Pink Floyd were once their initial spark. With their own songs the tribute band The Pink Floyd Experience became airbag from 2004 on. Since then, wonderfully floating sounds in the range between Floyd, Porcupine Tree and Talk Talk came from Oslo. Now, with "A Day At The Beach" the fans hold in their hands the first new sign of life since "Disconnected" (2016), recorded as a trio with singer/keyboardist Asle Tostrup, guitarist/keyboardist Bjørn Riis and drummer Henrik Fossum. Even before the Corona crisis the Norwegians finished their gloomy beach vision. How has their music changed and what is behind the harmless sounding album title?
eclipsed: Bassist Anders Hovdan and keyboarder Jørgen Hagen left the band already during the recordings for the predecessor "Disconnected". How did the work as a trio affect the approach to the new album?
With his second solo album "Forever Comes To An End" Bjørn Riis has impressively emancipated himself from his main band Airbag. In an interview, the 40-year-old family man talks about stylistic boundaries, the new Roger Waters album and full nappies.
eclipsed: Bjørn, with the title track you put the hardest song at the beginning of your second solo album. A real statement!
Bjørn Riis: "Forever Comes To An End" was supposed to be on my solo debut "Lullabies In A Car Crash", but then it didn't really fit the rest. But we played it live from time to time. But he also has a softer side. I think we have succeeded in creating a really good balance.
eclipsed: "Lullabies In A Car Crash was musically very close to your main band airbag. Were you trying to make a more conscious choice this time?
Airbag guitarist BJØRN RIIS will release his second solo album "Forever Comes To An End" on May 19th. Listen here to a first song from it...
Disconnected", the title of Airbag's fourth album, suggests it: The six tracks deal with alienation, missing or misunderstood communication, otherness, lack of identification possibilities. A loose concept that the Norwegian art rockers present here. And in a rather ironic way. Because "Disconnected" is a homogeneous flow, harmonious in itself, well-structured, building on each other, exactly matching each other.
DARK SUNS - Escape With The Sun (6:12)
Album: Everchild (2016)
Label/Distribution: Prophecy/Soulfood
www.darksuns.de
At DARK SUNS you can expect exciting course changes at any time. On their fifth album "Everchild" the octet not only firmly integrates two wind instruments into the line-up, the melancholic retro-prog Phoenix of "Orange" (2011) the Leipzig-based band has now also grown jazz-decorated new art rock grand pianos. Album of the month!
