For Milwaukee teenage progressive-rock quintet Fightin’ Bob to adopt the nickname of Progressive movement leader Robert La Follette Sr., exhibits as much cheek as it does knowledge of Wisconsin political history. If these School of Rock graduates espouse an agenda akin to La Follette’s, it’s tough telling through the elliptical allusions of the lyrics on their debut album.
What’s easier to discern is their respect for their genre and desire to add their own contributions. The youthful, exuberant tone of singers Rafael Gandre and Kathleen Westrup sound as if they’re discovering complex, towering soundscapes. Those sounds draw from eminent Brits such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Peter Gabriel-era Genesis while making room for the folkiness of Steeleye Span or Renaissance, and a jazz/funk elasticity by way of multi-instrumentalist Jack Koshkin’s facility on keyboards. Only a CD could allow them room to execute their closing 30-minute instrumental epic, which starts with seven minutes of drum soloing. Here’s to hearing Fightin’ Bob’s next battle.
