LARS FREDRIK FROISLIE – Fire Fortellinger (2023, LP/CD Karisma Records)

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Karisma Records

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, 180gram Dark Green Vinyl, Gatefold Cover with Lyric Insert, 500 copies

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, 180gram Blue/Turquoise colour-in-colour Vinyl, Gatefold Cover with Lyric Insert, 500 copies

Format: CD, Album (Packaged in a standard, clear tray, jewel case with 12-page booklet)

Release Date: 2 June 2023

Lars Fredrik Frøislie is a Norwegian musician, drummer, keyboard player, and producer, born July 28th, 1981. He runs Termo Records and LFF Studios. Lars is also known as The Phenomenon Marxo Solinas and he’s been a member of many bands, notably in the symphonic progressive rock band Wobbler and in progressive folk rock band Tusmørke. Karisma Records released Lars’s debut solo album entitled “Fire Fortellinger” and let’s have a look at the detailed press release:

“Debut solo album from Wobbler’s Lars Fredrik Frøislie! Fitting perfectly into the 70s prog-rock tradition where the keyboardist makes a solo album between the band albums, this is music Frøislie has been doing, mostly alone, during the pandemic. Had it not been for the pandemic, much of the material would probably have ended up on a new Wobbler album – but then run through the Wobbler grinder and with English lyrics. In other words, this is unpeeled and raw, as spontaneous as possible without going through too many rounds of processing. Trying to preserve the impulsive – much of what you hear is improvised, and one-takes (preferably with playing errors and piano strings that break and the like). Trying to preserve the human aspect to a large extent, avoiding click tracks, auto-tune, MIDI, or too much technology. Expect lots of old analog keyboards such as Cembalo, Mellotron, MiniMoog, Yamaha CP70, and Hammond organ.

Four tunes; Four stories. The first song “Rytter av dommedag” is themed around Ragnarok, when King Rakne awakens in his large burial mound outside Romerike and, together with the old gods, creates real mischief.

The second song “Et sted under himmelhvelvet” is dreamy, possibly set in a Renaissance garden near Florence or Arcadia. But in principle, it can be anywhere where it feels good to be. It is partly about traveling to a place and feeling that you have been there before – only to find out that you had ancestors who lived there long ago.

The third song “Jærtegn” opens in a frenzy, with a horse and cart speeding through the forest. The wagon overturns at the same time as there is a solar eclipse, and the riders become eternal wanderers in the dark forest, only visible to us now and then like the northern lights, as they vainly stretch their arms towards the sun in the hope of finding their way home.

The final song “Naturens Katedral” is a depiction of the Norwegian mountains in winter where the cold is bitter, and blizzards and avalanches abound. It is also a search for bygone times when life was more basic out in the wilderness…”

“Fire Fortellinger” contains just 4 tracks, 2 on each side of the LP album. The opener “Rytter av dommedag” is a 16:56min epical Progressive-Rock track with dynamic drumming (of course!) and even more shimmering keys (of course again!), a track with alternating tempos and moods, uses Norwegian language and through the many variations of styles you can make out old-school synth-based Mid-70s Prog with slices of Kraut and Canterbury. “Et sted under himmelhvelvet” (6:53min) is another Mid-70s influenced Prog balladesque tune with an amazing and kind of magical analog Keyboard sound (that is hugely missed nowadays), a track that manages to turn into a really hot Prog-Rocker! Side “B” opens with the also epical “Jærtegn”, a song that somehow magically connects the glorious 70s Prog era with the Modern Age of Prog-Rock… “Naturens katedral”, is a huge long track (16:36min) that dives deep into that sorcerous European Prog scene (brings to mind some of the “monster bands” from the early 70s in Italy), a track that sometimes flirts with symphonic Prog and other times has a more classical proggy approach, becoming fast, getting slow, becoming sophisticated or even Spacy at times, all these vintage analog groovy equipment tight in the Service of PROGRESSIVE Rock. I’m pretty sure that Vertigo would/could have made a fortune out of this if it had been released back in the early 70s! So, if you’re into some serious Old-School Prog Rock that is performed with a fresh and modern aspect, then “Fire Fortellinger” is definitely not going to disappoint you! TimeLord Michalis   

Tracklist