MAGNIFIED AS GIANTS

If you were amazed by Wobbler' Dwelers of the Deep and you have been looking for something remotely similar to satisfy your apetite, then Magnified as giants is going to be your unexpected gift of the year. At least for me, it has really been a surprise, and a great one! Caligonaut is the project by Ole Michael Bjørndal, who is supported by musicians from other well known bands such as Wobbler and Airbag (in fact, 3/5 of Wobbler appear here). The music is symphonic prog with a strong 70's flavour and few modern twists scattered here and there. My favourite track is Emperor, as it feels like a continuation from Wobbler's Morte Macabre:

1. Emperor (9/10) 2. Hushed (8/10) 3. Magnified As Giants (8/10) 4. Lighter Than Air (8.5/10)

Four solid stars for me, especially recommended if you are a symphonic prog lover.

With bands like Wobbler and All Traps On Earth generating a revived surge in quality retro prog that carries on the traditions of the more melodic side of progressive rock from the 1970s heyday, many new artists are jumping on the bandwagon and crafting their own 21st century interpretations of the stylistic majesty of the past and giving it all a welcome modernization upgrade for modern prog appetites. The Norwegian CALIGONAUT is the alter ego of Ole Michael Bjørndal who has become a seasoned prog veteran with bands such as Oak, Airbag and the Bjørn Riis Band.

Regarding the moniker, the word "caligo" in English refers to a speck on the cornea causing poor vision and the "naut" suffix refers to refers to navigation so all i can think about is how one would navigate on a cornea like a speck of dust! LOL but i digress. Back to our regularly scheduled review, hehe. MAGNIFIED AS GIANTS is the first release by CALIGONAUT and although this is technically a solo project, it is performed in a band format with Bjørndal on guitar and vocals and eight guest musicians adding the bass, drums, more guitars and the plethora of keyboards, mellotron, synthesizers and church organs.

This is a highly melodic slice of progressive rock that deploys aspects of symphonic prog, neo-prog and Pink Floydian space rock which tease out simple melodic constructs into sprawling progressive compositions. References to early Genesis, King Crimson and even Led Zeppelin have been cited but perhaps the most striking similarity is with fellow Norwegians Wobbler made all the more tangible with contributions by Wobbler members Andreas W. S. Prestmo and Lars Fredrik Frøislie who perform mellotron, moog and also offer backing vocals. In addition, the album features contributions from members of Meer, Airbag, Oak and Pylmico.

MAGNIFIED AS GIANTS clocks in at nearly 51 minutes but features only four tracks, three of which exceed the ten minute mark with the highlight coming in the form of the closing 19 1/2 behemoth "Lighter Than Air." While the Wobbler comparisons are warranted to some degree, CALIGONAUT is a much mellower beast with slow sombre tones and timbres that rarely burst out into more uptempo rock heft. In fact with Bjørndal's mopey vocal style, the album is quite melancholy with themes right out of the Steven Wilson playbook about the nebulous nature of transcending painful memories regarding relationships that just didn't quite work out. Also from the Wilson arena is the stellar production that nurtures every tone and timbre and milks it for its full effect without interference from forced or trivial elements.

The title track is perhaps the most touching with a strong melody that pierces the soul with its status as shortest track of the album a mere near six minute run. The grande finale, the near 20 minute magnum opus "Lighter Than Air" is indeed a chilled out procession of space rock with a fully functional symphonic backdrop. Nice chord changes and pleasant transitions in stylistic development makes this my top pick of a consistently enchanting album. This is the track that also features some of the most energetic rock outbursts of the entire album as well however for the most part this light and fluffy affair provides a cascade of crafty cadences augmented with subtle textures and sensual pastural placidity.

While not quite up to the standards of Wobbler's latest classics, CALIGONAUT does indeed score points for conjuring up a beautifully delicate array of four stellar prog tracks that capture the essence of symphonic prog hybridized with the softer dynamics of psychedelic space rock. I do wish there were more energetic episodes of faster tempos and guitar driven rock heft, however as it stands there is not a bad minute of listening time on this one despite the overall package not quite reaching the lofty heights of what others have done before. In short, CALIGONAUT may not have launched its magnum opus onto the world quite yet, but it's evident that such a masterwork is latent and itching to come. A true act to keep your eyes gazed upon.

