THE YEARNING

Chilean ensemble Aisles delivered a very fine album, "The Yearning": beautiful and attractive, albeit not groundbreaking really. One consistent flaw in this effort is a certain repetitiveness of moods and ambiences that begins to get quite noticeable right at the middle of the album itself, but this factor is adequately thwarted by two major virtues: the presence of tight melodic ideas and the clever management of elegant keyboard orchestrations. The latter one prevents the band from getting excessively bombastic, despite having two guitarists and two keyboardists in its line-up. The use of a programmed rhythm section (for lack of an empathetic drummer) is inventively adjusted into the demanding shifts inherent to the compositions. Main influences seem to be classic Genesis, classic Yes and classic Camel, although the predominant neo vibe leans them closer to the likes of Galadriel (especially regarding the lead vocalist's timber, very similar to that of Galadriel's singer Filardi) and, in the harder sections, a moderate Matraz. The band's overall approach to prog music is very lyrical, with a soft appeal that surfaces in a clear manner even during the energetic sections ,which are never too loud. The 13 minute opener 'The Wharf that Holds his Vessel' comprises a bombastic instrumental intro and epilogue, in between which the sung sections portray a delicate majesty. A very nice opener, indeed. Next comes an acoustic guitar-based ballad, 'Uncertain Lights', pretty much reminiscent of Genesis' bucolic side and Anthony Phillips' stylish love songs. 'Clouds Motion' find the band exploring its most muscular side (remember, they never get too far at it), while 'The Rise of the White Sun' digs deeper into expressions of sheer melancholy and 'The Shrill Voice' deals with both trends alternately - it would be fair to say that these three tracks together serve as the perfect sampler of Aisles' artistic ideology. 'The Scarce Light Birth' brings back some of the placid, bucolic nuances of track 2, albeit bearing more explicit symphonic textures. The 16 minute three-part suite 'Grey' finds the band basically reiterating the essence of their own sonic territory: fluid succession of melodic motifs, clever keyboard orchestrations and a recurring sense of serenity and self-constraint. "The Yearning" is a real refreshing album in the context of current neo-prog: not innovative, but inventive. Aisles is a band that all symphonic prog and neo prog lovers should pay close attention to.