Sounds That I Hear (Airbag, 2009)

Atmospheric prog has a very long and glorious history, from the late '60s pastoral tracks to Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson. Today, many Norwegian bands follow these moody examples and Airbag are among the most successful of them. "Sounds That I Hear" is likely to be the more optimistic song from the album "Identity", but it also exists as a two part mini-suite from a previous EP, released in 2005. The 2009 version, however, has a more coherent plot and surely sounds better, that's why I put it here.

"Identity" was the first full-length album by Airbag.

The sung theme is excellent, the intro is moving and the Gilmour-esque final guitar solo shines like the brightest pearl. It isn't easy to perform a seven minute slow tempo song avoiding boredom and redundancy, but this is exactly what Airbag did in this closing track... a dreaming way to say goodbye until the next time!

Homesick I-III (Airbag, 2011)

As the title suggests, this 17 minute and three part epic is a nostalgy song, taken from Airbag's "All Rights Removed". This Norwegian band's main influence is a Floydian one, but I wouldn't say they are just a derivative Group. In fact, there's more than Pink Floyd meet Radiohead here: first of all, there's a really good music. The first part, the only sung section, features an excellent ballad, slow and airy, performed with a sweet and impeccable voice by Asle Tostrup, then keyboards come in and the space atmosphere rules the section, paying an implicit tribute to Rick Wright and to "Shine on You Crazy Diamond".

Airbag as pictured by Arthur Haggenburg for Background Magazine.

They were part of Progdreams festival in the Netherlands (2012).

The final section is dominated by the (Gilmour-esque, of course) electric guitar and proves how much the band worked on their original model in order to simplify and modernize the sound and the composition. The final result is excellent: not only the '70s Floyd mood is preserved, but it is respectfully translated in a contemporary musical language, focusing on melancholy and introspection. That's whay I think this track is worth both your attention and a place in my blog.