The Chronicles of Father Robin – Box Set – “Book II: Ocean Traveler” and “Book III: Magical Chronicle”

I have already reviewed the first album in this wonderful box set collection of albums: Songs and Tales from Airoea – Book One. This first album deals primarily with the state of nature and the natural world. Here is a link to my review of that album:

The Chronicles of Father Robin – “Songs and Tales from Airoea – Book One”

The band will eventually release: Book II: Ocean Traveler, which they describe as a (Metamorphosis), and close the trilogy with, Book III: Magical Chronicle, which they describe as an (Ascension). The triple – colored box set was released June 23rd, through the band’s website. The trilogy will also be released by Karisma Records; only one section at a time, starting off with the first section, called The Songs & Tales of Airoea – Book 1, which will be released on September 15th.

This review will concentrate on the second and third albums, and will include a summary of the merits of the box set.

“The Chronicles of Father Robin emerged from the remains of the band Fangorn back in 1993-94”. It has been in and out of production for over 30 years. The music evolved out of a deep appreciation from the band members, of the beautiful and creative progressive rock made during the 1970s. This progressive rock was also an inspiration to local and contemporary bands like Änglagård, Anekdoten, White Willow and Landberk.

“Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo, Jon André Nilsen, and Henrik Harmer, founded the band, and were the core members for the first four years. In 1995 they spent a year in a Norwegian folk high school studying music and working out the main frame of what would become the full concept of the Father Robin trilogy”.

The Chronicles of Father Robin is a Norwegian progressive rock band consisting of members from the bands Wobbler, Tusmørke, Jordsjø and The Samuel Jackson Five.

As a lover of the sea, I was fairly sure that Book II, was going to be my favorite album, of the three; without listening to a note. Book II: Ocean Traveller, opens with, “Over Westwinds”. The warm, guiding, organ—like keys help open this first song, until soft strings and acoustic guitar take over. Then Andreas sings, “Kyrie Eleison”, the brief petition, “Lord, have mercy upon us”, that I have heard so many times in church; but never on a rock or progressive rock album before. It is an immediate reminder that many early progressive rock legends were actually choirboys, before they set out on their road to musical fame. The soft acoustic guitar and Andreas relaxed and warm singing is a wonderful welcome back to this project’s second act. Andreas sings, “Travelled have I, on thine request. Never doubting, asking questions when or where to lay myself to rest. Hours of divine sleep, shall unveil its meaning. In your enchanted Land of Dreaming”. Wow! Almost sounds like a Biblical quest, and we are off on a wonderful, tranquil journey. During this song, “Tira carries Father Robin on her back through the veils of the air and rests with him in the pasture of her kin, far into the western sky. Tira then carries him to his birthplace, somewhere in the midst of the sea of Ayrouhr”. Four minutes of complete bliss.

“Orias and The Underwater City”, opens with a wonderful description of ocean life, under the waves. The theme of beauty in the description presented, by the song’s lyrics will have you wanting to dive in. Many believe the sea is the birthplace of all life. And maybe it is also the place we go in the afterlife. I for one, truly hope so. Andreas sings, “Marble structures soaring high. Blue green towers against aquatic sky. A city under water on abyssal plains of wonder. Submerged within the blue”. What he is singing about is not a city that we imagine as humans, but rather a lifeforce, under the sea, that we know fairly little about, comparatively. This city does not house humans. It is a free-flowing landscape of nature, built over time by Earth’s bounty and the intricacies of the Moon’s movement of the waves. The lyrics so capture this wonderful place along with the intricate music, surrounding. Ringo Starr would be proud to live here. During this song, “Robin wakes up as he is carried through the veils of the water by the streams of the sea, the Ayrinhi, (The offspring of Orias, Lord of the Waters, and the Wind). Slowly he descends down to the seabed among the roots of the Mother Tree, Leas”.

Andreas sings, “Here the elder spirits dwell. Survivors of the Storm. United by pelagic spells, the language of the first born. Body of Water, embracing nothingness. Remembering the birthplace, the sound of emptiness. Dreaming a fellowship of hearts. One mind together, blooming from the start. Sharing ancient knowledge, silver pearls of wonder. In the Council of What To Do?” The cool spacey keyboards are just as adept under water as they are helping to describe outer space. The ocean sounds are so comforting. One after another this album is building a strong conceptual foundation. Over 8 minutes of some of the best words and music I have heard all year.

