Airbag – A Day at the Beach
This is my first review of the band Airbag. A Day at the Beach, will be my first opportunity to hear one of their albums from beginning to end. I have read about them in many reviews of other similar bands in the world of progressive music. So, I hope I am catching them at a good point in their career. The album will be released on June 19, 2020.
Airbag was formed in 2004, by five school friends with similar taste in music. (That sounds like Genesis). I’m interested already. They have an extensive discography and have received good critical reviews of their music in the past.
Airbag is from Oslo, Norway, and they are formed with members: Asle Tostrup, on lead vocals and acoustic guitar; Bjorn Riis, on electric guitar and vocals; Jørgen Hagen, on keyboards; Anders Hovdan, on bass; and Henrik Fossum, on drums. They distribute their music via Norwegian prog label Karisma Records.
Airbag has toured with Marillion, and they have shared the stage with several prominent names in prog, including Yes, Saga, Anathema, Pineapple Thief Gazpacho, and Riverside. Airbag recently returned as guests at the annual Cruise to the Edge in the US.
A Day at the Beach, is “inspired by the resurgence of 1980s electronica, new wave and movie scores”. “Lyrically, A Day at the Beach is very much a story of us and them, told by a husband, father and brother leaving his family behind into an unknown future. It’s the contrast between the desperate individual struggling to survive and people in power observing at a safe distance”.
The first sounds a band makes are always important and memorable…or they should be…Pulsing synthesizer keyboards and electronics open “Machines and Men”. Very cool. Then electric guitar and cymbals. “Here they come. Marching on. One by one. They’ll be gone. With boots and guns. Shouting loud. Machines and men. Thy heaven sent”. Then some awesome synthesizers and battle – like atmospherics. Perfect opening. Like Pineapple Thief, only the keys and synths sound so much different, A great opener. Captures your imagination as they create the war-like imagery. Tostrup sings, “I want to get out. I wanna be free!” The grinding gears of the guitar machine that builds will take you back to many experiences you have had before. Tool, OSI, Zeppelin, Floyd, Pineapple Tree, and others. Success achieved at locking in my attention.
“A Day at the Beach, Part I”, opens with deep piano and synthesizer atmospherics. Tostrup sings, “Down on the beach. Floating around. You’re on the TV. You’re on my phone”. Pulsing drum beats, synths and guitars build a very cool soundscape. Very similar to Pineapple Thief. Atmospherics are very important to me and this band. You feel like you are there, and that is so very important.
“Into the Unknown”, opens with building bass notes and drums, with the synths streaming in the background. The pace quickens and then Tostrup sings, “Take me away from here. Take me away from this endless dream I’m facing”. Hard to place his voice. Not really distinctive enough. Great singer none the less. Simple lyrics. Tostrup sings, “I don’t wanna go, into the unknown”. Stability, something that is perfect for our locked up and locked down time with Covid-19. The synthesizers and atmospherics on this album are wonderful. Almost takes me back to Larry Fast and the late ‘70s, early ‘80s.
“A Day at the Beach”, Part II”, opens with what sounds like an electronic warning signal. After a while though, it gets irritating. But the Pink Floyd, heartbeat pulse and eerie keyboards help lift the sound, but not above the signal. The guitarwork is some of the best on the album. Ditto for the drums. That signal does not stop. It carries you all the way out to sea, and unfortunately drowns the music with it.
“Sunsets”, is a nice surprise at first with some cool unique guitar. Tostrup sings about a comfortable routine. This time with a whinny voice. The album is also settling into a mundane routine. The bass-work and keys are the only highlight so far from this song. There is a little of that Manchester guitar sound I remember from the Chameleons without the wonderful lyrics accompanying.
“Megalomaniac”, is a slow guitar grinding syndrome. Tostrup whines, “You always get what you want. Always get what you need. More than anyone. You, with your suit and tie, and your firm hand shake. We’re the best of friends”. Deep bass and those repeating guitars, coupled with a good drum beat. Bluesy prog guitar soloing. The have’s vs the have -nots. One of the final guitar solos reminds me of a Kansas song.
A Day at the Beach was mastered by Jacob Holm-Lupo. Airbag has once again teamed up with long-time collaborator and engineer Vegard Sleipnes. The album is produced by Asle Tostrup and Bjørn Riis, and, as always, the cover is designed by vocalist Tostrup. The album, which is their first as a trio, also features talented guest musicians including Kristian Hultgren (Wobbler).
This is a great album of atmospherics and synthesizers, with the occasional guitar and drum section. It is a good album, but I was expecting so much more. This album definitely would have captured me more, if it was actually released back in the 1980s. Now it lacks the interaction a modern audience demands. Like the electronic signal in “ADATB II”, the music does not expand beyond the boundaries to reach out the listener’s expectations. The music is good, but the support of deep, Pineapple Thief -like lyrics is missing. This album was anything but a day at the beach.
Well, I have finally heard Airbag. I am still not sure what I was missing; but I know I won’t be missing it for long. I’m done.
Track List
- Machines and Men – 10:48
- A Day at the Beach – (Part I) – 3:55
- Into the Unknown – 10:28
- A Day at the Beach – (Part II) – 5:33
- Sunsets – 8:16
- Megalomaniac – 9:50
https://airbagsound.bandcamp.com/album/a-day-at-the-beach
https://burningshed.com/airbag_a-day-at-the-beach_limited-cd
A brilliant album. Love all of it. Great story for modern times too. Best this year.