Description
Ian Anderson appears to be on rather a creative kick lately, with a second new studio album from Jethro Tull, RökFlöte, in just over a year, after a gap of over 20 years since their late-’90s albums (aside from the curious yuletide outing in 2003). 2022’s The Zealot Gene focused on the human condition, with the thread of the Holy Bible running through it (alongside the odd pop at Donald Trump) and was an unexpectedly strong return for Jethro Tull. On this latest release, Ian Anderson focuses on his personalised, idiosyncratic reflections on his Viking roots and Norse mythology in RökFlöte.
Ian Anderson has shared that he originally intended to record a mainly instrumental album based on rock flute playing, but as he delved into the subject matter the idea developed into a full rock and vocal album with twelve songs based on the characters and stories of some of the principle Norse Gods. The classic, unmistakable tones of Anderson’s flute do seem strangely evocative of tales of Norse mythology. Of course, Anderson cannot resist giving some of these songs a more modern twist lyrically to give them added relevance to this day and age.