The good reception that some bands have had that try to pick up the legacy of the classic prog, shows us that it does not matter to do more of the same, as long as it is done with sense and quality. Caligonaut, like Wobbler, Logos, Jordsjø among others, present us with a program with elements that we all know and enjoy.

The Music of Caligonaut sounds like a mix between the symphonic prog and other calmer proposals, such as the Gazpacho band and psychedelic rock. Simple melodies that gain strength when harmonized by the keyboards, dark and gloomy moments, voices that play with the counterpoint - you only have to listen to the first four minutes of the first track, to realize that voices are a great resource on this album. - and the constant variations of the pieces, make the album make us feel at home. The atmosphere of the album is, in general terms, melancholic and introspective; something that Steven Wilson fans may like.

Caligonaut is a project that fans of the "retro prog" may like. A style that does not innovate at all, but ... Does that matter? When music is able to touch your heartstrings, and make your mind fly, it does not matter if it is an avant- garde proposal or a style from 50 years ago.

Best album I've heard since the world changed!

"Caligonaut"- portmanteau of Latin words: "caligo" for mist, and "naut" for traveller/navigator. Known for guitar work with Oak, Airbag, and Gentle Knife, "Ole Michael Bjorndal" composed, plays guitar, and sings lead on Magnified as Giants. Bjorndal attended courses with Guitar Circle, formerly known as Guitar Craft, which was founded by Robert Fripp and uses new standard tuning. One of these courses was a week in Caorle, Italy directed by Fripp himself.

"Magnified as Giants" features the Wobbler trio: Lars Fredrik Frøislie on Hammond organ, mellotron, and piano. Andreas W. S. Prestmo contributes backup vocals. Kristian Karl Hultgren plays bass throughout the album. Arild Broter (Pymlico) and Henrik Fossum (Airbag) split drum duties. All Norwegian Daddio's! Yet, Caligonaut is entirely Bjorndal's baby. Bjorndal's powerful compositions, intimate vocals and lyrics color the landscape like Autumn foliage aflame. Bjorndal filters influences and the musicianship of contributing band members through the sieve of his vision, distilling four musical cognacs and brandies-intoxicating and exquisite in flavor.

Emperor 10/10 (14:35)- After a piano prelude, Bjørndal entices his band mates to donate the most ominous drum fills and astounding bass runs I've heard in a row. Bjørndal bribes the rhythm section to give up their treasures with a dramatic guitar riff, that limelights the drums and bass like a spotlight isolates a pair of figure skaters on an Olympic icefield. An evocative lead guitar drains into the song proper. I've been listening to Caligonaut's album for two months. It drips with anticipatory moments. As Emperor unfolds, I keep anticipating upcoming glorious passages... passages that make my hair tingle and my skin erupt in warm goose bumps. Wobbler's Lars Fredrik Froislie's analog keyboards meld with a rhythm section reminiscent of a combination of Wind and Wuthering and Nursery Crime. Vocal harmonies from the forest.

Emperor's lyrics reveal a toxic love affair between citizens and a national leader. Passionate heavy crush on an ideal mate, who in fact is a love bombing psychopath. A lush violin lingers. In this song, Bjordal's guitar doesn't sound like Steve Hackett's, but Bjordal's guitar lead makes my emotions feel like Steve Hackett's leads in The Music Box. Greek chorus of oak tree nymphs, backup harmonies foretell betrayal-

Hushed 9/10 (10:43)- is an emotive singer-songwriter symphonic art piece. Outstanding example of Fripp's Standard Tuning, fraught with explorations across misty autumn meadows and dreary forests of past relationships. An acoustic silver filigree guitar weaves around a cathedral organ. Hushed floats like Yes's "To Be Over". Deep-felt vocal melodies twist and turn. At times I felt like I was in an alternative universe where Anthony Philips rejoined Genesis on the Trick of the Tail album.

