Airbag - Sounds That I Hear - The Best Of Airbag (2024)

I've already posted a rarities album from Norwegian progressive rockers Airbag, but as that was more for people who were already fans of the band, I'm posting this 'Best Of...' to introduce them to anyone who has yet to experience their brand of superb neo-prog rock. Formed in Oslo, Norway in 2004, Airbag's consist of guitarist/vocalist Asle Tostrup, guitarist Bjørn Riis, keyboardist Jørgen Hagen, drummer Joachim Slikker, and bassist Anders Hovdan, and they recorded their first EP in their first year together. Entitled 'Come On', it was followed by 2006's 'Sounds That I Hear' and 'Safetree' in 2008, and all three EPs were initially offered for free on the band's website, going on to register over 230,000 downloads, paving the way for incoming interest from Karisma Records, with whom the band signed a deal in 2008. Their debut full-length album arrived in 2009, with 'Identity' featuring remixed versions of songs from their second and third EPs, and the album was very well received, with its lead single, 'Colours', managednotching up a top three hit on Polish radio. Their follow-up, 2011's 'All Rights Removed', saw the band adopt a more conceptual approach, favoring longer pieces and a more dramatic instrumentation. For its release, Slikker left the band and was replaced by Henrik Bergan Fossum, and it went on to receive numerous plaudits from the world of prog rock, and featured on many end-of-year lists. After opening for rock giants Marillion during their Scandinavian tour in 2012, Airbag's third release, 'The Greatest Show On Earth', landed the following year, with the band adopting a heavier, more guitar-driven approach to their music, a feeling echoed in the darker and more destructive content of their lyrics. Their fourth effort, 'Disconnected', was released in June 2016, after which Hagen and Hovdan left the band, with the remaining members deciding to press on as a trio, releasing their fifth album, 'A Day At The Beach', in 2020. Their most recent release was last year's 'The Century Of The Self', which was yet another neo-prog masterpiece, and if you don't already know of Airbag then do yourself a favour and sample some of their best work on this album.  

Track listing

01 White Walls (from 'All Rights Removed' 2011) 
02 Killer (from 'Disconnected' 2016) 
03 Redemption (from 'The Greatest Show On Earth' 2013) 
04 Dysphoria (from 'The Century Of The Self' 2024)
05 Machines And Men (from 'A Day At The Beach' 2020)
06 Colours (from 'Identity' 2009)
07 All Rights Removed (from 'All Rights Removed' 2011) 
08 Call Me Back (from 'The Greatest Show On Earth' 2013) 
09 Sounds That I Hear (from 'Identity' 2009) 
10 Broken (from 'Disconnected' 2016)