Norwegian progressive rockers Airbag have been around since a group of friends with similar musical tastes got together in 1994 and formed a band, with the current line-up stablising in 1999. Bjorn Riis is the lead guitarist and main songwriter, with Asle Tostruo on vocals, Jorgen Hagen on keyboards, Anders Hovdan on bass and Joachim Slikker on drums. They spent their early years playing infrequent gigs around Norway, in particular in Oslo, from where there is a live album available from a 2001 concert, and they didn't record their first demo until 2004. They released their first EP 'Sounds That I Hear' in 2007, which blended influences from acts such as a-ha, Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd, managing to create a sonic expression defying normal genre conventions. They allowed the release to be freely downloadable from their website, and within a few months more than 10,000 people had downloaded it, establishing a good-sized, international fanbase in a very short space of time. A second EP was issued the same year, with 'Safetree' also being freely downloadable, and it further extended their popularity among an internet-savvy fanbase. 2007 also saw Airbag's debut as a proper live outfit, opening for acts like Pineapple Thief, Gazpacho and Riverside, and in 2009 they were signed by Karisma Records, with their debut album 'Identity' being issued the same year. It included three re-recorded songs from the 'Safetree' EP, but not the title track which remains exclusive to that release. Since then they have released four more albums of absolutely outstanding progressive rock, and they are currently my favourite prog-rock band alongside Porcupine Tree. If you like Steven Wilson and PT then you really have to hear Airbag, and this collection of the songs from their early EP's which weren't re-recorded for 'Identity' is a great place to start. While putting this together I discovered that Bjorn Riis has also released four solo albums, and they are every bit a good as those from his day job, and so for any fans of Porcupine Tree or Pink Floyd who have never heard of Airbag, then you're in for a real treat.
Track listing
01 Come On In (from 'Come On In' demo EP)
02 Moon Song (from 'Come On In' demo EP)
03 Take Me (from 'Come On In' demo EP)
04 Crying Out (from 'Come On In' demo EP)
05 Speed Of Light (from 'Sounds That I Hear' EP 2007)
06 Sounds That I Hear (Parts I & II) (extended recording from 'Sounds That I Hear' EP 2007)
07 Safetree (from 'Safetree' EP 2007)