Magnified As Giants 9.5/10 (5:36)- Gorgeous hooks. Another Standard Tuned song. Most catchy song on the album. Can't get this song out of my head. In some passages, Bjordal's vocals remind me of David Bowie's. Wide open movements with plenty of room for the band to stretch out. Outstanding song writing and composition. Bottom line, superior compositions turn me on.

Lighter Than Air 9.5/10 (19:34)- Symphonic Epic spreads out, takes its time, totally delivers. Echoes of Meddle era Floyd. Bjorndal's sepia guitar solos soar like the seagull cornet at the end of the King Crimson song, Islands. Twelve string guitars. This guy must play with his fingers like Linsey Buckingham. Bass and Keys erupt like Spring bluebells against the softer wheat tones. This song makes me wish it were longer. Can't believe it goes by so fast. Bjordal sews his transitions seamlessly. Nothing awkward here. Drunk on the keyboards, my heart hitchhikes aboard another heavenly guitar lead. My nervous system surrenders. Superb production.

Bjorndal approaches his craft like an ancient woodworker who fells his own trees. Bjorndal fells a Porcupine Tree, an Oak, an old King Crimson Maple, and an Opeth Spruce. Bjorndal's carved and polished four personal woodcuts of prog poetry. The vinyl and CD sounds better than internet streams and Youtube. Truly, my favorite album since Hand Cannot Erase. Recommended for fans of superior composition, analog, and singer-songwriter symphonic prog. Magnified as Giants is an easy masterpiece of progressive rock.

Magnified as Giants is, so far, the best thing to come from the world of prog in 2021 (IMO). It is debut album by the new Norwegian artist Caligonaut, which is simultaneously a solo project and a supergroup. Creatively, the composition and song-writing for the record is done entirely by guitarist Ole Michael Bjørndal, who until now was primarily the guitarist for the Bjørn Riis band, as well as being the most recent member to join Airbag. However, the ensemble on the album itself is made up of various members of the Norwegian bands Wobbler, Pymlico, and, of course, Airbag. The band works fantastically together, and the record is a fantastic combination of Wobbler's signature Scandinavian symphonic sound with Airbag's more accessible and melodic tendencies.

Emperor is a very strong opener to the album, and is probably my favorite track on the record. Within the first two minutes, we are given an immediate taste of the virtuosic capabilities of the band, as the opening hits section moves between a round of drum fills, bass fills, and then guitar fills. The body of the song itself is an excellent mid-tempo idea with some really great dynamic movement. The song comes to an initial climax around 9 minutes, before pulling back to a piano section that proceeds to build back up into the song's true peak, the final guitar solo which starts just at about 11:25 and lasts for about two minutes, during which we get to fully appreciate Bjørndal's capacity to absolutely shred.

Hushed starts with a really awesome interlocking acoustic guitar duo, which I believe consists of Pymlico's Stephan Hvinden alongside Bjørndal. The song transitions from this acoustic section to a more symphonic middle section that features Norwegian composer and organist Iver Kleive on church organ, along with some more impeccable soloing from Bjørndal. Eventually, the song transitions again into a bombastic final section that combines the acoustic beginning with the organ-driven middle section.

The title track, Magnified as Giants, is the shortest and most mellow song on the album. It's a beautiful atmospheric track that primarily consists of vocals and overlapping guitar parts, along with some supporting keys and bass. Andreas Prestmo's backing vocals really shine through on this song, and it's probably the moment on the album that most fully encapsulates the combined sounds of both Airbag and Wobbler.

Lighter Than Air is an outstanding 19 and a half minute closer to the album, and it has a bit of an unconventional (though still brilliant) structural arc to it. The song's most intense and dramatic section is between 5:30 and 11:30, with the second half of the song consisting of a more mellow and atmospheric outro, save for a final climactic passage from about 13:30 to 15:30. The final note is played at about 18:30, with the track's fadeout lasting an entire minute. I'll save most of the song's details for you to experience yourself, but there are some gorgeous guitar parts and synth parts on this one.

