DISCONNECTED

I've been hearing a lot of great things about Airbag over the last few years and I've even given All Rights Removed and The Greatest Show On Earth a couple of spins. Unfortunately, their music hasn't really worked for me so far due to it's lack of originality and it still feels like the band are trying to find their own sound within the vast ocean of influences that make up the bulk of their music.

I was initially hesitant on giving Disconnected a try, based on my previous encounters with Airbag, but after seeing the album on quite a few best of 2016 lists I've finally given it a try. Turns out this album did manage to pull me in with it's charming opening track Killer. The composition has a very a atmospheric approach to it and I especially enjoy the percussion work throughout the track which feels hypnotic to my ears. The rest of the material is also pretty descent but never reaches the heights that were set by Killer. I feel like Airbag is trying to hard to mimic Pink Floyd while still sounding modern and incorporation a Steven Wilson-like sound to their compositions. The most vivid example of this is the 13 minute title track that reminds me a lot of Porcupine Tree's Anesthetize but ultimately lacks a punch to it in order to make the material stand out on it's own merits.

Disconnected is an enjoyable album that gives the listener just the right dose of prog in order to make things interesting but it's not the most daring or challenging album to dig into. Give it a spin if your in the mood for atmospheric prog music with just enough memorable moments in order to make it an enjoyable overall experience.

***** star songs: Killer (9:18)

**** star songs: Slave (8:39) Disconnected (13:09)

*** star songs: Broken (7:07) Sleepwalker (7:05) Returned (5:10)