“Ocean Traveler”, opens with soft acoustic guitar playing and Andreas singing, “Here by myself. Wondering what to do. Do not know where I am. Standing here all alone. Surrounded by the ocean on a stone. Is this another dream or a new enchanted land?” Then, Andreas hears a call from the sea, “Father Robin, I am Oyriathan. (Oyriathan, a giant turtle who remembers Robin from when he was a young ocean creature). Andreas continues, “You may not remember me, but I was there when you crawled from the sea. Long ago, which still is now”. Simply irresistible lyrical stories, set to profoundly brilliant music, that will take you back to classic Yes sounds. Aleksandra Morozova sings supporting vocals. In this section of the story, “After his dreamlike excursion into the depths of Ayrouhr, Robin wakes up on what he believes to be a giant stone in the middle of the ocean. He soon finds out that he in fact is sitting on the back of a giant Sea turtle. The turtle, Oyriathan, reveals to Robin some details of his past that shed new light and raise new questions”.

“Lady of Waves”, opens with soft electric guitar and waves of keyboards playing. Then, acoustic guitar joins in, as Andreas sings, “There I see her dancing. On the sea. Milk white laughing lady. Tenderly”. The Lady responds, “Father, I am Zeta, of the blue. Daughter of Orias. Who is kindred with you”. Aleksandra Morozova sings backing vocals. The music is a relaxing, beachy, slow rhythm of guitar and soft drums, until the speed and force picks up after the singing stops. This song deals with the “vision of a beautiful sea nymph, whilst sitting on the back of the turtle”.

The flute music on “Green Refreshments”, could make Ian Anderson turn green with envy. I bet he probably created something similar, but was voted down by the rest of the band, or the record label executives, who thought it, a might too Renaissance or Medieval. That wouldn’t happen with CoFR. They love the sound of classic music, and they, unlike Ian, were safe from the peering eyes of record company execs demanding a single, back when they composed this wonderful music! The absolute freedom to make this beautiful narrative music, has enabled CoFR complete freedom to explore and expand the sound. The story behind this song involves, “A meeting with some small creatures living in the canopies of some of the water trees. They resemble butterflies and swallows, and are playful but deceitful creatures”.

If you thought the last song had magical flute music, wait until you, as Jack Nicholson said in Batman: “get a load of this”, “The Grand Reef”! I wish Ian Anderson would get a copy of this album. I’d like to hear his take on it. Simply some of the best flute music I’ve heard since maybe Minstrel in the Gallery or Songs from the Wood. But the synthesizer and guitar music is just as magnificent. The drumming is spot on…! In this section of the story, “A storm surprises Robin and he clings on to a giant leaf. The waves carry him to the shores of the Grand Reef in the center of the Ayrouhr Ocean. The reef is a volcanic island. The pinnacle of the world. The island is inhabited by a tribe of small native people which capture him and prepare to sacrifice him at the top of the reef. They have since long ago guarded the island against all who come there. But they do not know why”.

On to the Magical Chronicle!

Book III: Magical Chronicle

The “Magical Chronicle”, is a “song about a book found in the tower of the reef, where Robin ends up after being cast into the crater by the islanders. It is the ‘Chronicle of the World’, and all things in the past, present and future, both living, absent and everything else”. Sounds a little like Rush’s 2112? Yep, it to me as well. This time the book takes the place of the guitar. However, the music is more like a Yes, 6 minute progressive rock classic.

“Skyslumber”, is about “Father Robin’s attempts to leave the lonely tower in the sky, he seems captured in. He discovers to his great surprise that he can actually walk on the golden white cloud landscape that stretches out between the white, blurry rivers and streams of this strange cloud land. One morning, after awaking from a wonderful dream, he hears a low flapping noise and turns around, to find the Cloudship”. The music opens soft and quiet, but full of spacey keyboards, guitar and background orchestration. So much of the music on this song reminds me of some of the fun journeys, Yes used to take, like “South Side of the Sky”, “Roundabout”, “Mood for the Day” and “Heart of the Sunrise”, off Fragile.

“Cloudship”, continues the story of the cloud ship, “as it carries the glowing embers of the sun from the dusk in the west to the dawn in the east. Every single night the sun is devoured by the great smithy and large amounts of fiery sun dust is hurled out into the troposphere. This highly flammable dust is needed the next morning to set the sunrise alight. The dust is collected by the captain and his helpers, and then stored inside the belly of the huge ship”. This song also sounds like it would fit well with the music Yes made on one of their best albums, Fragile.