All in all, Magnified as Giants is yet another outstanding record from the Scandinavian symphonic prog scene. An easy 5 stars from me, it already has me excited to see what Bjørndal does with Caligonaut next.

Caligonaut is a relatively new name to the prog scene, albeit with the backing of some of the best bands from the norwegian scene. Prog nerds such as myself will notice the unmistakable voice of Andreas W. S. Prestmo. However, the full roster reveals that this is essentially a Wobbler/Airbag collaboration: the bass, keys, and vocals of Wobbler with the guitars and drums of Airbag. It's interesting that as of this review, Caligonaut is considered a crossover prog band. While airbag certainly has crossover moments, this album is much more in line with symphonic prog.

The opening track, Emperor, is an amazing choice for an introduction track. While Prestmo's appearance on vocals certainly rings wobbler to my ears, the most Wobbler thing about this album is the understated bass work of Kristian Karl Hultgren. It has that clear and full bodied rumble that fills up the entire soundstage. Mixed with Bj'rndal's guitar work, this is a very lush symphonic album that has some bite but mostly awe-inspiring moments. Take, for instance, the mid-climax of Emperor that then strips back to piano. The introduction of synths at the second climax is so amazing, and it also calls in a beautiful guitar solo. This album really doesn't sound like a solo project in that Bj'rndal does not necessarily dominate with the style of Airbag (contrast that with Bjorn Riis, who continues Airbag's sound in a more toned back setting on his solo records). That is, the elements of each song are finely tuned and in balance.

Hushed begins with some technical but mellowed acoustic guitar accompanied by voice and piano. The best part of Hushed is how it balances and develops its textures. Everything flows so finely and directs tension so well, especially when the scratch-like sound effect brings in the backbeat in the beginning. The vocal harmonies in the post-chorus are especially awesome, a mix of the direct sound of Bj'rndal's voice with Prestmo's and the others. The violin on the first two tracks, courtesy of 'sa Ree, is beautifully done. Ree is another musician in the Norwegian scene, featured on Jordsjo, Wobbler, Tusmorke, etc. Another great moment on hushed is when the bass comes in. It builds into a great scene featuring cathedral-style organ. This is symphonic gold!

Magnified as Giants opens with some Genesis-style acoustic comping and such a beautiful vocal melody. The introduction is very much prog folk, featuring mostly acoustic instruments and more of those vocal harmonies. The "pain and remorse" line is one of the most awe-inspiring choruses I've heard in modern symphonic prog in general. The title track might be one of the shortest and most digestible songs on this record, but as strong as it is, it almost feels like a prelude to the epic Lighter Than Air.

This record spends the perfect amount of time dwelling on the most beautiful mellow moments. Lighter Than Air is obviously the flagship song from Magnified as Giants. This is the most airbag-like of the 4 songs just in tone and in atmosphere. That said, the symphonic elements are way more present than any individual Airbag record. The first synth solo is utterly iconic, mixing and harmonizing with itself in such an amazing and airy way. The chorus of Lighter Than Air marks one of the most intense points on this record. The guitar solos throughout this song are often really dissonant, atmospheric, and intense. There's a later section that almost breaks into the ambient realm with how spacy it is.

In summary, Magnified as Giants is another welcome addition from the Norwegian prog scene. Especially in the context of this year, this is definitely a contender for the album of the year for me. While not nearly as inventive and fresh as Black Midi's Cavalcade, this is one of the best executed symphonic albums I've heard in the last decade. This is definitely one of the best crossover events (supergroups?) in prog history as is.

Breathing new life into old time-honored sounds and styles.

Symphonic ProgWho are these guys? What is their pedigree--how did they get here? Instead of questions like these I feel as if I should be lavishing thank yous and kudos on these inspired musicians. I LOVE YOUR NEW ALBUM!

