IN SUDDEN WALKS

To very loosely quote Oscar Wilde, to squander one album may be regarded as a misfortune; to squander both looks like carelessness. Such is sadly the case with uber talented AISLES from Chile. Their musical schooling is undeniable, yet they persist in their initial tendency to kill a buzz before it has a chance to flourish. Add to that the short running time of the album and the fact that the two tracks that consume almost half are at times more ambient or narrative than rock and you have another disappointment.

On the plus side, the "sound" is simply impeccable, the acoustic and electric guitar timbres invigorating, the vocals appealing, and the South American influence even occasionally apparent. The highlights are the almost AOR like "Revolution of Light", the uneven but ultimately winning potpourri of harmonics "The Maiden" and the brief but rewarding "Smile of Tears". The remaining tracks all have their moments but fail to gel, and even the best here could have been better, had AISLES been willing to splice and dice here and there.

Just one or two moves from 4 star status, AISLES remains a generally mellow neo prog group with a lot of unrealized potential. "In Sudden Walks" does represent a slight improvement in consistency over their debut even if it lacks a true standout track, so, as much in the hopes of further improvement as anything, I will round up and walk on.