressive music. It was through the web page of The Tangent that I was introduced to Wobbler. I had just purchased "A Place in the Queue" and was interested about what the band had to say about their new release. Andy Tillison had an interesting reference to Wobbler that I wanted to follow through. I ordered "Hinterland" and was intrigued. Though I thoroughly came to understand why this record was voted among the top five of 2.005 by the ProgArchives, I asked myself "what did Andy see about this album?"

Andy is both a composer and a musician. {Brillant at both, in my opinion}. It may seem odd, but as well as being a lover of prog I am a lover of medieval and baroque music. Jordi Saval, of Hespherion XXI, uses orignial instruments to recreate a modern version of the classics using original instruments. There is no mistake that his versions of medieval music are being performed in the early twenty-first century, yet the authenticity lies with the original instruments. The same may be true with Wobbler, and perhaps this is what Andy has paritially found so intersting in conjuction with their elaboratlely composed epics. {I cannot, of course, in any way, whatsoever, speak for him. I am making an inference of my own.}

Wobbler, to my mind, is not imitating the music of the originators of prog music. What they are doing, from my point of view, is recognizing a beautiful and intelligent art form that has now been included into the cannon of western contemporary music. Wobbler plays on original instruments in the way that Hesphrion XXI plays on original instruments, bringing forth the spirit and intent of a muscial genre that may have passed too quickly from the mind of the general public. I do not find myself becoming sentimental listening to their recording, only deeply glad to the extent that they have captured the essence of the music that we all here cherish and that so obvioulsy lives on in their recording. I hear a band playing their very own compostions on original instruments and am pleased and delighted by every transition among what may seem as disperate parts. They are their own musicians, making their own music, using original instruments. I, for one, hope to enjoy many such recordings from Wobbler in the years to come. Thank you Wobbler for your deep appreciation and understaning of the genre. Also your deeply original compositions are very gratifying to this prog/Hespherion listener! {If the compositions are seen as interrelated, the "Sereande for 1.652" will not seem, I think, to be out of place.} Best to all.