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░ ██ ██ Artist: Airbag ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Disconnected █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-10-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Karisma Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Airbag has released their fourth studio album █
█ Disconnected. To quote the band directly, █
█ 'Disconnected' "features six songs reflecting on █
█ the theme of alienation between the individual and █
█ society, what society expects from us as █
█ individuals, and our resultant failure to live up █
█ to those expectations. Each of the six █
█ compositions depicts the state of feeling on 'the █
█ outside' and out of touch with oneself and those █
█ around us." The music in this album is modern, █
█ rich and vibrant. It's definitely one of the best █
█ albums of 2016 so far and maybe a front runner for █
█ best album of the year. This really is a wonderful █
█ album and I love it. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Norwegian progressive rock band Airbag has █
█ released their fourth album 'Disconnected'. The █
█ first thing that stands out is the richness of the █
█ compositions. The six tracks have great █
█ songwriting and fantastic playing which results in █
█ a rich, vibrant and modern music. The band blends █
█ influences from acts such as Pink Floyd, █
█ Radiohead, latter-day Marillion, and glimpses of █
█ Anathema. There are no filler tracks, all 6 tracks █
█ are at the same superior level. In the end, █
█ Disconnected is a great album by Airbag, which █
█ I've been listening to it over and over recently █
█ and I can't get enough of it, this is one of those █
█ albums whose music grow on you. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ I appreciate the incredible sound engineering of █
█ Airbag albums. I appreciate the dextrous facility █
█ Asle, Bj°rn and the other band members have with █
█ all of the Pink Floyd 'tricks,' and I am one who █
█ (usually) loves long, spacious, slow building █
█ musical passages and songs, but the way songs 2-4, █
█ "Broken" (7:08) (8/10), "Slave" (8:39) (8/10) and █
█ "Sleepwalker" (7:05) (8/10) seem to find the band █
█ on cruise control as if they were driving 45 mph █
█ through the Nebraska cornfields is only █
█ disappointing. The opener, "Killer" (9:18) (9/10) █
█ is above this melancholic malaise because it has █
█ some power and emotion to its music and its █
█ message, and the title song, 5. (13:10) (9/10), █
█ also rises above because of its non-Pink Floyd, █
█ somewhat Steven WILSON feel and its variety of █
█ sounds, pacing, and structure. And the sparse and █
█ simplistic 6."Returned" (5:11) (7/10), feels like █
█ a slightly Post Rock epilogue, after-thought, or █
█ space filler. Too bad, guys. After you had reached █
█ the top with 2013's Greatest Show on Earth I █
█ thought you had figured out the keys to perpetual █
█ perfection. █
█ A solid four star album recommended to prog █
█ lovers--especially Neo Progheads and lovers of the █
█ Pink Floyd sound. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Since 2009 AIRBAG from Norway are periodically █
█ arriving with a new album nearly every second █
█ year. Hereby their approach has not essentially █
█ changed over the course. They are providing highly █
█ melodic neo prog songs in a rather mellow outfit. █
█ This is garnered with psychedelic leanings, first █
█ and foremost Pink Floyd comes into mind here of █
█ course. Besides the keys I would say guitarist █
█ Bj°rn Riis, also known for his acclaimed solo █
█ album 'Lullabies In A Car Crash', is predominantly █
█ responsible for that, while radiating some █
█ gilmouresqe references over and over. █
█ That said they don't define something blatantly █
█ new every time, no, but AIRBAG again are offering █
█ a skilled song-writing and production level with █
█ 'Disconnected', that's for sure. Also including █
█ the keyboard respectively synthesizer additions █
█ this is multi-layered, well-balanced, not █
█ overproduced. The excellent album title track █
█ proves this as no other. Who is keen on nice █
█ atmospheric songs in the vein of Believe, █
█ Satellite, the mid-70s Floyd, is in good hands █
█ here █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Norway's Airbag play Pink Floyd-inspired █
█ melancholic rock thematically centered around █
█ modern technological dystopia, with a guitar that █
█ is often more upfront in the mix than usual for █
█ such styled bands, Well, Disconnected is not a bad █
█ album, but I think if you're new to AIrbag, you'll █
█ be better off with All Rights Removed or Greatest █
█ Show on Earth, since Disconnected is a carbon █
█ copy. It's almost as if the writing process went █
█ along the lines of, let's see, we've got to start █
█ with a slightly less lethargic track with a █
█ groove. Then slow things down with a ballad with a █
█ mournful acoustic opening. And then we must have a █
█ 10-plus song that features a Pink Floydian █
█ crescendo. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Norwegian band AIRBAG can trace its history back █
█ to sometime in the '90s, but didn't actually █
█ release an official debut album until 2009. Since █
█ then they have released new material at a fairly █
█ steady pace, and have become one of the better █
█ known of the contemporary progressive rock bands █
