Search - Par (Project) Lindh :: Bilbo

Quirky, inspired and captivating

I. C. Thomas | Foothills of Confusion, Vic. Australia | 05/28/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well before those Peter Jackson films, the current immense Tolkien popularity and the rehabilitation of progressive rock as a genre came this beautiful album from Sweden, essentially a duo work (with keyboardist/drummer Lindh and guitarist/bassist Johansson channeling Gandalf and Bilbo respectively :)).



"Bilbo" comprises a fabulous progressive suite that cruises along nicely, with lots of tasty electric guitar hooks, soaring lines punctuated by keyboard and drum stabs, lush mellotron and organ pieces, gentle classical guitar, flute and oboe passages, sound effects (such as wolves howling) and some Maggie Reilly like vocals (the guitar sounds are Mike Oldfield-like too). The few imperfections are hidden within a wealth of brilliant progressive/folk/symphonic rock. The catchy (yes, catchy!) instrumental melodies continuously build on what has gone before, with enormous variety from an excellent quartet of musicians (Par Lindh: Keyboards, Synthesisers, Drums and Percussion. Bjorn Johansson: Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Bass, Bassoon, Zither, Mandolins, Samples and Sound Effects. Anna Schmidtz: Flute & Oboe. Magdalena Hagberg: Vocals).



My one small regret is the absence of the Trolls, but I can see that this would have disrupted the perfect flow of the music, as it carefully follows the narrative thread of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." The lyrics to the songs apparently replaced what were to be Tolkien's own words (which were unavailable), but work okay in the flow of the album.



Overall, it's quirky and textured like the book (and not heavy like The Par Lindh Project). An overlooked gem and a favourite of mine."

Bilbo [IMPORT] CD Review

Christopher E. Krage | coon rapids, mn United States | 05/28/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I am a big Tolkien fan and I like to buy anything that is based on his books. So I found this CD and it was alright but was not the best one that I have bought our heard. It does have a few good songs. Example is track 3 which is about the Dwarfs song of returning to their home. The music is not always what I feel would best fit the mood of the book. I would say that this is not as good as A Night In Rivendall, but still good enough to buy and listen to."