The “Empress of the Sun”, “Eshara; is the person Father Robin meets in the great Palace of the Sun. As he enters the court he realizes after some time that all he has experienced and all that he knows of the world are parts in a play”. Yes, here comes that Rush/Shakespeare, All the World’s a Stage theme, we were all searching to find. This is one of the heavier sounding songs on the final two albums. Its not metal, but just has more heavier electric guitar, thumping drums, bass and violin, to balance the sound. The pace is faster and the excellent Hammond-like keyboards will take you back to Ray Manzarek, on Strange Days. A wonderful change, indeed.

Father Robin gets, “Lost in the Palace Gardens”, and he ends up flabbergasted and confused. Life can be a challenge and the ability to process information improves, with age. Robin goes out on the terrace of the palace to clear his mind. The palace is surrounded by a large overgrown garden. He takes a stroll in the garden and is soon well inside a maze garden. Here he is confronted with visions and insights from his travels. As he gets deeper and deeper into the maze he is completely engulfed in a silvery mist and he becomes one with the World. The mist turns into a river and the river circles onwards through the outskirts of the garden, before it ends up at an enormous water wheel”. The music is full of wonderful stringed instruments and powerful drumming. Andreas sings, “Bright white sister, sacred princess. Whisper to me your softest whispers”. A journey of over 7 minutes that will enthrall your ears.

“Epilogue”, is a short over 1 minute, goodbye to all. An ode to nature and the sounds we treasure. Ocean waves, thunder and rain, wind blowing, and birdsong. Perfect!

The Chronicles of Father Robin – Box Set is a wonderful Lord of the Rings/Chronicles of Narnia like story/adventure, written for classical/progressive rock music, akin to Yes or Genesis, with some Jethro Tull – like flute music included. The three albums create a classical mood, for all who love to revel in the music of the 1970s era progressive rock.

It also reminds me of Steven King’s Stand By Me, in that these musical collaborators created and composed this adventure in their youth. So if you enjoyed any of what I just mentioned, you will love this!

All of this box set is organized in a professional display, full of the breathe and depth of the story; which I have tried to veer away from telling completely. Instead, it is for you to read the story description at the end of the box set booklet, to discover all of the intricate and elaborate storyline, that these geniuses wove together. Father Robin is a representation of all of the characteristics and history of all of the band members, compiled as one person. Sort of a Fellowship of One. Each encounter or adventure in their real lives was transcribed into something that would build the character of Father Robin. There is also a fluid narrative including Earth’s elements: tierra/land, fire, sky, and water; to the story and theme.

The Chronicles of Father Robin – Photo credit Matthias Kirsch.

As the booklet in the box set states, “Our journey consists of 16 songs and together they tell the tale of Father Robin and his travels in Airoea. But it’s also a tale of you and me in the grasp of nature and the myths we create along the path. We’ve stopped counting the days we’ve used on this endeavor, but we are now what we set out to be almost 30 years ago. And we’ve managed to create and record the Epic of Our Lives. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. – The Chronicles of Father Robin!” As far as I’m concerned, Mission Accomplished!

Participants and their instruments:

Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo – (Wobbler, Les Fleurs du Mal), on vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, Oberheim OB-8, Kawai SX-240, and percussion.

Jon André Nilsen – (The Few), on bass guitar, and backing vocals.

Henrik Harmer -(Les Fleurs du Mal, The Few), on drums, percussion, Oberheim OB-8, and backing vocals.

Regin Meyer – (Tusmørke), on steel flute, Rhodes Mk II, Grand Piano, and Hammond C3.

Thomas Hagen Kaldhol – (The Samuel Jackson Five, Mt. Mélodie, Macho Savant), on electric and acoustic guitars, and mandolin.

Aleksandra Morozova – (Oslo Philharmonic Choir, Mt. Mélodie, Oslo Vocalis), on backing vocals.

Kristoffer Momrak – (Tusmørke, Alwanzatar, Les Fleurs du Mal), on steel flute, Minimoog Model D, and Buchla Music Easel.

Håkon Oftung – (Jordsjø), on Hammond M100, Hohner Clavinet D6, Arp Pro Soloist, Solina Strings, and Mellotron m4000d.

Martin Nordrum Kneppen – (Wobbler, Black Magic, Wudewuze), on drums and percussion.

Special and occasional guest:

Lars Fredrik Frøislie – (Wobbler, In Lingua Mortua, White Willow), on Hammond C3, Hohner Clavinet D6, Minimoog Model D, Mellotron M400, Glockenspiel, Wurlitzer 200, Lindholm Spinet, Chamberlin M-1, Musical box and Arp Axe.