SOMA FORMS

Sounds of the SOMA Tubmarine

Serious Fun

I know- progressive rock in its many forms and subgenres- is SERIOUS! Serious musicianship with serious musicians who devote serious amounts of time, energy, and hard-earned cash to the creation of serious music.

So what is the 'fun' this gently warped reviewer speaks of?

Tubmarine, Anyone?

Yes, this motley trio of fine Norwegian lads has been bringing serious FUN to progressive music since, well...the early nineteen nineties? when three intrepid musical high-school students hung out and made music.

Three full-length albums later, they now have released "Soma Forms" with their new drummer Arild Nyborg. This track is apparently one of a series of tunes to be released on the way to a forthcoming album in 2021.

So What IS a 'Tubmarine'?

Not sure.

But here's what I do know: SOMA is/was some sort of mysterious drink used to induce spiritual ecstasy in Hindu worshippers, to bathe them in light, spiritual energy, contact with the divine bliss, the source of all creation.

Hmm. Serious stuff, I guess.

But somehow, "Soma Forms" is a wildly entertaining track with this madcap trio creating energizing, varied, fresh, sublime sounds, in which the flow which moves from the opening complex guitar, tuba, and drum riff, through some jazz-inflected breakdowns, into dual guitar lines and wandering, walking tuba bass lines, into a dreamy (get it?) reverie with what sounds like mellotron...all the way to its majestic, magisterial close six minutes and change later.

Damned if I Know

This may well comprise some 'serious' interpretation of soma forms, this track we are now humorously, seriously considering. There are moods and worlds within the music, and it's a whale of a great piece.

In Conclusion

Bring on the album! Serious fun to be had, right here.

"Soma Forms" is a single release by Norwegian avant garde/progressive rock act SOT. The single was released through Sotanic Sounds in November 2020. It´s a one-track single bridging the gap between the band´s third and fourth full-length studio albums "Kogel Mogel" (2016) and "Monster Master" (2022). There´s been one lineup change since "Kogel Mogel" (2016) as drummer Anders Hunstad has been replaced by Arild Nyborg.

So four years down the line since the release of "Kogel Mogel" (2016), SOT suddenly pop up again with this one-track single. And what a single track it is. Powerful, technical, eclectic avant garde rock, featuring drums, guitars, samples, and something as untraditional as tuba. The tuba is of course not a surprise if you already know the preceding releases by SOT, but it´s still quite interesting to hear tuba used this prominently in rock music. Sometimes the tuba works like the bass does in other rock music, but because of it´s unique timbre, it adds a distinct atmosphere to SOT´s music, that you won´t find in much other music.

"Soma Forms" is a both well produced and well written track going through many different sections and musical styles, and it´s quite intriguing and relatively accessible in the world of avant garde rock. Compared to the relatively stripped down recorded live in the studio material from "Kogel Mogel" (2016), this single features a more layered and polished sound production, and personally I think that´s the right choice for SOT. A 3.5 (70%) rating is deserved.