As we watch the opening scenes of 2024 unfold, let’s get this continuing tale of good and exceptional music back on the road with some classic progressive rock. The Songs & Tales of Airoea is a triple album by a Norwegian band calling themselves The Chronicles of Father Robin. The first two parts were released in September and December of 2023; the third part is due for release in February 2024.
But the seeds of the project were sown 30 years ago when Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo (guitar, keys, vocals), Jon André Nilsen (bass) and Henrik Harmer (drums, percussion) reassembled the remains of the earlier band, Fangorn, and coalesced around the concept of Father Robin.
“The root idea was that this creature embodied all the members of the band into one being. And as we experienced challenges in life and our development as human beings, this translated itself into the story of Father Robin, sprinkled on top with a fair amount of inspiration from different mythologies and such.”
From the Concept page of the band’s website.
TCoFR sound a lot like Jethro Tull. And that’s not just because they added a flute player (Regin Meyer) and another guitarist (Thomas Hagen Kaldhol) to the band around 1997. Their inspiration stems from the progressive rock scene of the early 1970s, and their themes are drawn from folk tales, mythology and fantasy.
Book I depicts life on the land and Book II life in the oceans. Judging by the artwork, Book III tells of life in the air. We will have to see whether that means birds of a feather or scaly dragons and flying castles. In the meantime, here’s a short sampler of their work:
Crotchety Man 