Magnified As Giants
Apollon, 2021
9/10
The solo project from Ole Michael Bjørndal, whose resume includes playing in Oak, Airbag and Bjørn Riis Band, as Caligonaut the singer and guitar player is in the company of members of Pymlico, Wobbler, Meer and Airbag on 4 deeply calculated tracks very much indebted to the classic ideas of prog-rock.
“Emperor” starts the listen with 14+ minutes of twinkling keys that abruptly bursts into a pounding display of crashing drums and thick guitars. Further on, the textures become calmer, even pretty, as orchestral moments meet post-rock sensibilities.
The middle tracks, “Hushed” and “Magnified As Giants”, are shorter, but no less interesting as warm acoustic guitar and a bare landscape make an impression on the former. The latter, and album highlight, then embraces much beauty and some of the best singing, where pop moments and retro nods meet at a captivating intersection of creative prog-rock.
“Lighter Than Air” exits the listen with nearly 20 minutes of subdued drumming and cozy guitar lines amid an ethereal climate that gets a bit more forceful 5 minutes in before exiting in dreamy, sparse territory.
A fascinating listen that brings to mind legends like Pink Floyd, King Crimson and even more current outfits like Tool, if you only pick up one prog-rock record this year, I’d make it Caligonaut, especially if you have an affinity for vintage keyboards and traces of folk music.
Travels well with: Suburban Savages- Demagogue Days; Laughing Stock- Zero, Acts 1 & 2