1. "Emperor" (14:35) opens with piano sprinkling notes over the keyboard like John Coltraine's Love Supreme before going prog metal on us. I call it brilliant! Refreshing! At the 2:15 mark the music settles into a kind of folk rock format as lead vocalist begins singing in a mellifluous voice that most reminds me WOBBLER's Andreas Prestmo, Magic Bus' Paul Evans, or even Hatfield's Richard Sinclair. The Wobbler similarities remain until the middle instrumental section which sound more like Red-era King Crimson--a trend that continues into a more stark, spacious section at 7:50 in which violin and multi-voiced harmonized vocals join in. At the 9:00 mark the drums go a little wonky, then there is an odd, out-of-place piano-accompanied vocal section. Fortunately, this is short-lived, as we fall back into the KC-supported motif from the ninth minute for the eleventh minute. At 11:25, then, there is a display of heavy -like over which some truly inspired emotional Frippery burns and wails. At 13:50, nylon-stringed acoustic guitar takes over as the primary accompaniment as female background vocalists lay a nest of folk harmonies over which Ole Michael finishes the song in a kind of MICE ON STILTS way. Wow. That was a ride--and quite fresh and different. I loved the dynamic diversity. Except for that odd piano motif in the tenth minute, they made it work amazingly well! The best prog epic I've heard of the year! (28/30)

2. "Hushed" (10:43) fast arpeggiated Flim and the BB's-like guitar opens this song before Ole Michael enters. The sound is very much like The Decemberists--both musically and in the vocal tones and stylings of Ole Michale Bjørndal. Thick vibrating electric bass takes over before drums and other folk instruments join in for the second verse. This is great. Now church organ adds its oddly timed arpeggi before a break allows violin to solo. The next section notes Ole Michael's vocal to sound much more fragile in a higher octave--like a young Neil Young. Electric guitar solos as church organ and rock rhythm section play below. This is so good! A bit of an Anekdoten feel here--though it turns more Mike Oldfield/early Genesis in the seventh minute before a long semi-empty break makes room for the three minute finale of fine YES-like symphonic prog jamming. I love the brave and prominent use of church organ and the old unfiltered sound of the drums and front-and-center Rickenbacher-like bass. (19/20)

3. "Magnified as Giants" (5:46) an excellent acoustic guitar-dominated throwback to THE MOODY BLUES and the folkier side of early GENESIS and early GENTLE GIANT. My favorite song on the album. (9.5/10)

4. "Lighter Than Air" (19:34) Here Ole & Co. are treading lightly into Van Der Graaf Generator territory. Ole Michael's pitchy vocal performance in the first three minutes makes one appreciate just how talented Peter Hammill was. Nice blues-jazzy guitar solo in the fourth minute followed by some nice RICHARD WRIGHT-like synth work in this now-very PINK FLOYD-sounding section. At 4:50 there is a bridge into a shift into more WOBBLER-like territory. Again, Ole Michael's vocal attempt makes it apparent that he's stretching himself a bit beyond his skill level. A couple of RUSH-like chorus and its codas and bridges helps to remove the Hammill standards away while we soon slide into a very steady classic rock motif in which the electric guitar can show off his Joe Satriani and Ted Nugent practice moves. Synth gets a turn in the eleventh minute before yielding again to the lead guitar. The bottom empties out in the twelfth minute, opening up for an eerie space-psych passage over which Ole again tries his hand at P. Hammill imitation. It's a cool section--very NEKTAR- or, perhaps, Hawkwind-like. It builds and hypnotizes until the 15:00 mark when it erupts into a more early PINK FLOYD-like mini-crescendo before settling down into more space-blues guitar over which the Hammill performance continues. I have to admit: the guitar soloing has feeling--even a little of PAUL BUCHANAN's magical touch and emotion. Though the vocal performance falls a little short of the standards set by Mr. Hammill, it's not by much. And the musical themes and references are quite well spliced, but it is the guitar work--especially the final quarter of the song, that shine high and bright. (37/40)

Total Time 50:38

A/five stars; My favorite album of 2021, so far, and one of the ten best.

