Out of The Woods (Airlord, 1977)

Airlord are one of those Oceanian bands mixing with indisputable skills symphonic rock, pastoral moods and good old pop. Just like Sebastian Hardie (see in this blog) did in Australia and during the same years, Airlord imported prog in New Zealand (and then in Australia, where their career actually grew) and set up an enthralling, alternating style, including mellotron work, sudden rythmic changes, beautiful guitar solos, bluesy echoes and a good deal of vocal harmonies.

This artwork reminds me of Moody Blues...

This lushing list is all here, in this six minutes song coming from the only LP the band released in their career, back in 1977, titled "Clockwork Revenge". You'll find an everchanging plot, with some beautiful highlights like the heartwarming guitar solo, some liquid bass lines and of course the folkish opening vocals. There's a bit of early Genesis, a pinch of Moody Blues and even a touch of Canterbury scene, all that presented in a song-oriented package. I do think Airlord are worth a careful listening.

Ladies of The Night (Airlord, 1977)

Musical life wasn't easy for prog bands in New Zealand back in the mid-Seventies. That's why Airlord had to move to Australia and never released a second work after their intriguing "Clockwork Revenge" album. "Ladies of The Night" is a fully progressive and highly diversified epic, including all the main elements I like in such a song. First of all, there's a very good songwriting, that's to say beautiful melodies and well found variations.

This band split up in 1978 and never re-united, as far as I know.

Then, a special mention goes to the arrangements, ranging from atmospheric passages to memorable solo guitars. The symphonic structure of the track is cleverly empowered with arena rock sounds, Genesis-like vocals and - last but not least - a big deal of enthusiasm. True, the fantasy concept about weird toys and wicked clockworks fighting their human masters is beyond me, but this is part of the game, after all!