The evolution from Identity and onto All Rights Removed
has highlighted refinements in their sound, producing majestic
soundscapes, lengthening tracks and making them slightly darker. As with
all good bands, progress is the name of the game and The Greatest Show On Earth shows the band in a heavier and rougher audio scenario.
Airbag
is a 5 piece outfit comprising Bjorn Riis (guitar), Asle Tostrup
(vocals, guitar), Jorgen Gruner-Hagen (keyboards), Anders Hovdan (bass)
and Henrik Fossum (drums), with Henrik joining the band in 2010 and the
others being original members when the band started out, back in 2004.
The Greatest Show On Earth
is a 6 track album with a total playing time of around 50 minutes. The
shortest and longest tracks on the album are part of a suite and are
also the opening and closing tracks, “Surveillance Part 1 (2:23)” and
“Surveillance Parts 2 + 3 (16:45).”
The
Surveillance suite bookends the album with the short Part 1 (2:23), the
scene setter for what is yet to come, and has a quiet intro into some
heavier bass and drums and some superb lead guitar touches and then it
is gone. The more epic Parts 2 + 3 (16.45), similarly starts off in a
gentle manner before slowly building. A simple piano passage carries the
track along until the characteristic voice of Asle appears, soon to be
joined by drums, bass and guitar as the atmosphere intensifies. There
are excellent lyrics, a superb melody and a move into the heavier side
of the soundscape with stunningly simple guitar playing before the sound
drops away to let the listener’s mind go where it will as the musicians
paint a superb aural landscape. The track veers from sparse sounds to
the driving sound of the band in full flow then leaves in a gentle
manner.
Each
of the other 4 tracks, “Redemption” (7:02), “Silence Grows” (5:54),
“Call Me Back” (11:15) and the title track, “The Greatest Show On Earth”
(7:02) are tracks that you want to revisit time and time again. The
Airbag sound with that emotion drenched voice of Asle, the stunning
guitar work of Bjorn, the unobtrusive but excellent keyboards of Jorgen
and the powerhouse rhythm engine of Henrik and Anders just nail it.
The
facet that sets Airbag apart from many bands is they incorporate the
“less is more” strategy, in that they realize that it isn’t necessary to
constantly blast away at the listener and squeeze as many notes into a
given space as possible, they allow the listener to relax into the aural
landscapes that they engineer with such precision. In short, The Greatest Show On Earth,
album No 3 by Airbag, is a work of music that is close to perfection.
They have honed their skills over the three albums and followers will
welcome this album with open arms and it should certainly attract more
than a few new followers to the fold. Adorning the front of this album
are both the stickers, “One to Buy” and “The Experience will last
forever” and The Ancient One’s advice is to buy the album and experience
the majestic music that is Airbag.
5/5 STARS
Key Tracks: Call Me Back: The Greatest Show On Earth: Surveillance Pt 2 & 3
Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-MuzikReviews.com Staff
November 12, 2013
Found this album by accident but so glad I did. Just simply stunning and engrossing. Deserves heavy rotation!
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