The Chronicles of Father Robin: The Songs & Tales of Airoea-Book 3: Magical Chronicle (Ascension)

If you’re a fan of prog rock then I’m very confident you will have heard of The Chronicles of Father Robin, and their three-album project, The Songs & Tales of Airoea. The band, and run of albums, have created quite the stir in prog rock circles. It’s no wonder, as any band featuring members from Wobbler, Jordsjø, Tusmørke and The Samuel Jackson Five, can be expected to deliver high-quality prog rock.

Book 3 is the final release in the The Songs & Tales of Airoea album set, and there’s no doubt in my mind that it is a fitting conclusion to what has been a high-quality and enjoyable run of albums.

I’m assuming that the Sea of Tranquillity readers don’t need much more of an introduction. Nevertheless, it’s worth quickly noting that TCOFR play some of the most retro-sounding prog you’ll hear in 2024. The run of albums sounds as though they were lifted straight from Prog’s heyday of the early 70’s.

On this album the band manages to mix the up-tempo prog rock from Book 1, with the more vocal- orientated and down- tempo Book 2, to provide a balanced and enjoyable album. When a band is playing retro/classic prog in 2024 it’s hard not to discuss the obvious influences. In this case, I’m hearing lots of Gentle Giant and Yes influence and references, with some hints of Jethro Tull and some smatterings of the Canterbury scene.

The album is crafted impeccably well, and the playing is brilliant. The modern production is crisp and clean, yet the tones maintain the organic charm of classic 1970s releases. As a fan of prog rock there’s not a lot to be overly critical about, with the one exception being originality. That’s my only knock on the album (and the project as a whole). Reflecting on this, I think I get most of my enjoyment from a nostalgic vantage point. Even as I write this, I’m not sure that that is necessarily a problem, because there is no doubt that I do enjoy it. I guess there is something fun about hearing and recognizing the influences amongst compositions I haven’t heard before. However, there remains a question mark hanging over these albums for me - that question is whether I’ll revisit them, or cherish these albums in decades to come in the same way as I do the classics. Either way, it's great to see classic style prog rock of this caliber being written and released some 50+ years on from the genre’s zenith.

An easy recommendation for fans of classic Prog rock.

Tracklist:
13. Magical Chronicle
14. Skyslumber
15. Cloudship
16. Empress of the Sun
17. Lost in the Palace Gardens
18. Epilogue

Added: April 15th 2024
Reviewer: Chris Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 2172
Language: english

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