FROM SILENCE TO SOMEWHERE

I'm not ashamed to admit when I'm wrong, but I'm man enough to admit when I make a mistake. And I made a mistake on Wobbler.

I used to bash on their earlier albums for sounding disjointed and unoriginal, and while I have corrected myself and edited my prior reviews to be less biased and more respectable, I still never cared much for them. So, of course, by re-reviewng their previous works, I had to of course listen to their latest record, one which all the masses adore. Naturally, I rolled my eyes.

But I was wrong.

"From Silence To Somewhere" is without a doubt Wobbler's most polished, original and complete album yet. Just the mammoth title track alone shows a rhythm and pattern in chorus and composition and, of course, an instrumental bridge with a good few minutes for solos and instrumental display, my favorite aspect of this band. There's some flute for color, string synths for flavor and rock organ for good measure. Only downside I have is that I wished the track would be just a couple minutes shorter since there are a couple of "empty spaces" of sonic atmosphere that feels like something should be happening there but isn't.

After a beautiful but again utterly pointless piano interlude, "Fermented Hours" kicks me awake. Is this the same Wobbler I've been bashing the whole time? Here it's frantic, a bit of King Crimson-esque schizophrenia. Sure, there are some softer lilting waltz-like sections in between, but the whole song still feels like it hangs on a knife edge; one new element or melody could send the band hurtling back towards an instrumental brawl. The band's technicality and musical prowess truly shine on this song, but the best part is that the composing finally factored the vocals into the equation. Unlike "Imperial Winter White" off of "Afterglow", there's purpose in the vocals here. There's cooperation between vocals and instruments and one ins't stepping on the others toes. It's a truly wonderful thing.

"Foxlight" begins softly, but eventually builds into another crowdpleaser. The instruments shine and solo , the vocals have their place and time at the right moments, and there's more of that medieval times-esque sound I liked from their previous albums. Sure 46 minutes is a decent length for an album, but still feels a bit short compared to some mammoth prog albums out there. Nevertheless, Wobbler finally managed to push me over the edge and join the dark side. This is the band's most polished effort yet and hopefully they've coalesced on an original sound going forward.

If I had a gripe, and I usually do, because I don't have nice things, it may be the fact that they're completely ditched the Yes playbook and instead thrown in a couple of plays Xeroxed from the King Crimson playbook (hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but there's a difference between influenced by and and copying. I feel this album is influenced by King Crimson, whereas "Rites at Dawn" was completely written with the intention of sounding like a Yes record).

Having said that, this is an impressive album showcasing everything that Wobbler is capable of, and that makes me feel good. Bitterness at previous albums subsided, I eagerly await the next Wobbler release with renewed hope and optimism.

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