Caligonaut's album Magnified as Giants is a definite highlight of the year for me. As a person who commutes a lot by plane, this record has become a regular and perfect soundtrack to those trips. The lengths of the songs allow for in depth listening but also contain variations to keep the listener alert. Especially the two longest songs, Emperor (which leans a bit on the heavy side) and Lighter than Air (reminiscent of early 70s Floyd with a twist) are worth coming back to again and again. I am lucky enough to have both the vinyl (in white!) and a digital edition. This is a record that deserves a larger audience. Easily five out of five stars!

Caligonaut is a Norwegian prog project by solo artist Ole Michael Bjørndal (OAK, Bjørn Riis, etc) and this is the debut album. Before listening to this album I honestly didn't know anything about Mr. Bjørndal, so I found the novelty (figure and music) highly impressive, and there's the cast of invited characters that collaborate in the making of Magnified as Giants that its also quite interesting. The album opens up with The Emperor, and its love at first sight. Guitars and vocals (both lead and backing, the latter performed by Wobbler's own Andreas Prestmo) are outstanding, Fossum's drumming powerful and on point, bass lines heavy and symphonically rythmic and the synth layers provided by Frøislie (Wobbler, Turmøske, White Willow) are outwardly. But the main character are the guitars, enchanting! The band (project) is described/listed as pertaining to the Crossover Prog sub genre, but I find it much more on the symphonic side than the pop side, in fact I find it almost as symphonic as Wobbler, just more modern-inspired. Almost 15 minutes of this superb opener. Hushed follows with a more acoustic and folky thematic?but the bass?OMG, that bass? the stones vocals (well, it just feels like that in all vocalists of Norweian origin, they all have that same precious atonality to their melodies), cello is a highlight here, delicately accompanying the vocals before the Latimer-like guitar licks thankfully invade the terrain to conquer. I find myself immersed in Scandinavian forests throughout the song, I haven't been there, not even close, but I'm sure they feel like these melodies, you kinda feel Hushed! After I end listening to this album for the 6th time today (5:30pm as I write this lines) I'll do some research in Nordic bed-time lullabies to try to understand why these Norwegians musicians have so many memorable and unique melodies in their minds, it's overwhelming. Magnified as Giants isn't the expected title track epic, instead of that its smartly placed halfway into the trip for brain and ears refreshing. Beautiful, folky and somehow kind of medieval sounding, vocal melodies are very 70s inspired and sound very celestial, like delivering a message from above, with precise and magical instrumentation. This is one of those mellow acoustic tracks that can be unintentionally underestimated by the listener product of the music that precedes and follows, but also the one that you fall in love with more and more after every listen. Marvelous. Lighter than Air, the longest epic of the album and chosen to close the magnificent debut. Laidback and with that same "Us and Them" psychedelic rock feel that is blues based but spacey at the same time. Actually, the bluesy guitars here are astonishing. The dark creepy synths lead way to the heavy prog discharge that will occupy the next 6-8 minutes navigating various moods with some anger included, never abandoning beauty. Powerful rhythmic section, loud and heavy guitars and synths, the heaviest and upper tempo part of the whole album, before returning to the melodic progression of elf-like, enchanting, dark and gorgeous melodic display. Lighter than ir, I love you all! I want to say that I still have to listen and digest more music from 2021, but I bet that Magnified as Giants will still be remembered and played 50 years from now and, at least to my ears, the prog album of the year. Immense high quality debut. The END.

My favorite 2021 album!!! At the beginning it reminded me of Wobbler (then I found many reviews have already said that). But repeated listening gave me another view of it. OK, the beginning of the first track: "Emperor" sounds like parts of "From Silence to Somewhere" (my favorite Wobbler album), but after a few minutes the music takes other paths. I don't like very much solo projects, but this one is different, it doesn't even seem to be one of them. (In fact there are three other musicians playing bass, keyboards and drums all along the album and I can feel each musician's different sensibilities). My favorite song is "Lighter Than Air", a long epic (19:34). The truth is that it is a "suite", in the style of the early 70's prog classics. The lightest song on the album is "Magnified as Giants" (the only one under 5 minutes long), an acoustic track that has no drums, allows us to enjoy Ole Michael's mastery. The other two tracks are great epics. I feel how this album grows on me with every listen. A great album!!!

