I had discovered 'Oak' with the reissue of the album 'Lighthouse' in 2016 and 2018 saw the release of a second studio recording, 'False Memory Archive' in which they had invited their compatriot 'Bjørn Riis'. Four years have passed, and the Norwegians have just released a new opus 'The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise'. In an inventive and sought-after progressive rock, they offer us seven compositions which show a slight evolution in their style, certain titles bringing an additional energy compared to the first albums, the whole keeping a beautiful melancholy brought by accessible melodic lines which combines very well with the rather dark theme and not necessarily easy to develop, revolving around psychiatric health and in particular suicide.
We are greeted by the dynamic 'Highest Tower, Deepest Well' which takes us on an intense progressive journey beginning calmly and gaining momentum in places thanks to a rhythm section alternating between different intensities, the melodic lines of the refrain coming to anchor immediately in the head. More measured, 'Quiet Rebellion' offers us a memorable melancholy melody in which the piano and the guitar invite themselves by integrating perfectly into the whole and on which 'Simen Valldal Johannessen' brings a beautiful sensitivity in his singing. Alternately, 'Dreamless Stop' regains vigor for a composition alternating intensive passages and other much more nonchalant ones brought by a saxophone, the second part developing a well-paced section giving an irresistible desire to tap your foot with a final in remarkable decline. Make way for the sweetness of 'Sunday 8 AM' which unfolds in the first part a slow tempo with drum rolls accompanying the melancholy vocals of 'Simen Valldal Johannessen' and which accelerates the rhythm in the last third to offer us a beautiful instrumental section embellished again by a saxophone this time more spirited. We find on 'Demagogue Communion' these alternations of intensities on a melody which walks languidly accompanied by the moving song of 'Simen Valldal Johannessen' and by celestial voices bringing an aerial side. Make way for the title track close to 14 minutes which brings more modern sounds and which is more difficult to access with a more sought-after construction but which reveals itself little by little, listening after listening, with its slow tempo which takes us on board in a very beautiful journey quite dark but filled with emotion, remarkably mixing different musical universes ranging from a classic progressive taking us back to the 70s to much more contemporary progressive going so far as to flirt with metal, the final growls attesting to this diversity of style. 'Guest of Honour' ends this remarkable album with a melancholy ballad that offers a catchy melody showing the more classic side of the progressive displayed by 'Oak'.
In summary, the Norwegians of Oak' are releasing a very varied and innovative album which merges different eras of progressive and which, like any rich and dense album of this type, requires several listenings to fully soak up what, finally, shows all the talent of this group which succeeded in a few albums to take an increasingly important place in the world of progressive rock... | |
