FIMBULVINTER

One forgets about Airbag and its uber-talented guitar-songwriter due to the fact that everything they've ever done seems to be able to escape the realm of (and comparisons to) peak era, peak sound Pink Floyd. I always enjoy the rich and pristine production value but somehow end up feeling disconnected from it once it's over due to the fact that Pink Floyd already did it--and how many repetitions and reiterations of Pink Floyd do I (does the world) really need?

1. "Illhug" (1:43) an amazing little song, emotive and evocative on so many levels. Worthy of comparisons to anything David Gilmour has ever done. (5/5)

2. "Gone" (8:34) the background floating guitars in this are amazing but the vocals and bass and drum lines to this feel so derived from the 1980s New Wave scene that Bjørn has to do a ton more to win back my respect and attention. It doesn't happen, it just never happens. (17.333/20)

3. "Panic Attack" (10:56) on this one the listener can hear how Pink Floyd has evolved but cannot escape the fact that it's still grounded in all that is (was) Pink Floyd. The guitar solo in the song's peak--the ninth minute--is great BUT it's so David Gilmour--the song so Pink Floyd-turned-heavy-à-la-Porcupine-Tree that it makes me squirm with discomfort. And then he chooses to just end it mid phrase--like a death or loss of consciousness or end of a dream. (17.375/20)

4. "She" (6:33) emotional strummed acoustic guitar with background electronic loops support Bjørn's in-your-face whisper vocal. The lyrics, however, take so frickin' long to reveal what message he's trying to convey: they're sung so spaciously, drawn out over so much time. Read or sung straight it takes me no more than 20 seconds to read them; it took Bjørn four minutes to share them with us. They're a wonderful tribute to "her"--and the plaintive wail of the electric guitar that follows is powerful and evocative--but, why? Really? (8.875/10)

5. "Fimbulvinter" (9:00) more sublimely solid lead guitar work over some interesting but, in the end, obnoxious off-beat syncopated guitar power chords and rock drum and bass play leave me feeling hesitant and left on the outside walking my own way. There is a certain mystique in some of the richly layered places in which the drums and chugging guitars are absent--something mythical in a cool Norse way--but ultimately it's a collection of sounds, textures, and stylings that every lover of David Gilmour has heard over and over for 55 years. (17.333/20)

6. "Fear of Abandoned" (7:36) sounds exactly like a song (or remnant) from Airbag's debut album--way back in 2009--sixteen years ago! (12.75/15)

Total Time 44:22

Unfortunately, the raw and fairly-untreated voice that Bjørn uses (possesses) is just not special enough to earn my praises--and his lyrics are not as compelling or poetic enough to earn acclaim or adulation.

C+/3.5 stars; a beautifully-sounding album that, unfortunately, offers very little in the way of new or excitingly fresh ideas.

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