Airbag
Identity

From the moment the first notes of ''Identity'' echo in the air, the debut effort of the Norwegians Airbag dated 2009, one thing will be clearly decipherable: they have undoubtedly listened to the discography of the Pink Floyd at least a thousand times. Browsing online (and you can't even imagine the exorbitant number of bands with this name, there’s even a Gospel one!) everything becomes clear: in Norway, our guys, until some time ago, were nothing more than the tribute band of Gilmour and company with the elaborate name ''Pink Floyd Experience''. Now, being a fan of the Floyd, this does not necessarily mean a negative circumstance for me; however, it’s fair to say, if you’re looking for something original and innovative you might as well stop reading these lines now. You would definitely save some time.

Airbag also list among their influences people of the caliber of Porcupine Tree, Radiohead (as the title might have already suggested), Anathema, Marillion, Chroma Key, and Talk Talk, combining it all into a flavorful Melodic Progressive Rock with romantic and psychedelic shades. Anyway, the comparison with the aforementioned ''mother band'' remains quite evident: from the Gilmourian school guitar work, to the dreamy keyboards indebted to Richard Wright’s style, up to the exquisitely melodic voice. This raises the question: is it cheap copy-paste stuff? Absolutely not. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care much about how much and by whom the group takes inspiration as long as the music that comes out is well written and excellently played; don't get me wrong, I love bold sounds, but I certainly don’t ignore beforehand crystalline songs like these.

Each track of ''Identity'' is indeed skillfully arranged and produced, accompanying the listener on a constant melancholic journey through the lost labyrinths of the cosmic void: the soothing soundscape of the keyboards, the fluidity of the guitar parts, the captivating and elongated soul voice will take you by the hand starting from the almost imperceptible ticking of ''Preludium'' to the concluding ''Sounds That I Hear'' for all the 54 minutes of the platter. The classic elements of progressive rock perfectly marry with modern alternative nuances almost completely eliminating that sense of deja-vu that could otherwise be quite annoying.

The album is inseparable in its celestial melodic flow and this perhaps also represents a small flaw in that, in the long run, there would have been a need for some relief valves to make the individual pieces more distinguishable from each other (the angelic poetry of ''Steal My Soul'' is spine-chilling) also considering the fact that we are not talking about a concept but of two previously self-produced EPs united for the occasion; furthermore, the cover, frankly one of the ugliest ever seen around, marks a small point against Asle Tosrup and company, although I am convinced that the intrinsic musical value will soon make you forget it.

''Identity'' is dedicated to the most spiritual part of each of us, the one that, after a nerve-wracking day, needs to relax and be pervaded by an underground current of abandonment and harmony, staying distant, at least for an hour, from the worries of daily life.

Airbag offers this, it is up to you to treasure it.