Man I've fallen in love with this album. It took a few spins for the melodies to sink in but after that I just don't get tired of spinning this beautiful record. Ole Michael Bjorndal is the man behind CALIGONAUT and this is his debut released in 2021. Ole is a guitarist and if you know him it's probably from AIRBAG or that related band the BJORN RIIS BAND. We get 8 musicians taking part here and a singer adding backing vocals on one track. But really this is a trio of Ole on guitar Kristian Karl Hultgren on bass and Lars Fredrik Froislie(WOBBLER) on keyboards. Arlid Broter from the Jazz band PYMLICO plays drums on two tracks and AIRBAG drummer Henrik Fossum on one track. The guest violin on two tracks adds a lot. Ole thanks all who performed on the album saying "It's hard to overstate how satisfied I am with their work". He mentions the bass player for his inspiration and encouragement from the beginning and the musical hints along the way. He thanks the other bands he's in along with GENTLE KNIFE. Having Lars on here is huge as he adds some hammond, synths, mellotron and keys.

I really like Ole's voice and the music can certainly be retro ala WOBBLER but also folky. Very good and meaningful lyrics. I'm not surprised it came in seventh for the 2021album of the year here on this site. I would put it in the top five quite easily. Only four tracks here worth over 50 minutes of music. I can't even pick a favourite each track just hits the spot for me. Hultrgren on bass is huge in my opinion. He really stands out on this record and that is heard right away on the opener "Emperor" and I have to mention the drumming from the AIRBAG guy, it's just a pleasure. A 14 1/2 minute song that takes us places. A WOBBLER vibe around 2 1/2 minutes with the mellotron and more. Violin on this one as well around 4 1/2 minutes. At 7 minutes it starts to turn on us to a dark mood and the drums and bass shine out of that. It brightens a minute later as vocals return. More violin as he sings "My emperor you are alive" before 10 minutes.

"Hushed" clocks in at under 11 minutes and is a meaningful and moving track. It opens with those moving vocals and sound created by the piano, bass and guitar. It picks up some before 2 1/2 minutes before opening right up at 3 minutes. Love this! A calm with violin follows and guitar returns in this emotional section. I really like when it kicks in late with that crushing bass and they are almost galloping after 9 minutes. "Magnified As Giants" is by far the shortest piece at under 6 minutes. How about that chorus as he sings "Magnifiied as giants we survived". Lots of acoustic guitar on this one, mellotron too.

The closer "Lighter Than Air" is incredible. Over 19 1/2 minutes with lyrics I can relate to. The bass stands out even though this is a mellow setting. Organ floats in. Synths after 3 1/2 minutes as the vocals cry out. How uplifting is this at 4 1/2 minutes. It turns powerful surprisingly 6 minutes in. Guitar stands out too before 7 minutes. Vocals are more passionate. Great section. Huge bass 8 minutes in as we get a killer instrumental section. Mellotron and depth after 9 minutes and again big bass. How about that angular guitar solo 10 1/2 minutes in. What! The bass is crushing it here. Organ comes in sounding nasty. Check out the drums! Guitar then rips it up. A dark calm follows before 12 minutes. Love the electric piano and sound that follows. Vocal melodies after 14 minutes. Come on! What a song!

One of my favourites from 2021 just outside of my top five.

This is mentioned in the same breath as Wobbler a lot, and indeed it does have members of that group among the backing musicians - Lars Fredrik Frøislie, who released his own solo project just recently, plays a particularly subtle role on keyboards. However, Caligonaut is very much the solo project of Ole Michael Bjørndal of Airbag, with his guitar and vocals at front and centre. Unlike recent Wobbler releases, it does not go quite so far into the realms of retro-prog; instead it's replete with more modern sounds, putting me in mind of some of the gentler passages in Steven Wilson's solo albums at points, likely because it's the product of similar sensibilities.