█ in the process. "Disconnected" is their most █
█ recent studio recording, and was released by the █
█ Norwegian label Karisma Records in the early █
█ summer of 2016. █
█ Those who have a strong affection for the David █
█ Gilmour era of Pink Floyd should find Airbag's █
█ latest studio album to be warmly appealing, and █
█ then especially those most fond of Gilmour's █
█ guitar solo passages and the gentler parts of the █
█ Gilmour-era compositions. In addition I rather █
█ suspect that many fans of bands like Porcupine █
█ Tree, Sylvan and RPWL might find this recording to █
█ have a strong appeal. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Airbag is a Norwegian quintet that has been █
█ retracing the footsteps of Pink floyd with such █
█ confidence and creativity, that so far 2 out of █
█ their 3 albums landed on my favourites' list. █
█ Their sound is as pure as it gets, successfully █
█ mixing long and dreamy guitar solos with a slight █
█ retro rock sound made very accessible for the █
█ new-age listeners. Along the way they are reaching █
█ back to their above-mentioned masters for a lot of █
█ inspiration, and maybe even too much for the █
█ fourth time. At least that was the first thing on █
█ my mind when hearing their new album, which is, █
█ let us face it, a ripoff of their already █
█ showcased pinkfloydian ideas without a shred of █
█ innovation inbetween. █
█ Nevertheless, Disconnected is still a decent █
█ listen, if you are just being introduced to their █
█ music. A mature band is doing what they are good █
█ at: setting the scene with some ok (albeit basic █
█ and light) neo-prog ideas stretched over █
█ 8-minute-long songs, where dreamy, held-out guitar █
█ solos are thrown at atmospheric refrains brought █
█ to us through the singer's perfectly matching █
█ voice. This was the formula for all the previous █
█ albums, and it was left unchanged for █
█ Disconnected, too. The problem is that this █
█ self-copying methodology wore out their █
█ pinkfloydian machine by now, which the band must █
█ feel too, as half of the songs do nothing but copy █
█ the already used melodies (especially from The █
█ greatest show on Earth), whilst the others try to █
█ introduce some new ones on the backbone of the █
█ above, but in a rather mellow, slowed down and █
█ overall tiring way. There are some exceptions █
█ though - 'Slave' for example manages to find its █
█ way to the listener even through its recycled █
█ ideas, and 'Returned' is also an elegant (albeit █
█ again brutally simple) closing of the album, █
█ reminding me of the finale of their first album. █
█ But as for the rest of the songs, they are way too █
█ similar not just to the previous ones but to each █
█ other also. Everything is interchangeable here, █
█ failing to make the impression of a new album, and █
█ instead sounding like a batch of deselected █
█ leftovers from a forgotten B-side album. █
█ █
█ Funny how I was complaining in another review █
█ recently of how some bands mischoose their way of █
█ what new genre to venture into when the time for █
█ change comes, whilst here it is the lack of even █
█ trying is what bothers me. And if it is for a band █
█ that already sounds like a Pink floyd cover █
█ quintet, then I am blaming them even more for not █
█ even trying to do anything beyond "business as █
█ usual". In any case, this is not a bad listen, but █
█ can be recommended to those fans only, who have █
█ not yet worn out their copies of The greatest show █
█ on Earth. For them a next album might do the trick █
█ more, should it ever come with some more █
█ innovation, whilst for the others it is more █
█ recommended to visit the previous albums instead, █
█ to have a true taste of this brilliant band's █
█ forte. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ The opening "Killer" prepares the listener for a █
█ rich, full-layered Neo/Crossover output, embroided █
█ with influences by the greats of 70s-90s (melodic) █
█ progressive rock. Unfortunately, expectations fall █
█ short beyond the opening attention-catching song: █
█ "Disconnected", despite being a sound-captivating █
█ album, retreats to tried-and-tested patterns of █
█ low tempos, nearly hypnotic, and safe structures. █
█ The quintet seem like they have studied sound █
█ production and produce a very warm feeling through █
█ detailed orchestration, melodic guitar solos and █
█ delicate-but-intricate drumming. They blend mostly █
█ secondary influences from "traditional" █
█ progressive rock i.e. "Slave" shows a keenness to █
█ Pink Floyd via recent Anathema works while the █
█ rest of the album borrows from Riverside-alike █
█ soundscapes, very reminiscent of (the less █
█ interesting second era of) Marillion. The title █
█ track raises the game again after the opening with █
█ richer sounds and a lounge-jazz mood at times. The █
█ vocals suit perfectly the music and trodd on █
█ low-octaves. █
█ If Hogarth-era Marillion is your thing, then you █
█ will most likely appreciate "Disconnected". Avoid █
█ if you prefer more exciting up-tempo prog rock. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Killer 9:18 ░
░ 2. Broken 7:07 ░
░ 3. Slave 8:39 ░
░ 4. Sleepwalker 7:05 ░
░ 5. Disconnected 13:09 ░
░ 6. Returned 5:10 ░
░ 50:28 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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