HINTERLAND

Wobbler's impressive debut album Hinterland is a great example of what can be achieved by a band who is able both to suss out the compositional and recording approaches of the classic 1970s symphonic prog bands on the one hand, whilst on the other hand showing the good sense not to turn their nose up at the textures and sounds offered by modern advances in genres such as post-rock. Not that there's a great deal of post-rock to be heard on the album, mind - there's not much room for it between the nods to Yes, King Crimson, pastoral-era Genesis and Gentle Giant - but at least a few of the extended instrumental passages seem to benefit from the sort of fragile recording processes some post-rock albums enjoy. A good example of symphonic prog brought into the modern era without going the typical retro-prog route.