Caligonaut – Magnified as Giants
Well, we didn’t have to wait long for more wonderful music to pour from the bountiful cup of Wobbler musical prolificacy. Most of the band has re-assembled for the side project Caligonaut. It is a solo project from guitar player and singer Ole Michael Bjørndal, known from Norwegian prog bands, Oak and Airbag. The project features performances from members in Wobbler, Pymlico and Airbag. Together they created the album, Magnified as Giants, and it was released February 26th, 2021.
Caligonaut consists of the following members: Ole Michael Bjørndal, on lead vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitar (tuned in new standard tuning), and 12-string guitars; Kristian Karl Hultgren, on bass guitars, (from Wobbler); Andreas W. S. Prestmo, on backing vocals, (from Wobbler); Lars Fredrik Frøislie, on Hammond organ, Mellotron, grand piano, synths and keyboards, (from Wobbler); Iver Kleive, on church organ on the track “Hushed”; Arild Brøter, on drums and percussion on the track “Hushed” and “Lighter than Air”, (from Pymlico); Henrik Fossum, on drums on the track “Emperor”; Åsa Ree, on violin and backing vocals on the tracks “Emperor” and “Hushed”, (from Meer and Wobbler); and Stephan Hvinden, on rhythm guitars on the track “Hushed”, (from Pymlico).
Magnified as Giants opens with the song, “Emperor”. Lars Fredrik Frøislie’s piano keyboard dances across the soundstage. Then heavy bass and Henrik Fossum’s massive sounding drums; taking you back to Black Sabbath and other early progressive metal giants. Ole Michael Bjørndal’s first vocals, “Come into my life my emperor, my everything. I will show them what you mean to me. Open up my eyes. There’s no authenticity. You will show me the reality. So, I’ll know everything”. The whole song has a deep, dark, subdued to allegiance or circumstance beyond your control, feeling, to it. A sound, much like the dull march of In the Court of the Crimson King. It has a grinding and gnawing sound to it. Ole Michael Bjørndal, wrote this song, and I feel like he may be taking on all emperors. However, the song resonates with me, because here in America, we have recently freed ourselves from someone who thought they were an emperor. “Dear leader”, aka Donald Trump, lost the election, and the sympathies throughout this song, sound like the legions of his followers, who are only now, waking up to the realities they were blinded from during their complicity. Thank you for this great opener. Viva La Libertad!
“Hushed”, opens with rhythm guitar, pacing quickly. Ole Michael Bjørndal, sings, in a dull monotone, “Give me a hushed grey world. Paint it for me. To float amid the dewy grass. Then don’t let the day begin. Without the neon lights. The panic they bring. This roar of noise turns my eyes opaque”. Although I prefer Andreas W. S. Prestmo’s Jon Anderson vocal sound, Bjørndal’s vocals are perfect for this subdued, numbed sound. Stephan Hvinden, plays stand-out guitar during this song. You can hear a lot of memories of King Crimson, Yes, and Genesis in the music being performed. Iver Kleive, on church organ, is a wonderful surprise that adds color. Åsa Ree, on violin and backing vocals contributes the powerful talent she brought to Wobbler and Meer’s latest releases.
“Magnified as Giants”, is the title song, and my favorite on the album. Ole Michael Bjørndal sings, “Horizons of white snow. Touch the mirror-cracked sky. Sweet rustling of leaves. Keeps the mind at ease. Cause in this dark. I remember you and I. And the spark. We followed way up high. Magnified as giants. We survive!” Survival, from the pandemic, amidst mourning for the loss, of loved ones, friends, and a state of normality. Full of classic Genesis guitar sounds and atmosphere. Like “Horizons”, with vocals. Bjørndal closes with the theme, “The melancholy of a proud sadness can make you feel. Magnified as giants, we tried”.
“Lighter Than Air”, opens with a familiar guitar riff. Darn, if that isn’t Blind Mellon’s “No Rain”, only slower. Bjørndal sings, “Lighter than air. Laid down and picked apart. Let me disappear. With this world I need to part”. The organ brings back the familiar sounds of Procol Harum. Arild Brøter, on drums and percussion does an admirable job of keeping perfect pace. The longest song, and closer, this one is as epic as you’d expect it to be. The keyboard work makes it sound classic and memorable to me. The electric guitar solos are colossal. The orchestration brings back memories of Foxtrot. But the slow melancholic pace takes away from the power. However, I am finally appreciating Bjørndal’s vocals on this song, after this album and Airbag’s latest. Here he uses more inflection, which absolutely helps. At times he even sounds a little like early Peter Gabriel. Bjørndal sings, “A world that ripples, that rings. Lighter than air”….ripples indeed.
Overall, I would recommend this album. It brings back many memories of my favorite bands of the ‘70s, while at the same time, it scribes a new direction for classic prog. Sit back, plug in those headphones and enjoy this new project.
Magnified as Giants was recorded at Double Decker Studios, Vilthagen Studios, LFF Studios and Helgerud Kirke. The album was engineered by Arild Brøter, Andreas W.S. Prestmo and Lars Fredrik Frøislie. Produced by Ole Michael Bjørndal. Co-produced by Arild Brøter, Lars Fredrik Frøislie and Kristian Hultgren. Vocals co-produced by Andreas W. S. Prestmo. Mixed by Lars Fredrik Frøislie. Mastered at Dude Ranch Studio by Jacob Holm-Lupo. Cover illustration and artwork by Marte Bjørndal. Graphic design by Thomas Kaldhol. Back cover photo by Anne-Marie Forker: www.forkerfotos.com. Released by Apollon Records under exclusive license from Caligonaut.
Track List
- Emperor – 14:36
- Hushed – 10:44
- Magnified as Giants – 5:46
- Lighter Than Air – 19:34
https://www.facebook.com/Caligonaut/