RökFlöte, the 23rd studio album from Jethro Tull, is, to paraphrase an old maxim, a very nice sort of album for those who enjoy these sorts of albums.
Just a year removed from the long-awaited, pandemic-delayed The Zealot Gene, Ian Anderson and friends return this spring with a record full of Norse Mythology. That Anderson is still releasing new music at this stage of his career, fifty-five years after he founded the band, is an amazing feat. This new one has, as you may expect, plenty of rock, plenty of flute, plenty of dense lyrics about Odin and Thor and the creation of the world. In short, the perfect subject matter for Jethro Tull.
To my ear, RökFlöte is heavier, with more hard rock songs than The Zealot Gene, but lacks some of that album’s warmth and emotion. Given Tull’s huge catalog, and Anderson’s interest in myths and legends, it’s almost surprising that he hasn’t recorded something like this before. I particularly enjoyed the way the songs interplay with one another, each centered on a different Norse god or myth. The opening track, and the closing one, feature spoken word poetry from the Old Icelandic poetic edda, inviting the listener into the world the band is exploring. It’s well worth the trip. And, I might add, if you don’t love spoken word Old Icelandic poetry, I am not sure how I can help you, or convince you to enjoy this kind of record. I love it, but of course I do. This is my favorite band, and has been for more than thirty years. Besides, I’m a sucker for Norse Myths and dead languages–Anderson knows his audience by now. The only thing we love better than mythology are long flute solos and synth riffs. As W.H. Auden once said, in a review of Lord of the Rings: “This is a work that will either totally enthrall you or leave you stone cold, and, whichever your response, nothing and nobody will ever change it.” Over the years I have found this to be true about many of the things I enjoy, including progressive rock and epic fantasy.
I’m glad Anderson is still active and touring. I am too young to have seen the band in their legendary 70s form, having discovered them in the early 90s, when I was in college. Since then, I’ve listened to everything they’ve released, and seen as many tours as I could. I’m not about to stop now. I have tickets to see him again in November, and was so pleased to hear he has planned a 24th album for release next year.
Christopher Tuthill 